New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-02-27
CIVIL SERVICE Reform.

| TIE CITHKS-KFMAkKABLE ACCELIRAlION IN
| THE WORK or TIE BUREAU.
| (FRoM A sTAFF CoBKEsroSDNT OF TIE TRii uNt.I
| WASHINGTON. Feb. 25.-Pensicn Commissioners
! Dudley is trying with the 700 empoyes OF Dis
! Bureau an experiment in the direction OF improved
clerical service. which has many interesting fea-
! lures. The Commissioner has quietly matuTed TINS
! system in his own Office, and put 1t into practice
without proclamation of any sort while at the same
time directing the operations Of one of the busiest
! bureaus of the Government, which keeps It's chici
| at work often eighteen hours out of the twenty
! iour Tho plan has been in force now for rather
more than three months, and seems already to show
such marked results in the increased efficiency oil
his large corps as TO make it matter of public IN
| terest.
| The system begins with test of the fitness OF
| the candidate for place not by competitive eX-
animation upon miscellaneous subjects, but in much
| tie same way that merchant would be apt TO
make the same trial The applicant is required
upon presenting himself, to sit down and write an
swors to a printed series Of twelve questions. These
cover age birthplace, pa st occupation, war record
| if any, or in the case of women, relationship with
soldiers character of work for which the applicant
| deems himself fitted and so on. The general evi
dences of intelligence and experneSs given IN these
answers govern the decision of the Commissioner
the time occupied in making them beng one i'm
| portant clement
| The main idea of the system adopted to increase
the efficiency of the existing force is that OF rating
the clerks according to strict scale by the ret ora
| Of the work actually done by Them and giving
those who make the best showing the preference in
promotions and increases Of salary The head OF
each division does the marking, and each clerk re-
ceives copy of his record at the end of the month,
when if he has any complaint to make, he can ap-
peal 10 the Chief Clerk, and the error, if one has
been committed, can be rectiied n circular OF the
Commissioner, which is issued to each clerk says
In the rating adopted perfection, 10 which al
strive but which II IL not reasonable to expect many will
| attain in all things g means very gOOd-eXcellent: ,
| means good and ia credtable; means far 3 means
| Indifferent 2 means poor bad means very poor;
| means worthless
The five heads under which the efficiency of the
clerk is judged, punctuality, habits industry,
accuracy and rapidity. ThC circular gives the fol-
| lowing plan and hUmely explanation of these
| terms:
I'unctpalty means not only promptness at work bnt
also attendance. Any absence from olhce. Win or Will
leave, for day parts of day VIII he noteu IN
this rating, except the annual leaves o absence, OF h
account OF personal sickness; e. g. one WHO
at ten minutes past o'clock and at ten MINUTES
past one goes for hour or two during the a{
Is not entitled high rating who Is AT his desk
! at @ and one and is there all day. i,
HabitS refers the conduct and habits OF clerk our or
the Office that affect his efficiency az clerk aso 20 ms
cOnuc in the Office that preiudical to me Interests OF
the Government g. clerk who snaps rubber Oands az
fellow clerks. wastes bottingpaper OF other station
cry who annoys his follows by irrelevant conyeIsd
otherwise is whose habits are not entitled 10
the highest rating. -
Industry indicates the interest clerk shows in his
work well as the manner he applies himself tOlt eg
a clerk who remains half hour over tlne 10 complete
cSsf ~G be . one lad e shoTl greater Hdnstry
fIa nc hn ots Lis inncI nj noon then takes the full
time allowed for lunch walking the street returning
at ten ulinut past and STARE ont promptly at a. go,
| fcirntly explained by their terms.
In railing, the clerk is considered and marked under
each head without regard t. his standing HldeT some
other e. puuctualty is rated without regard TO indus
| Try, and rapidity without regard t. accuracy .,
Again let il be stated that the object sought is not only
to do and better work. but 10 ma our ana ave
proper credit to each individual who helps to 40 hI
work; to commend "probily, Industry gooH senHr GOO,
habits, good temper patience, manly Difference 70
superior officers and manly CONSIDERATION Tor lulcrio!S
At the end of the month the record of each dv-
sion is made up and submitted to the Commits
! sioner This record shows the standing for the
| month of each clerk under each of the five heads
! his general average his average under accuracy"
and "rapidity which are the important tests OF
clerical fitness supposing most clerks to he Jealous
to do their best and therefore likely to make nearly
| equal records for "punctuallty" habits and
industry and the average OF the division under
all these heads separately well as the general
average of the division. For example, the average
of one division during January was for punctuality
! $50 out of possible Z CSC for habits Col for
! industry; 5.j3 for accuracy; 5.53 for rapidity
| general average. 6 80; average of accuracy and
VI
of an exceptionally difficult character, and where an
average of 80 for accuracy and rapidity would be
| equivalent to an average of in some other divi
sions In another division the averages were: for
punctuahty. Csc habits, Z; INDUSTRY Z; accu-
racy, 5.S5; rapidity 81 /; general average Gas
! average in accuracy and rapidity, 5.7e.
The rule is that whenever a clerk rises above the
| average of his division, his name is at once put
down on the list OF those to be preferred for promo
ton and increase of salary. The January reports,
| for example, viii insure number of clerks an in
crease Of 5000 year in their salaries. The result
| has been that the system, which was at first feared
and opposed by the clerks, has become very pOpu-
lar Before it was put into force many Of them
thought { use their own expression, that 1T was
| taking an unfair advantage Of them; they feared
| fayoritism and were inclined to resent being
| marked like school-boys. Under the operation of
the system the sentiment Of the force has entirely
changed All the good workers seem to feel that it
| makes them independent Each one knows that his
promotion and increase of salary depend, not upon
| a vague impression in the mind of his superior
that he is more efficient than Others, upon
| political influence but upon himself, upon the
quality of his work and the regularity of his cler
cal habits. lie makes his own record, ana is judged
! by that alone. Commissioner Dudley ascriDes much
| of the remarkable accecratOu OF work in the
| Bureau TO the effect of tins system. In October
last, the last month before the sy stem put
| in operation, $500 settled in NOvem-
| Der, tho first month under the new system, 3,9lS
cases were settled in December. 1886 cases.
| than dOu ole the number IN October; and in Janu-
ary 7 543. Some idea of the enormous labor of the
! Bureau, whose force has thus been made much
moro effective, may be gathered from the fact that
| the mail sent out in January amounted to 9j,043
| pieces. The character of these results certainly
entities the quiet efforts of Commissioner Dudley to
the careful attention of students Of the problem of
! Owl Service Reform. D. d. L.