The Nation - News from Oct. 24, 1988

Interior Secretary Donald P. Hodel has proposed cutting 2,000 jobs in his 69,000-employee department, starting a year from now, a newspaper reported. An internal memorandum disclosed that more than 500 of the proposed cuts would be made in the National Park Service, the New York Times said. The proposal reportedly calls for a study of the feasibility of turning over to the private sector such jobs as park maintenance and visitor orientation services. The proposal also suggests turning the map-making function of the U.S. Geological Survey over to private enterprise, the paper said. A department spokesman said no one would be forced to retire because attrition in the department is higher than the proposed cuts. The memo was written by Richard Ventura, an assistant Interior secretary.