months in the handling of allocation appeals. In addition to the foregoing types of cases handled by the Board, there is also a considerable number of retirement appeals. While the Commission has considered every possible way of expediting this work by means of the elimination of hearings and other changes in organization which have recently been made, and which will continue to be made whenever there is a possibility of such action, it is clearly evident that a continuance of these conditions into the fiscal year 1939 will be nothing short of an inexcusable disregard of the rights of both the Government and the competitor or employee. Justifiable increase in the Commission's examining function will serve to reflect an additional increase in volume of examination appeals work. Retirement and transfer functions.-Since the transfer of the retirement work from the Veterans' Administration to the Civil Service Commission on September 1, 1934, the civil service annuity roll has increased from approximately 44,000 to approximately 53,000 annuitants, representing an increase of 20 percent. Within the same period of time there have been enacted the designation of beneficiary law, the Alaska Railroad retirement law, the legislative and judicial retirement law, and the annual- and sick-leave laws under which Executive orders 7409 and 7410, dated June 9, 1936, were issued requiring appropriation reimbursements from retirement credits on account of overdrawn annual and/or sick leaves. No additional funds have been granted the Civil Service Commission with which it could employ the personnel required to perform this additional work. It is imperative that the increase estimated for be approved. Reinstatement, transfer, and promotion work must be maintained in a current condition if the departments and establishments are to be expected to follow sound personnel administration procedure. Careful study has been made of the Commission's Transfer Section with a view to eliminating any work as a means of expediting cases handled by the section. As a result, every step now taken is an essential one, but present personnel is inadequate to maintain the work in a reasonably current condition. To enable the Commission to give a thoroughly practical application of the theory of the Government service as a career, the additional funds requested should be granted. Correspondence and files.--During the fiscal year 1937 a total of 1,634,401 pieces of mail was received in the Commission's central office, of which 39,762 pieces represented special delivery and registered mail requiring recording the receipt thereof and the filing of the envelopes for record purposes. It is anticipated that 2,000,000 pieces of mail will be received during the fiscal year 1939. An even greater quantity will be received if the Commission is to be permitted to carry on the examination program which the condition of its eligible registers and the estimated personnel needs of the departments and establishments warrant. The opening, reading, distribution, and indexing of more than 2.000,000 pieces of mail, together with the answering of the same, is a large task and one which must be performed promptly. The maintenance of the general, presidential, confidential, personnel, fourth class postmaster, rural carier, and examination files must necessarily become a greater problem from year to year. Inability to maintain correspondence and file work in a current condition simply makes for unavoidable delays in other phases of the Commission's work. Service record and statistical work.-During the fiscal year 1936 a total of 858,009 items of personnel changes was audited, which was more than double the total number audited during the fiscal year 1935. At the beginning of the fiscal year 1937 there was a total accumulation of approximately 500.000 items to be audited. By the end of the fiscal year 1937 this accumulation had increased to approximately 900,000 items, even though through the greatest possible effort a total of 703,154 items was audited during the fiscal year. This indicates the inability of the Service Record Section, as heretofore constituted. to handle the large volume of work presently devolving upon it. A total of $110,000 was authorized, but due to delay in the enactment of the Independent Offices Appropriation Act, fiscal year 1938, and delays in delivery of tabulating machine equipment it was not possible to get the enlarged program in full operation immediately after July 1, 1937. However, on the basis of progress to date, the Commission is happy to report that personnel in the amount of $36.860 for coding, punching, verifying, and sorting operations are the only additions to the regular permanent force assigned to the section which will be required to maintain this large volume of work in a current status. While delay in inaugurating this reduced program wil necessarily prevent the attainment of a current status in this work by June 30, 1938, it is believed that through a competent coordination of the several operations involved a current status can be attained by June 30, 1939, on the basis of estimates herewith. Personnel clasification function.-Successful administration of the Classification Act of 1923, as amended, requires that the work incident thereto be adequately and promptly performed. This applies to major surveys and projects as well as to the allocation of individual positions. The number of agencies and the number of positions covered by the Classification Act are increasing. In June 1935, the number of such positions was 63,747. In June 1936, this number had increased to 75,830, while the total as of June 30, 1937, was 76,200. With a constant increase in the volume of work the capacity of the personnel to absorb it has long since been exceeded. The Commission is strongly of the belief that the increase estimated for is so small in comparison to the benefit to be derived by the Government, from the expenditure of such funds, as to make approval highly desirable. Examining function, central office.