Mr. CRAFTS. I think that it probably would. But I think the better question may not be whether it would let us do it sooner, but whether it would let us do it at all. As it is now-and there was a situation brought to my attention fairly recently-in which we simply do not have the funds to do the work at all. I do not know whether this year we will be able to do it or not. I think in the case of settlements it would be true that we could do the work sooner. But where we would have to get a judgment, which may take several years, I do not think it would necessarily be true that we would save time. Mr. JENNINGS. That is all. Mr. GRANT. Are there any further questions? Mr. HAGEN. I am not a member of this committee. This bill would make possible, as I understand, to cover some of these remote mountain areas where you have people living from time to time, working for the Forest Service, and they are not regular Forest Service employees. However, are there not some other sections which you can only employ a given individual so many days during the course of the year isn't there something in the law or in the other regulations. on that? Isn't that causing problems because there is only a limited number of individuals that are reliable, and you arbitrarily put a ceiling on a certain number of employees? Mr. CRAFTS. May I ask Mr. Gordon Fox, who is Director of our Operations Division to answer that question, please? Mr. Fox. My name is Gordon Fox. We have a limitation. The type of limitation that you are talking about is for employment of temporary and seasonal employees, mostly laborers who are outside of the civil-service classification. In that case we do have the limitation that you are talking about, that we interpret the temporary limitation as not permitting us to employ them more than 10 months a year. That is for temporary and seasonal employment outside of the Civil Service Classification Act. Mr. HAGEN. Isn't there a statute pertaining to that, or is that just a departmental policy? Mr. Fox. The civil-service regulation applies to that. I am not sure of the point whether it is beyond the civil-service regulation. Mr. HAGEN. I might state-pardon the interruption-that this was called to my attention in the Sequoia area some time ago. Do you not feel that there is such difficulty in many areas and that you should be permitted to employ these people for the full year-that there is such a necessity? Mr. Fox. I think generally we have not had too much; we have been able to qualify people under the Classification Act for yearlong employment. There may be cases where it is a problem, but I do not know of any specific ones. Mr. CRAFTS. This is Mr. Mostow from our General Counsel's Office. Mr. Mostow. You ask whether there is any statute. The statute is the Civil Service Act which authorizes the Commission to prescribe regulations, and this schedule A which restricts positions to employees qualified by civil-service examinations, is a regulation which could be changed by the Commission. Does that answer the question? Mr. HAGEN. Could they change it with respect to the Forest Service employees in a given situation? Mr. Mostow. I think so; yes, sir. Mr. HAGEN. Mr. Crafts, do you feel any necessity for establishing a rule by statute which would conflict with the regulation insofar as the Forest Service is concerned? Mr. CRAFTS. I would hesitate to answer that offhand. I would like, if I have your permission, to consider that and look into it, and advise you on it. Mr. HAGEN. Thank you. Mr. GRANT. Thank you, very much. If there are no further questions we will adjourn the hearing, subject to call by the chairman. Mr. CRAFTS. Thank you. Mr. GRANT. We are adjourned. We will go into executive session. (Thereupon at 11 a. m., the subcommittee went into executive session.) FARM LOAN MORATORIUM IN DISASTER AREAS زناده HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION AND CREDIT OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE EIGHTY-FIFTH CONGRESS CONTENTS H. R. 8362. A bill to make available to farmers in disaster areas, who have Page 1 Hays, Hon. Brooks, a Representative in Congress from the Fifth Con- 28 Porter, J. O., State senator, State of Arkansas_ 37 Trimble, Hon. James W., a Member of Congress from the Third Congressional District of the State of Arkansas 3 33-36 32, 33 Additional data submitted to the subcommittee by King, L. H.: Report on H. R. 8362 by Hon. True D. Morse, Acting Secretary, Porter, J. O.: Allen, Tom, Senator, 26th District, Brinkley, Ark., letter of July American State Bank, Charleston, Ark., letter of July 5, 1957- 1957. Commercial Bank, Alma, Ark., letter of July 6, 1957. King, Kenneth, Selby Brown, and Sterlin Hurley, Clarksville, King, Kenneth, Clarksville, Ark., letter of May 21, 1957. King, L. H., letter of July 20, 1957 Leachville State Bank, Leachville, Ark., letter of July 15, 1957-- Price, Delton E., county agricultural agent, Ozark, Ark., letters 23, 24 Pritchett, E. H., Jr., county agent, Van Buren, Ark., letter of 19 20 17 27 27 17 22 22 The City National Bank, Fort Smith, Ark., letter of July 10, 1957 17 The Farmers National Bank, Clarksville, Ark., letter of July 11, 18 The First National Bank, Fort Smith, Ark., letter of July 8, 25 Trimble, Hon. James W.: Amendment to bill. 3 |