The Portland daily press., 1885-09-16
Civil Servants Who Render Imperfect
Service.

ServiC0s
The National Republican editerially calls
the attention of Secretaries Manning and
Lamar to the large number of cases in their
departments where competent and expert
enced Republicans, occupying positions not
included in the civil service rules, have been
reduced to low rank, but who continue to
perform the duties and supply the knowledge
and experience for the more prominent posi-
tions, owing to the incompetency or mex
perience of the new appointees. In some
eases, it alleges, new chiefs of DIVISION no.
toriously incompetent and unfit for their
places, are having their duties performed by
their predecessors, who have been reduced
to clerkshiPs. 1t also alleges that there are
cases in which reassignments of duties have
been made to permit the Republican officers
retained in lower grades to perform the
duties for which the new appointees in
higher places are unfit. A chief clerk of
department, for instance, under the old
regime performed an immense amount of i'm
portant routine and technical work for which
an incompetent new officer now receives pay,
while experienced chiefs of division are en-
trusted with all the work. Another point is
made against the appointment of confiden-
tial clerks. 1t is said that in almost every
instance the positions have been made for
young men of political influence, who have
neither ability nor disposition to perform
the duties, and whose work is performed by
their clerks. Vigorous protests are said to
be OccaSioned in several of the departments
by these appointments to positions requiring
technical knowledge of persons who can not
be expected and do not expect to perform the
duties
Fourth Glass Postmasters.
Postmaster j. W. Flagg of Ellsworth
Mass, has been recommended for removal
for mailing circulars at his officeathat should
have been mailed at Boston. Fourth class
postmasters are paid salaries based upon the
number of stamps cancelled at their Offices
If such postmasters can from friendship or
through corrupt means induce business men
mail large quantities of material at their
offices, the effect Is to increase the. postmas-
ter's salary. This practice is believed to pre-
vail to great extent in small towns sur
rounding Boston, and to smaller extent
around New York. The inspectors investi-
cations have revealed the fact that there are
persons in these cities who make a business
of furnishing and addressing great quantities
of circulars for firms free of cost upon pay
ment of one cent postage upon each circular
They take these circulars to a small village
post office and stipulate with the postmaster
for q share in his commission, and this share
it seems is large enough to make the business
lucrative. There is said to be no statute
under which such persons can be punished,
and it is probable that the attention of Con-
gress will be called to the need of legislation
in this particular But the regulations of
the Post Office Department. authorize the
postmaster General TO recover from the post
masters any money. paid to them in excess of
their lawful commission, and under this pro-
vision $1,000 have been recovered from post
masters guilty of the above described
practice.
Minor Matters.
The board of naval officers appointed to
consider plans for the construction of new
naval vessels met at the Navy Department
yesterday. The board expects to have re-
port ready to submit to Secretary Whitney
within couple of weeks.
Judge Chenowith, First Auditor of the
Treasury, is not inclined to retract the
charges made against the coast and geodetic
survey bureau. He discredits the published
report that Acting Superintendent Thorn
had allied himself with some Of the old
officials of that bureau and had placed him.
self in antagonism to reforms recommended
and contemplated by the report of the Chem
owith committee, of which Thorn was a
member.