in addition to providing writing assistance to line offices and divisions and handling essential requests from borrowers for field assistance. Principal duties 5,310 Directs overall work of Section; personally handles most of the telephone and personal contacts with the general and trade press. Assists in directing Section; handles writing assignments of special difficulty; provides liaison assistance to 2 line divisions. Works full time in telephone program handling cor respondence and providing liaison assistance to the 2 telephone line divisions. Does research and writing for assigned current infor mation requests; handles liaison with 1 area office. Devotes approximately half time to writing such radio and television material as is requested by networks and individual stations. Also handles correspondence, general writing assignments, and staff liaison. Performs research and writing for correspondence and general writing assignments as assigned; handles liaison with 1 area office. Posts daily loan announcements to press; prepares weekly summary of loan for the trade; notifies con gressional offices of loan approvals; performs research as assigned for other writers. Serves as secretary and clerical assistant to Section head and personnel. Assists with secretarial, typing and filing work of the Section. Heavy volume of stenographic work requires full time of 2 secretaries. 4,955 AUDIOVISUAL SECTION The work of this Section consists almost wholly of preparing visual materials to help the Washington and field staffs work more effectively with borrowers on matters of loan security. Examples of this work are layout and illustration of program and technical manuals and preparation of film strips for use by staff and borrowers. The Section is normally called upon to handle 25 or more such major projects in a year. This section is responsible for editorial work and frequently much of the writing on publications consisting chiefly of technical bulletins and internal manuals for expediting the lending and loan security work of the line divisions and offices. It also provides editorial service on an occasional consumer's publication_issued through the Department, and handles 12 to 15 difficult letters a week. During 1954 the section will receive for handling the manuscripts of from 25 to 30 publications. POSITIONS ELIMINATED IN REVISED BUDGET The following positions that appeared in the original 1954 budget have been eliminated in the 1954 revised budget: Rural Electrification News: As a result of the discontinuance of the Rural Electrification News, the following positions are being eliminated: 1 GS-12 publications officer at $7,240 per annum, 1 GS-11 visual information specialist at $6,140 per annum; and 1 GS-4 clerk-stenographer at $3,575 per annum. In addition to the total salary saving of $16,955, a saving of approximately $12,000 a year in printing costs will be made. Distribution work: By altering the method of publications distribution to borrowers and the public, the position of one GS-5 information clerk at $4,160 per annum is being eliminated. Other publications work: Also being eliminated is the vacant position of one GS-11 publications writer at $5,940 per annum which was expected to be filled in 1954 as a means of cutting down the backlog of manuscripts awaiting publication. UPGRADING Mr. ANDERSEN. I would like to say for the record that Mr. Whitten probably has done more than any man in Congress in preventing excessive upgrading throughout the various agencies of Government. Mr. HORAN. And taken more punishment in doing it. Mr. WHITTEN. I appreciate the statements of my friends. Under the act which they refer to we did set a limit on the total number of permanent employees in Government. The Congress attempted to regulate the rate of promotion of individuals in the Government so that the average employee had to serve 1 year in the preceding grade to be eligible for promotion. We also provided in that act that the average grade and salary shall be reported to the Congress each and every year, so that Congress may be aware of this matter. And it is to be hoped that the Congress each year will take such action as may be necessary to prevent excessive increases. As I understand your situation, the Civil Service has approved these upgradings on a description of each job, although you initiated In other words, when you reorganized you set up a job description and asked the Civil Service Commission to pass on it, and they in turn have given these new grades for the work done. How can we stop that? Would something in our report saying that the department or agency shall be expected to maintain the average grade and salaries existing throughout the department prevent this? I Mr. ROBERTS. I think that we should be perfectly clear about the responsibility of the Civil Service Commission on this matter. would like to correct this for the record, if I may. Mr. WHITTEN. We would want you to. Mr. ROBERTS. I believe that I am right when I say all jobs under grade 15 are classified within the Department under delegated authority, and are subject only to audit by the Civil Service Commis sion, so I doubt if the individual jobs that are here involved under grade 15 were submitted to the Civil Service Commission. Mr. WHITTEN. What started all this was the study of the Commerce and Treasury Departments during World War II, which showed that they ended up with an average across-the-board upgrading of two grades. That did not mean that everybody got it; that meant that some got six increases and others got none. As a result the increased annual cost was some $1 billion. All Congress did was to try to prevent that from happening again. I hope attention will be given to what the committee can do to maintain consistent average grade levels. If the Congress wants salaries high, that is one thing, but for the departments or agencies to gradually push everybody up is unsound and terribly expensive. Mr. ANDERSEN. At this point I want Mr. Wise to put in the record an answer to this question: How many 1- or 2-grade raises to REA personnel resulted from the reorganization of the bureau. (The information requested is as follows:) PROMOTIONS RESULTING FROM REORGANIZATION In the answer to the question regarding the increased number of grades 13, 14, and 15 positions it was pointed out that a totally new administrative structure had to be established to meet the needs of the growing telephone program and the changing nature of the rural-electrification program. A substantial part of the 122 promotions listed in the table below were made to fill the new positions explained in the previous answer. The same situation accounts for most of the promotions at lower grades. The establishment of area offices for the electric program has already been explained. This resulted in new positions of general field representative, ares director, assistant area