Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-05

been regarded by administrative oni-
GERS. Any attempt to carry on the great
executive departments of the govern
ment without this law would inevitably
result In chaos The civil service com.
lnlssioners are doing excellent work,
ana their compensation In Inadequate
considering the service they perform
The statement that the examinations
are not practical In character Is based
on misapprehension OF the practise
Of the commission The departments
are invariably consulted as 10 the re-
qulreinents desired ana gs TO the char
acter of questions that Email be asked.
General invitations are frequently sent
out to all heads OF DEPARTMENTS asking
whether any chang. in The scope or
character OF examinations are required
In other words. the departments pre-
scribe the requirements ana the qual.
locations desired. and the civil service
commission co-operates with them I'm
securing persons with these qualiHca.
tons ana nsuring open and impartial
competition, In large number of ey-
amlnations Gas, for example. those Tor
trades postions) there are $40 educJ-
tlonal requirements whatever and "A
person who car neither read nor write
may pass with hgn average. Nacan-
cies IN the service are illled with rca-
sonable expedition and the machinery
of the commission which reaches every
part Of the country Is the best
agency that has yet been devised for
finding people with the most suit.
able qualifications for the various
offices to be filed. Written COM
pethive examinations do not make
an ideal method for filling positions,
In IA ~
advance upon the ''spoils" method, M
der which outside politicians really
make the appointments nomnally made
by the executive ofilceis, the appoIntees
being chosen by the politicians In quas-
ton, in the great majority OF cases
for reasons totally unconnected with
the needs Of the service or Of the public.
Statistics gathered by the census hui
reau show that the tenure Of office I'm
the government service does not diner
materially from that enjoyed by em-
ployes Of large business corporations
Heads of executive departments and
members of the commission have called
my attention to the fact that the rule
requiring Il Hing OF charges and three
days notice before an employe could be
separated from the service for iretliCien-
cy, has served no good purpose wha.-
every, because that is not a matter up
on which hearing of the employe found
TO be inefficient can be of any value,
and In practise the rule providing fot
such notice and hearing has merely re-
suited in keeping in a certain number
OF incompetents. because Of the reluc-
lance % heads Of departments and bu-
reau chiefs tc go through the required
procedure. Experience has shown that
this rule is wholly ineffective to save
any man, II a superior for improper
reasons wishes to remove him, and Is
mischieVOus because II sometimes
serves to keep In the service incompe-
tent men not guilty of specific wrong
doing. Having these facts in view, the
rule has been amended by providing
that where the inefIicency or incapacity
comes within the personal knowledge OF
the head OF a department the removal
may be made without notice, the rea-
sons therefor being filed and made a
record Of the department. The abso-
lutte right of removal rests where Il
always has rested with the head Of q
department; any limitation of this alb
solute right results In grave injury 10
the public service. The change is mere
ly one Of procedure; 1t was much need
ed and IL Is producing good results.
the ciVil service law is belUg eHeIge-
tlrally and impartIally enforced, and in
the large majority OF cases complaints
OF violations of either the law or rules
are discovered to be unfoundcd. In this
respect. this Law compares vary favor
ably with any other federal statute,
The question Of politics in the appoint.
ment and retention of the men engaged
in merely ministerial work has been
practically eliminated In almost the en-
dire field OF government employment
covered by the civil service law. The
action Of the Congress I'm providing the
commission with it's own force instead
Of requiring Il TO rely on detailed
clerks has been justified by the
Increased work done at a smaller cost
20 the government. ! urge upon the
Crongress a careful consideration OF the
recommendations contained In the an
nual report Of the commission,