Speech #840146273

Chairman. I only take the floor because the 2 minutes the gentleman granted me was not long enough for me to get over some of the points that I wanted to get over. On page 2 of the report I find this: The testimony also revealed that the present Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization examined the files of the senior civilservice employees of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in an effort- to find a civilservice employee who might be qualified to occupy the position of Assistant Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization. We are asked to believe the Commissioner searched the civilservice files and he could not find any one of the hundreds of people in the Immigration and Naturalization Service. who have served year after year. who was capable of filling the job. Then he goes on and says: The Commissioner stated in his testimony that he could not find any civilservice employees who were qualified for the position nor has he received any application. verbally or otherwise. from any present civilservice employee of the Immigration and Naturalization Service who is desirous of being considered for the position. Of course he has not received any application from them. because if they accept a position in schedule C they lose all their rights of retirement. No civilservice employee is going to take a political position for a few months. or perhaps a year or so. and then lose this job. his tenure. and his rights of retirement. That is true. Further it says here: The position to which General Howard would be appointed. upon enactment of the proposed legislation. is a schedule C position and according to the testimony. any civilservice employee who accepts the position of Assistant Commissioner would lose his civilservice status. Here is some other additional material In the report that deserves consideration: The Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization also testified that there is now an Acting Assistant Commissioner who is a civilservice employee but that he has not requested appointment as Assistant Commissioner. Of course he would lose his civilservice status. Then he says further: Testimony further revealed that this civilservice employee may later be qualified for the position. I suppose after he is relieved of his duties for a year or so. and General Howard is put into the position. then this career man who has spent 15 or 20 years in the Immigration Service will be qualified to take the job as Assistant Commissioner. and that he will then be appointed on a basis where he will not lose his civilservice retirement compensation rights. This comes down to the basic problem. Are you going to keep on passing special legislation for these generals and admirals. who retire at $8.000 or $9.000 a year. are you going to pass special legislation for individuals. giving them. after they have served in the service of the United States willingly and have accumulated a retirement privilege which is more than could be acquired by a civilservice status employeegive them some special legislation to put them in a job and let them take a higher salary of $11.610 in place of their retirement rates of $8.705? Then when they have finished that year and a half of work for the Government they can go back and get their tetirement without any penalty at all. In the meantime you are asked to believe that there are no civilians qualified in the Immigration Service to take these positions. I cannot go along with that type of thinking. it is just a little too thick for me. This looks to me like special class legislation for two friends of General Swing.