-There are 300 registers of eligibles in the Commission's central office which will be 3 years old or more during the fiscal year 1938, and which should be renewed because of an active need for such eligibles. While the Commission wishes to comply with the President's desire that registers of eligibles be renewed when such registers become 3 years old or when they subsequently become active, it cannot do more than proceed to renew, during the current fiscal year, a few of the registers most urgently needed by the departments and establishments. This is because of lack of funds. As a result, most of the 300 registers of eligibles will be 4 years old or more during the fiscal year 1939. Unless the funds estimated for are made available for obligation and expenditure during the fiscal year 1939, there will be created a condition similar to that existing at the close of the fiscal year 1933, whereby the Commission found itself faced with many calls for eligibles with its eligible registers aged and depleted. The Commission is unwilling to accept responsibility for the occurrence of such a condition. Approval of this estimate is urgently requested. Field service.-During the fiscal year 1938 the Commission is required to operate its 13 field offices with a staff barely 9 percent larger than the staff on duty during the fiscal year 1932; yet the records show that all items of work have increased anywhere from 38 percent to 881 percent in volume. More than 2,700 registers of eligibles now maintained under the district system will become 3 years old or more during the fiscal year 1938. It is clearly evident that only a small portion of these registers can be renewed with the very limited funds available. The result is that most of those 2,700 registers will be 4 years old or more during the fiscal year 1939. New agencies of Government; such as the Social Security Board, the Soil Conservation Service, and the Bureau of Motor Carriers of the Interstate Commerce Commission will continue to make heavy demands upon the Commission's district offices during the fiscal year 1939. The same is true with respect to the Forest Service, the Engineer Department at large, other branches of the Agriculture and War Departments, and the Navy Department. With the limited funds available the Commission is now prevented from adequately meeting the reasonable demands from these and other agencies. It is unwilling to accept responsibility for the continuance of these indefensible conditions. Other obligations.-As a direct result of the above-mentioned items of increase for personal services, there have been included under this head $6,170 for supplies, service, and equipment. These estimates represent minimum needs based upon net increase over the current year's personnel. In connection with the items of increase herein estimated for attention is invited to the following comparison of items of work for the fiscal years ending June 30, 1932, and June 30, 1937. The attached statement has been prepared for the purpose of giving the committee information respecting funds available to the Civil Service Commission under the appropriation for "Salaries and expenses." It shows the total funds available for all functions during the fiscal years 1932 to 1935, inclusive, which are now consolidated in the Commission, the total funds available for the combined activity during the fiscal years 1936, 1937, and 1938, and the appropriation estimates for the fiscal year 1939. Appropriation: Printing and binding, Civil Service Commission, 1939 Total funds available for obligation and expenditure during the fiscal year 1937 include: (a) $85,000 contained in the regular annual appropriation act, and (b) the balance of $12,700 remaining of the $18,700 contained in the Supplemental Appropriation Act, fiscal year 1936. The total of those funds is $97,700. Funds available for the fiscal year 1938, for printing and binding, amount to $85,000. These funds were provided in the regular annual appropriation act. It is estimated that the Commission's minimum requirements under this head, for the fiscal year 1939, will be $92,500, which are $7,500 in excess of the funds contained in the current year's regular annual appropriation. This increase of $7,500 is for the printing of examination questions, application blanks, notices of ratings, vouchers, supplemental forms, etc., required in connection with the estimates for the examining function in the central office, and in the field service. Appropriation: Civil-service retirement and disability appropriated fund, 1939 The Government's contribution to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund for the fiscal year 1938 is $72,392,000. This is the first time that such contribution has been in an amount equal to that recommended by the Board of Actuaries. The Board, in its Sixteenth Annual Report, recommends an appropriation of $74,244,417. The Commission is therefore estimating for the Government's contribution for the fiscal year 1939 in the amount of $74,244,000. It is urgently recommended that the now established policy of stating the contribution of the Government at approximately actual requirement be continued. Appropriation: Canal Zone Retirement and Disability Appropriated Fund, 1939 Pending the completion of the actuarial evaluation of this fund, which will close during the current fiscal year, it is recommended that a minimum of $500,000 be again appropriated. This recommendation is made with a view to providing sufficient funds to meet expenditures which may be required during the fiscal year 1939. The Commission is recommending an appropriation of $175,000 under this head for the fiscal year 1939. This is the same amount appropriated for the current fiscal year. It is estimated that approximately 1,000 employees may be subject to the provisions of this act, which is approximately one-third of the number affected by the Canal Zone Retirement Act. Since certain retroactive features of this act serve to delay determination of the Government's liability, it is believed that a minimum of $175,000 should be appropriated for the fiscal year 1939. |