Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-26
TO EDUCATE CLERKS
PLAN TO ESTABLISH A CIVIL SER
VICE ACADEMY.
Capt. J. P. Walker Gives House Com
mittee the Result of His Years
of Study Of the Subject.

The hearing this morning before the
House committee ON the reform in the civil
service on the subject of the superannua-
ton of government clerks was one of the
most interesting of the series so far granted
by the committee The committee heard
capt. j. Z. Walker, u. 8. A, retired, au-
thor of the civil service academy idea; Jas.
f. White, general superintendent of the
railway mail service, and Mr.. Frederick L.
Allen, commissioner of patents.
1t Will be remembered, that Gen. F. G.
Ainsworth. chief of the record and pension
ONCE OF the War Department, during the
course OF his testimony before the COM
mttee, also recommended a government
academy for the education of civil service
employees. Gen. Ainsworth said the scheme
might be looked upon as an iridescent
dream. but he believed it would be adopted
in time.
capt Walker this morning resented the
IDEA of the academy being termed IAN
1ridescent dream" and declared that tho
time was rapidly approaching when such
scheme would be authorized by Congress
Capt. walker has had this matter under
consideration for more than thirty-five
years and is well up on the details of the
plan.
His idea is to educate young men tn
enter the civil service of the government
and at the same time to give them a sys-
tenn OF military training He claims that
THIS latter would be of value in case of
an uprising or any disturbance to which
the militia might not be equal Can't.
Walker also declared that the civil sery-
Ice academy, together with the military
and naval academies, would form basis
for United States university. Appoint
ments to the civil service academy would
be made under the same system as at
Annapolis and West Point, certain young
men being designated at given periods
by senators and representatives.
The Railway Mail Service.
Supt White Of the railway mail service
gave very interesting history of the de-
velopment of this branch of the mail
service, together with careful explana-
ton of the civil service system as ap-
piled to the service. He stated that in
1915 there were but forty-five route
agents in the mail service. These agents
were stationed in the principal cities and
made up the closed pouches of mail which
were then distributed from the train at
the different cities for which they were
destined 1t was in 1854 that the present
form of railway mail distribution was
begun. The old system of route agents
was dropped entirely and the new system
of postal clerks in charge of railway post
offices was developed. Now mail is dis
tributed in the cars for the cities along
the run of the train. In order to begin
this new service II was necessary 10 Jake
the very best men in the postal service
and put them to work upon 1T.
Mr.. White explained in detail the system
of distribution. saying that pouches are
placed in frame. one for each city which
Is likely to receive mail. The postal clerk
stands in the center of the car, and know
ing each pouch by heart, throws the mail
to the different receptacles according to the
address on the letter or package. Mr..
White first arranged this system for the
state of Iowa. The scheme Of distribution
included 500 post offices.
When he told the men under him that
they must learn to distribute among these
pest Offices they told him it could not be
done. He thereupon called some OF the
best men around him, told them thar ne
was going away for week and would take
the plan of the distribution with him. When
he returned they could appoint commit
tee to examine him. and II he made more
than five mistakes he would not require
any clerk to learn the system. When the
examination came of Mr.. White made
three mistakes in sorting the mail.
Experiences Of the Clerks.
Thereupon the system was inaugurated
and IT is stated that now some of the clerks
in the service have become so proficient
that they can throw any state in the
Union. AS far as practicable clerks are
given runs In the state from which they are
appointed They work one week. on and
one week off. During the time they are off
duty they are supposed to be fitting them
selves for further efficiency in the service
and each state which they learn to distrib-
ute is credited to them on the efficiency
register. They may take these examina-