Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-20
Laborers Employed as Clerks.

classified employees?
LabOrers Employed as Clerks.
"a number of instances which have come
under our observation indicate the latter
conclusion. We find that in the patent Of
fee a considerable number of laborers are
doing the work Of classified clerks. Some
of these were appointed as model attend
ants, some of them are colored laborers
who are performing the duties of messen-
gers and some of them are assigned to ser
vice as book typewriters. This last fact
appears from the written applications made
by ''Lch laborers to the civil service COM
mission foE subsequent examination as
book typewriters wherein they state they
are employed for that service in the pat
ent office.
These facts were brought to the atten-
ton of the Interior Department and the
patent office, and your committee was at
terward informed by the department that
such appointments were in fact made, but
that 1t was necessary to assign laborers to
the work of classified clerks because the
allowance Of the latter in the last appro-
priation was found insufficient. More clerks
were needed than were provided for, and
therefore laborers had to be assigned to
the work, which would be seriously Grip
pied if this were not done. This would be
an excellent reason for using laborers, but
1t is not reason for using laborers who
have not passed the civil service examina-
ton. A considerable number Of persons
are found upon the eligible list of type
writer's who would be glad to accept ap-
pointments as laborers and be assigned to
typewriter work at laborers compensation
These could be appointed to that duty
without resorting to personal selection, and
in this way rule XIII would be observed
as that rule only prohibits the assignment
to classified work Of such laborers as have
not passed the examination. AS it is how
ever, the rule seems to be violated, and 1t
is not perceived that the necessity exists
for it's violation.
''TOStanreS of similar
XIII appear in other departments
In addition to the violation of this rule
In the departments at Washington it is
also violated in some of the large post
offices of the country. We have already
called attention to the fact that Postmas-
ter Hicks in Philadelphia employed a con-
siderable number of laborers selected with
out examination to do classified work
AN investigation Of the post office at Salt
Lake City April /, 1899, by representa-
tive of the civil service commission. de-
veloped the fact that two persons were ap-
pointed by the postmaster as laborers and
employed at clerical work.
1T is respectfully submitted that while
a few individual cases Of violation of this
rule may not seem grave injury to the
classified service, yet they have now be-
come so numerous that there is danger
that the competitive system will be Sc
riously undermined in this way The more
laborers are thus assigned to the duties of
classified clerks the fewer will be the num-
Der of those who can be selected by COM
petitve examination. This tends to dis
courage such examinations, and to fill the
selected by personal favor, thereby demon
alizng the service and undermining public
confidence in the civil service law
Registration of Applicants
The committee devotes the concluding
paragraphs of Its report to recommended
lions, and says:
There seems to be Just one way in
which this evil may be corrected, and that
is to remove the motive for making ap-
pointments from personal selection by the
establishment Of registration system by
which laborers may be appointed accord
ing to priority Of application (modiied by
special facts showing adaptibility for the
work to be performed), as has already been
done by the Navy Department A similar
system exists for the appointment of labor
ers in the city of BOSTON and other cities
1t is understood that the War Department
favors a similar registration system and
there is no good reason why it may not be
adopted throughout the entire government
service 1t is believed that such a meas
ure would be of incalculable ADVANTAGE
to the civil service of the country Al
though the civil service law does not re-
quire that laborers shall be included in
the classified service, it does not prohibit
their inclusion, and the President undoubt-
edly has the right to establish such a sys-
tenn under section, 1853 Of the Revised
Statutes, which authorizes him to prescribe
such regulations for the admission of per
sons into the civil service as may best pro-
mote the efficiency thereof.
There Is already established a system
for the employment of laborers of higher
grade by means Of classification made
by the civil service commission, and no
good reason is perceived why such a sys-
| tenn might not embrace the entire labor
service of the government.
"The foregoing matters were communi-
cot cd RI President nv 10 rho -
| your committee in a letter dated April 26
| 1901. 1t is greatly to be desired that the
President may take this matter into con-
sideration at an early date. since it is be-
| lieved that there is no other measure which
| would more effectually contribute to the ad-
| vancement of the merit system in the gov
eminent service.