director, secretaries to area director and assistant area director, assistant head of Operations Section, and positions responsible for accounting advice and assistance to borrowers, internal review of financial reports, and advancement of funds. There were 67 promotions in filling positions concerned entirely with the electric program. The establishment of two new divisions to devote full time to the telephone program has also been explained previously. Positions in these divisions were established at the same grade levels as those prevailing for many years in the electric program. There were 39 promotions in staffing the new Telephone Loans and Telephone Engineering Divisions. The table below also reflects promotions to positions concerned with both the electric and telephone programs. Mainly these were in the Division of the Controller which was established at the time of the reorganization to provide an independent staff review and audit of the operations of both REA and its borrowers, as well as to strengthen REA accounting and related activities. This Division was established to reflect the best thinking and practices of recognized accounting authorities. Fifteen promotions were made in staffing this new Division. Number promotions resulting from reorganization 1-grade promotions_ 2-grade promotions_ 3-grade promotions.. 108 13 1 1-grade promotions: ELECTRIC PROGRAM General field representative GS-12 and 13.. Area director and acting area director GS-14 and 15. Assistant area director GS-14. Secretaries to area director and assistant area director GS-5 and 6. Field engineer GS-12 Loans specialist (Power Division) GS-13. 2-grade promotions: Government accountant GS-9 (concerned with review of borrowers' financial requests and advance of funds).. Total electric program 7 67 Number promotions resulting from reorganization-Continued 1-grade promotions: TELEPHONE PROGRAM Chief, Telephone Engineering Division GS-15___ Assistant Chief, Telephone Engineering Division GS-14- Electronic engineer (assistant to Chief) GS-12 Loans field representative GS-12. Operations field representative GS-12. Electronic engineer (field). . Secretaries to chief and assistant chiefs, Telephone Loans and Telephone Engineering Divisions GS-5 and 6.. Loan appraiser (telephone) GS-7--- 2-grade promotions: 1 Loan appraiser GS-9.... Loan appraiser GS-7.. Loan reviewer GS-11. Operations analyst GS-7_ 3-grade promotion: Loan reviewer GS-9--- (This was the promotion of an employee from GS-6 to GS-9. The employee had previously served in GS-7.) 1-grade promotions: BOTH ELECTRIC AND TELEPHONE PROGRAMS Government accountant (examination manager) GS-13_ Government accountant (examination field supervisor) GS-12_ Government accountant (in charge, internal examination) GS−13_. Other promotions to positions existing before July 1 which were effected on July 1, 1952, and which were the result of (1) turnover, (2) normal position changes that had been held pending reorganization, (3) typists becoming qualified as stenographers, etc. 1-grade promotions_ 2-grade promotions 1. 1-grade promotions: Administrative officer (program analyst) GS-15. Administrative officer (assistant program analyst) GS-14. Number 43 21 Government accountant (assistant controller in charge examination) 12 1 Information specialist (Chief, Information Services Division) GS-14.. 1 1 Publications officer GS-13_. 1 Electrical engineer (head, Power Requirements Section) GS−13_. 1 1 Business accountant (head, Internal Examination Section) GS-13.. Administrative officer (Assistant Chief, Personnel Division) GS-13.. Organization and methods examiner, (head, Management Section) 1 1 GS-13. Electrical engineer (head, Engineering Section) GS-13.. 1 1 Visual information officer GS-12 1 Information officer (assistant head, Current Information Section) GS-12. 1 4 Administrative officer (assistant head, Electric Retail Rate Section) 1 Electrical engineer (field) GS-12.. 1 Administrative officer (assistant section head, Telephone Loans Division) 3 Organization and methods examiner (Assistant to Chief) GS-12.. 1 1 All 2-grade promotions were from GS-5 to 7; GS-7 to 9; or GS-9 to 11 in positions approved for 2-grade promotions because they are properly classified at 2-grade intervals. 30505-53-pt. 3- -23 Other promotions to positions existing before July 1 which were effected on July 1, 1952, and which were the result of (1) turnover, (2) normal position changes that had been held pending reorganization, (3) typists becoming qualified as stenographers, etc.— Continued 1-grade promotions-Continued Government accountant GS-12_ Administrative assistant (loan reviewer-electric) GS-9_ Administrative assistant GS-7. Secretary (stenography) GS-6. Time, leave and payroll clerk GS-6 Secretary (stenography) GS-5... Government accountant (budget clerk) GS-5_ 2-grade promotions: Administrative officer GS-11. Home economist (home electrification specialist) GS-11 Administrative officer (management field representative) GS-11.. Administrative officer (field representative, loans) GS-11. Budget analyst GS-11.. Administrative assistant (loan reviewer, telephone) GS-9_ 1 1 REDUCTION IN REA ASSISTANCE TO COOPERATIVES Mr. LAIRD. I have a question along the lines of this reorganization. I received a letter from a constituent stating that he attended a meeting of the REA cooperative at which Mr. Wickard appeared and indicated that the individual co-ops were going to be left more to their own devices now that the spadework and various advisory and engineering work had been completed in Washington. Mr. ANDERSEN. That was one of the reasons given us for the reorganization. Mr. WISE. It has resulted in a 13 percent reduction in the number of people. Mr. LAIRD. At this particular convention Mr. Wickard pointed out that this was the purpose of the reorganization. Then he stated that in his copy of the Wisconsin REA News, shortly after the convention, he read that three new field specialists had been appointed to the particular area up there to advise and help the REA program, and that their job was primarily public relations work in the area. Is that the case? What were the field specialists assigned for? Is the information contained in this letter correct? Mr. WISE. That is wrong. He is referring to the field representative job that I described a while ago, which we classified as 13 or 12, because we did not think anyone of less ability could handle it. He is an overall management man and he meets with the borrowers periodically to work out their long-term programs. No one else from REA will have any contact with that borrower unless he and the borrower agree that some special service is needed. Mr. LAIRD. Are three referred to in this letter assigned to the Dairyland Cooperative area? Mr. WISE. They average 1 per 20 cooperatives. In Wisconsin we would not have three. In Wisconsin and the surrounding area it would be three. |