GENERAL ADMINISTRATION AND PROTECTION. 33 



name may be passed over, but in reporting on the certificate the facts sub- 

 stantiating the objection must be given. Preliminary notice, however, of cases 

 of refusal to accept appointment and. of elimination for unfitness will be given 

 at once to the Forester. 



Rangers Appointed for Administrative Work Only. 



Recommendations for the appointment of rangers from the civil-service reg- 

 ister will be made only when the work to be done is administrative in char- 

 acter, or is to continue more than six mouths in the year. 



Banger Eliglbles for Protective Work Appointed Guards. 



Men required for periods of six months or less, on protective work only, 

 should be recommended for appointment as forest guards, whether on the 

 eligible list or not. In recommending the appointment of guards, however, 

 supervisors are not required to select men from the ranger register unless such 

 men are locally available. 



Bequests for Certification. 



Except for assistant forest rangers the certification of eligibles requires some 

 time, and supervisors should anticipate their needs and request certification at 

 least a month before the vacancy is expected to occur. 



Procedure for Appointments, Changes of Grade or Assignment, and Separa- 

 tions. 



When a supervisor wishes to recommend an appointment, promotion, reduc- 

 tion, acceptance of resignation, furlough, restoration from furlough, leave of 

 absence without pay, restoration from leave of absence without pay, suspen- 

 sion, removal, separation, or transfer, he will submit his recommendations as 

 memorandums to the District Forester, giving name of appointee, State of legal 

 residence, designation, salary, roll (statutory or miscellaneous), and date effec- 

 tive, and, in the case of temporary employees, the period of employment. The 

 memorandum should, whenever possible, be prepared and forwarded some time 

 in advance of the date upon which the action should be effective. If, however, 

 it is impracticable to forward it before the action becomes effective, it should 

 be forwarded as soon as possible after the exact date is known. In memo- 

 randums calling for promotion, reduction, suspension, removal, and transfer 

 the date effective should be set sufficiently far ahead to secure the Secretary's 

 action before it becomes effective. Such memorandums, when initialed to show 

 approval by the District Forester, will be forwarded to the district fiscal agent 

 as the basis for recommendations to the Secretary, for the signature of the 

 Acting Forester. The carbon of the letter of recommendation to the Secretary 

 will be initialed by the District Forester and the district fiscal agent. 



Administrative Letters. 



Recommendations by the supervisor in cases involving promotion, reduction, 

 suspension, removal, and transfer should be made in administrative letters 

 giving all the facts. 



Officers to Be Notified in Advance of Contemplated Action. 



Any action toward separation, furlough, requested resignation, or removal, 

 should be taken up in advance with the officer affected, to give him ample time 

 to arrange his personal affairs and seek employment elsewhere. 



Bemovals and Beductions. 



Removals or reductions may be made for any cause which will promote the 

 efficiency of the Service, but like penalties must be imposed for like offenses, 

 and no discrimination for political or religious reasons is permitted. A person 

 in the competitive service whose removal is proposed must be furnished with a 

 statement of reasons and be allowed sufficient time for answering such reasons 

 in writing; but no examination of witnesses nor any trial or hearing is re- 

 quired except in the discretion of the Secretary of Agriculture. The recom- 

 mendation for removal or reduction must be accompanied by all the sup- 

 porting evidence and correspondence, in duplicate, except when a reduction in 

 grade or compensation is made for administrative reasons and not because of 

 misconduct or delinquency. In such case the employee must be furnished in 

 advance with a statement of the reasons for the reduction. Copies of this 

 statement, in duplicate, should accompany the recommendation, which should 

 contain a concise statement of the reasons. If removal during the probational 



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