Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-09
THE CIVIL SERVICE
Hearing by the House Com
mittee.
COMMISSIONER WARE
TELLS ABOUT WORK OF PENSION
OFFICE CLERKS.
Rate of Efficiency of Aged Clerks is
Rate of Efficiency of Aged Clerks is
Not Alphabetically Of
Removing Them.

Th House committee on reform in the
| civil service today commenced series of
hearings of officials of the departments at
| Washington on the subject of the clerical
| forces, their appointment, promotion and
| general efficiency: the relative efficiency of
| aged clerks and younger employees; what
| changes in the civil service law might be
| advisable, and, in short. the whole ques-
| ton of the departmental forces.
Pension Commissioner Ware was heard
| today. and the committee will meet again
| next Friday to hear some other depart
mental official, to be subsequently sum-
| moned.
| Commissioner Wares testimony today
| was, in the main, adverse to the efficiency
| of aged clerks. although he admitted that
| some of the greatest strength of his bu-
reau was found among the experienced
! clerks past sixty years of age. He paid
| high tribute to the faithfulness and indus
| try of these aged clerks. and said they did
| the best they could He was sure that
| they could be depended upon to be free
| from outside pressure in behalf of granting
applications for pensions that were not
| founded upon merit.
| He said he could take 100 young men and
| do the work of 500 of the older men,
Commissioner Ware did not have any spe-
| cific recommendations to make.
A Suggestion Seized Upon.
He seized eagerly upon the suggestion
| advanced by member of the committee
that officials be given discretion to drop
proportion of clerks each year, say 3 per
cent. without furnishing charges
| sons therefor.
Such a law, he said. would enable him to
reach clerks whose morals were not praise
| worthy. but whose official conduct was
| above reproach and who could not be dis
| charged for cause. Speaking of morals
| and old age. he said he did not discharge
| the superannuated clerks the score Of
old age or were otherwise immoral, when
| he would dismiss them.
| Commissioner Ware, in answer to ques-
| lions, exploded the allegation that there
| was a conspiracy among clerks to hold
| back the work so as to prolong the opera
| tons of the bureau He claimed that the,
| bureau was doing more work than ever in
| its history.
| Mr. Ware said that he had received appli-
| cations from at least 1000 men formerly
| connected with the government who wanted
| reinstatement. He had made the rule that
| only young men would be taken back and
| accordingly the age average Of the bureau
| had been reduced
! How is the average of efficiency of the
| older menu he was asked.
Average Efficiency Not High.
1.-THE average is not high. There are
some over seventy years of age who show
considerable efficiency. Up to sixty-five
| years of age there are a good many capable,
| efficient men. The rate of efficiency above
| sixty-five is not high. But they are as a
| rule, men who are steady, who come to
| their desks regularly and work as best they
can
| He explained that owing to the division
| of labor in the bureau much of the
work is mechanical that the old men get
along better
What would be the result If all above
| sixty were dropped and new men appoint
ed?" he asked.
1.-The relative efficiency would be in
creased If all above sixty were dropped
| and their places filled with bright young
men,"
| Commissioner Ware said he had been sur
| prised at the high grade of material in the
young clerks supplied by the civil service
| commission and he found 1t difficult to
| keep them They We're continually resign
| ing to accept better places elsewhere. He
| had asked through the civil service for law
! yers and doctors and had been supplied
with forty or fifty of each profession. He
| selected the younger men, fixing thirty five
years as the maximum except in rare cases
| where there were special qualifications
| among older men. He received applications
| from men of forty forty-five years of
age, but thought that only men who had
been failures at their profession would APP
! ply at that age for governmental work.
| These lawyers and doctors came in at $500
! a year, and when he entered he would take
n
| telling them they would get promotion il
| they worked hard. No one was promoted
| under six months. as their permanent APP
pointnneTptS would not be earned in less
| than that time.
Have you any plan for a proper and
| humane way of ddsposing Of these old peo-
ple?' was asked.
He said he had not and gave as a reason
an incident which recently had occurred.
| He had slated an old man over eighty years
| of age for dismissal on account of his SUI
| peranmuation, but while the papers were
still his desk the old man dropped dead.
| He realized that If he had discharged the
| aged clerk, he would have been charged
| with his death and held up as hard
hearted monster.
When Clerks Should Leave the Service.
81 think" said Commissioner Ware, 1.-THE
government should fix the age at which
clerks should leave the service. That, how
ever. is not my way of handling the whole
| subject, and do not think my advice would
| be accepted"
A member of the committee suggested
| that the clerks might be reappointed every
| five years after departmental examination.
Commissioner Ware did not think that
plan would work out well. He said he had
$50 special examiners whose terms expire
every July and who have to be reappointed.
His experience has been that all of the in
efficient members of the corps begin along
in June to bring political influence to bear
in their behalf He said the poorer the
clerk the greater the influence, so that by
the LIST of July the commissioner was over
whelmed with the cases Of these examiners
1T caused me more trouble" he said 'sto
get rid of three men in this class than the
work of my whole bureau occasioned for a
month" He said their cases were an
pealed to the Interior Department and then
taken to the President
Coming to the question of superannuated
clerks he said that some Of the older men
are the best men In the bureau. When they
retain their mental faculties their expert
ence and judgment render them the most
valuable clerks. Moreover, these aged men
from long service should receive considera-
ton. Being pressed by members of the
committee on the question of relative eff
cheney, Mr. Ware then declared that he
could drop 500 of the oldest men and put in
100 young men who would do the work 1t
was then that he Endorsed the suggestion