Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-07
HEARING NEXT WEEK
Civil Service Methods Before
Senate Committee.
BROAD IN ITS SCOPE
Whole Matter Of Merit and Retire
ment to Be Gone Into.
DEPARTMENTS PREPARE DATA
Statistics and Information Made
Ready for Presentation-Gossi
About Committee Organization.
DEPARTMENTS PREPARE DATA

With a view to the adoption of some
legislation to insure that admission to
the government civil service and promo
ton in the service shall be entirely on
merit, and with the object Of getting the
views OF the federal department heads as
to the best plan of civil service retire
ment, hearing will be begun next week,
probably Tuesday, before the Senate COM
mittee on civil service and retrenchment.
Senator Cummins, chairman of the CON-
mittee, in making this announcement this
morning said that in all of the federal
departments and in the Office of several
commissions, like the interstate commerce
commission, preparations are now being
made by the officials for the hearings, and
statistics and information being collected
will be presented before the Senate COM
mittee in the course of the inquiry.
Senator CumminS some time ago wrote
to the heads of the several departments,
commissions and SEPARATE bureaus, asking
them to prepare information to be pre-
scented to the committee at hearings to be
held this winter. He asked. first. for
sion to the civil service and as to the
general policy followed in selecting ap-
pointees from long lists of applicants.
Second, Senator Cummins asked for in
DIS 10 Tic pOlCS SOSeIlluS pIO"
motions and for suggestions as to rules
or laws that will insure promotions solely
on merit. The federal department and
bureau heads were also asked for sugges-
tons as to the best plan for pensioning
veteran or disabled clerks in the civil
service.
Have Data Ready.
Senator Cummins said this morning
hot he hoe Tn all nf
the letters to the executive officials. say
ing that they had begun the preparation
of data and information on the subjects
about which he had inquired. 1t is
thought that its presentation can be be-
gun next Tuesday.
Answering an inquiry, Senator Cum
minis said that the appointment Of gov
eminent business methods commission,
proposed in a resolution presented Sat
urday by Senator Aldrich, with a favor
able report from the committee on pub
lie expenditures, will not interfere with
the work which the committee on civil
that the work of the proposed commits
sion has a very broad scope and will
take in many phases of government
work. Such an investigation as is con-
tempiated will take long time to COM
plete, he added, and the committee on
civil service hopes to have its plans for
the improvement of the civil service not
only put into definite shape, but adopted
and in effect before the commission COM
pletes its investigation.
A Bit of Politics.
A story that has been going the rounds
at the Capitol. regarding the recent en-
largement OF the Senate committee on
civil service, is apropos in connection
with the announcement Of its chairman,
Senator Cummins. that hearings are soon
to be begun. There has been a vacancy
for some time on the committee. When
the question of filling it came up, it is
understood, Senator Cummins expressed
a wish that Senator Borah should be ap-
pointed to fill the vacancy. The Senate
leaders, who compose the committee on
committees. looked over the personnel of
the committee and noticed that two of
the leading NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Cummins
and La Folette-were already members.
Senator Borah is suspected of being an
insurgent or of having leanings that way.
Senator Borah was appointed to the COM
mittee, all right. But the Senate leaders
on the committee on committees decided
to enlarge it SO that two conservatives
could also be added. AS now composed,
the committee members are Senator Cum
minis, chairman; Senators Perkins, La
Toilette, Lodge, Smoot, Borah, Dixon,
Clarke of Arkansas, Rayner, Owen and
Johnston.