LBJ Order May Cost Students Jobs

President Johnson's order freezing federal employment may severely curtail the government summer employment program, according to a Washington spokesman for the Civil Service Commission.

The outback in hiring will affect both permanent and temporary positions, but each individual agency will have to make its own decisions about its student intern program, he declared.

The spokesman stressed that no final decisions on the program had been reached. The Civil Service Commission is still recommending that interested students file job applications.

Seminars Still Planned

An official from the White House offices who organized seminars for student interns last year said she had had no word that the program was being dropped. Plans are continuing for seminars this year.

Mrs. Mildred A. Gallagher, an official of the Boston Civil Service Office, said that her office was still waiting for an announcement about the summer employment picture. Normally, this information would have been received by the beginning of January. Mrs. Gallagher expects word by the end of the month.

The Civil Service Commission was planning to give a special examination for summer jobs, but the Boston office has as yet received no word about the test. Mrs. Gallagher suggested that students interested in summer work take the Federal Service Entrance Examination, even though it is no longer officially applicable to summer employment.

Last year approximately 7,000 students worked for various government agencies in Washington. Hundreds more worked for individual congressmen, but their jobs will not be affected by President Jordan's order.

Apportionment Proposal Pending

A proposal is pending before Congress which would apportion summer jobs by states of residence, just like all civil service appointments. Planning for the summer is probably being hindered by indecision on this issue, according to Mrs. Gallagher.

Last year several Republicans in Congress complained that the Kennedy Administration was using summer jobs as a form of political patronage. The special examination for these positions and the proposal for apportionment by states resulted form this criticism.