Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-07-22
STARCHING CIVIL SERVICE
An Effort TO Obtain Greater
Efficiency.
Careful Record Of The Work OF Ench
Government EmpIoyc to he Made
for Promotion--Prcsidcnt Taft
n Friend Of Merit system.

The regular Washington correspondent
of the Boston Transcript writes as fol
lows: The Problem of how to obtair
greater efficiency in the government.
civil service is receiving the careful at
! tention of the new administration. About
3i2, ooD men and women are now employed
, in the executive civil service. The pre-
vailng opinion among persons who have
studied the subject is that If the proper
standard of efficiency were established
100000 persons could easily do the work
that is now being done The movement
In its present stage does not contemplate
a reduction In the number Of employees
! The only end sought Mt present Is high
or standard of efficiency. with that OBJ
| tanned, government officials say, the
question of getting along with fewer en-
! ployes will come up for consideration.
: BY another year the efficiency rating
system will be in effect in each of the de-
partments The civil service commission
hopes that after the efficiency rating sys-
TEN IS fully established It may be au-
thorized to supervise promotions and re-
auctions Tho commissions ideal svstem
4
cord of each employees service would be
Kept. and at the end Of each week two
copies Of the record made. one for the
chief under whom the empoye works.
and the other fer the commission. Tn
qucstionably promotions and reductions
in the service are Mt all times more or
less subject to partisan pressure. but
neither the heads of departments nor
4
commission shall have control Of promo
tons and dcmotions.
NAGEL SETTING TIE PACE.
The department Of commerce and labor
under Secretary Nagcl is making notable
progress In improving the efficiency of
It's service. II has had the efficiency OF
every employee rated in order that salar-
les may be readiusted on the basis OF the
actual quantity and quality of the SER
vice performed The rating system in
that department was established more
than year ago. Last year after the
ratings We're received letter was ad-
dressed to every employe whose rating
was less than scven-tcnths for amount
Of work performed or whose work was
reported as fair or poor In quality that
an Immediate improvement was expect
ell. The same plan Is now being follow
ed in the department. except that by or
der of Secretary Nagel those employees
whose ratings We're poor last year are
being admonished to do better work. or
In some instances dropped from the ser
vice The rigidity with which Mr. Nasel
In enforcing the new regulation is havin.:
its effect on all the departments. 1t is
said thai there is being more work turn
ed out by the departments now than a.
any time for tho last 10 years
The employees OF the postohices mum.
her nearly one-third OF the competitive
service. being G2.a32 A Uniform system OF
efficiency records has been found to be
Invaluable in making promotions in this
branch OF the public service For en-
poyes at postoffices a schedule of de-
merits tn he imposed for errors and Of
fences committed by employees is furnish
ed to postmasters. and form Is furnish
ed superintendents for tire purpose OF in
forming employees of the errors and Of
fences charged against them Rntings
arc determined quarterly, and Mt the end
of the year these ratings are TO be aver
aged, and the results increased by cred
its, II any. derived from examination
l''Viuh miner IMAM the required stand
ard. a clerk whose yearly average is
less than 20 will not he promoted and
anyone whose average IS less than 20
for year or less than % for any quar-
ter will be reduced to the next lower
grade.
IMPORTANT PROBLEM FOR TAFT
In tho estimation # competent observ-
ors the Taft administration has no moro
important problem before it than this one
of putting the civil ecryice on an cnici-
ency basis. President Taft has demon
strated on more than one occasion since
he entered the White House that he IS n
firm friend OF the merit system Those
spoilsmcn who would attempt to dis
credit the civil service commission will
get no encowagemen f,om him. At the
same time Mr. Taft undoubtedly realizes
that the civil service needs attention.
The service has for years gradually been
taking on incompetents \ certain per
contage Of any number OF appointees UNI
der the civil service law turn out TO bo
drones. Year by year the number OF
drones has Increased until every depart
ment Is carrying on its pay rolls men ana
women who give little In return for tho
To get at these peope is the object of
the efficiency rating system being intro
duced
Then there IL that other problem OF
what to do with the aged men and won-
en-. Mr.. Taft and his cabinet are con-
sidering it along with the rlaUs :or max
ing the droncs work or got out of the
government service. For the last 10 years
various bills providing for the retirement
OF the old employees have been introduced
In Congress. but nothing ever came from
any OF them. Just now there appears to
be some prospect that the administration
VIII persuade Congress to take a real In
terest In the subject next winter. Mem
hers Of the administration who are most
deeply Interested In putting the entire
'lNll service on basis of high efficiency
realize that the object cannot he attain
ed until Congress makes provision for
retiring the old and incapacitatcd en-
ployes. Heads Of departments now have
authority to dismiss the aged ana In
capacitated employees. but cabinet ofii-
Ger has yet to come to WASHINGTON who
would take that step.
CUTTING DOWN TO APpROPRIA-
TONS.
The President is behind another de-
partmental reform which promises to
save the government money. He has
directed that where there are more en-
ployes In division or department than
can be carried by the approximation
made by Congress for salaries in thar
division ~ me