STATE EMPLOYE

ANSWER GIVEN

McKeithen Replies to At-
torneys Listing

Gov. John J. McKeithen said Friday his administration employed 149 attorneys as of Dec. 31, 1966, compared to the 168

employed by his predecessor as of April 30, 1964.

The governor made the statement in a letter answering ac (counts which appeared in The ;Times-Picayune. The letter, addressed to the executive editor of The Times-Picayune, read:

"Recently your newspaper in a Sunday column and in a news story published reports concerning the number of attorneys employed by this administration in comparison with the number employed by the previous administration several months before the change in office. Also your newspaper made a similar comparison on classified state employes.

"I am enclosing information supplied me by the Division of Administration on employment of attorneys and am citing below data supplied me by the Department of State Civil Service on the number of classified employes.

"The attached report on employment of attorneys includes the following information:

1. The total number of attorneys employed on April 30, 1964 was 168. The number employed as of Dec. 31, 1966 was 149.

2. The total payroll as of April 30, 1964 was $1,066,787 compared to the total on Dec. 31, 1966 of $1,153,891. The primary reasons for the increase in compensation were: (A) Improved salaries within the classified service and the addition of six who were needed to service expanded programs primarily in the Departments of Highways and Revenue, and (B) increases to meet the needs of elected officials other than the governor.

3. The number of attorneys

Cont. in Sec. 1, Page 20, Col. 5

STATE EMPLOYE

Continued from Page 1

In unclassified positions responsible to the governor has been reduced from 67 to 37 and the compensation for the group has been reduced from $304,655 to $242,676. This reduction is in line with promises made by me as a candidate for governor.

"I would call to your attention further data supplied me

by the Division of Administration showing that the state budget has increased by about 24 per cent in the period under review.

"The above tabulation does not include five persons singled out in your newspaper for special mention who are attorneys but who are not retained in a legal capacity. I refer to Messrs. John Martzell, Jesse Stone, Camille Gravel, Jerry Millican, and Edmund Reggie.

"Messrs. Martzell and Stone were recommended to me by the Louisiana Commission on Human Relations, Rights and Responsibilities for their special ability to assist the state in the matter of race relations. - The fact that they are attorneys had nothing to do with the rec-

ommendation.

(Editor's Note: The governor's payroll records list Gravel as "special counsel" for I Medicare and Millican as "special counsel" for traffic safety.)

"Mr. Gravel has been asked to assist us in the vitally important field of Medicare, and his selection was based on a conference in Sen. Long's office in Washington with important officials of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, who agreed without dissent that we should assign someone full time to his responsibility. I felt he would be the best person we could get in Louisiana for this. He was not retained because he is an attorney. His salary will be borne ultimately by the federal government.

"Mr. Millican is engaged in a program that is essential for safety on our highways. He is developing a program that involves millions of dollars in the future in safety promotion. His work is essential for the state to continue receiving its full allocation of federal highway funds. His salary will be paid from federal funds. His selection was not based on the fact be is an attorney.

"We have asked Mr. Reggie to serve as chairman of the Commission on Extension and Continuing Education, a post-

Lon previously held by Professor Winston Riddick of Louisi- ' ana State University, who re-

turned

to the classroom. This 1

is an important commission whose chairman does not need to be an attorney. We chose Mr. Reggie because of his sincere interest in the work.

"To my knowledge, of the

above named attorneys, only

Mr. Reggie supported me for •

governor.

"You are certainly at liberty • to make any check you desire as to the authenticity of the data cited above. We have made an exhaustive survey and believe it to be correct.

"At my request the Department of State Civil Service has tabulated the changes in employment in the classified service for the period May 31, 1969, through December 31, 1966. This covers all but a part of one month of my administration through December 31, 1966.

"This lengthy report to me provides the following information:

"1, Classified Civil Service employes increased 4,654 during the period reported.

2.  Of this total, the primary increase was 1,315 in the schools, colleges, and universities, reflecting the increased programs in education. The second largest increase was 908 in the hospitals, including 498 in the new Hammond State' School which was authorized before I became governor but 'staffed during my administration. Other new agencies, some of which were previously authorized, required 341 new employes.

3. The average annual rate of increase in the classified service in the period studied, excluding the new agencies, was 4.02 per cent. This is slightly under the average annual growth for all agencies in the 10 years prior to my administration. The staff-log of new agencies makes the overall annual growth a fraction of a per cent over the rate for the preceding 10 years but well under the average annual budget increase.

4. Total growth in the classified service in this administration has been about 12.8 per cent while state government has grown 24 per cent.

"I will appreciate it if you will give equal treatment in your newspaper to this information as to the misleading data. supplied by your correspondent, Mr. C. M. Hargroder.

Sincerely yours." (Signature)

JOHN J. M'KEITHEN, Governor.