NEWS CONFERENCE 475

A. I'd have to refer to Mr. Lee's detailed report and will be glad to
make that information available to you. I can't give it to you off the
top of my head. I don't have it with me right now. Mr. Thompson
will be glad to give you what information we have.

Q. Governor, do you know what plans are being made to make these
permanent jobs?

A. Well, there are certain steps that have been recommended by the
City to bring Mr. Lee's efforts in line with the concentrated employ-
ment program objectives which are more or entirely of a long range
nature. And as a matter of fact Mr. Parren Mitchell today asked me
to release Mr. Lee from the crash program so that he could accept an
assignment in the concentrated employment program. I told him I
would look into the situation and see the status of the crash program,
whether he could be released or not. I haven't had a chance to do
that. I just received that call today.

Q. Governor, will the Task Force on Modern Management take
cognizance of the fact that there are 13 annual State holidays, 14 I
believe in the election year?

A. I really don't know how to answer that. J certainly don't know
that they are looking at it. No one said anything to me about the
holiday situation.

Q. I wondered what you might want to say about it.

A. Well, I don't know. I'd have to look at it and think about it.
I'm not sure what these holidays are and whether they are generally
recognized, but it does seem that this should be true: that holidays
that are generally recognized among the banking profession, among
the normal employed persons in private industry, should be recognized
by the State. And the State shouldn't celebrate holidays that are not
of general recognition.

Q. Do you think it's any great honor to recognize General Wash-
ington and Abe Lincoln to stop work on their birthdays?

A. Well, I guess you get into philosophy when you talk about that
because — do you think it's any great honor to people who were killed
during the line of duty during wars that work ceases on certain days,
or is it any great honor to Christ that we stop work on Christmas day?
I guess there is not a great honor but a recognition and an awareness
and appreciation of what has been done by the people who are being
honored and of course by the deity.