New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-12-16


5ftv.ave thousand pnblic Offices and en-
ployes in New York. with pa!ro" u
s53. 100000 The civil service law ana rules
we're being enforced in the spirit ana ie''e'
of their creation. he maintained, ana 'h"V
i'm the great body of the classined service
il is almost impossible 10 besto" puohc
employment as political or personal GIT
Citing the selection Of the chief or the
New York Fire Department as a proof OF
the efficacy OF the law. Mr.. Creelman SAID
The safeguards which surrounded the eN-
animation were, many of them, new. ne
tests were int ended TO bring out knowledge
experience, technical training and strategy
The medical tests also were severe The
result of that examination was the selec-
ton OF the man who is admittedly the most
competent executive 'lreanan IN the coun-
try. IL is acknowledged generally that this
is the most Important position ever hlled
by competitive examination I'm this or any
other country. and the experiment, costly
and exhaustive though II was shows that
practically airy public office that does not
involve the creation Of and responsibility
for administrative policies may he salts
fsctorily filed by intelligent and Just com
petition
Regarding the correction of an Old and
widespread abuse in the service, Mr.. Creel-
man stated
one great abuse in the civil service sys-
tenn of New York which was corrected this
year was the practice among candidates on
the eligible lists of writing out waivers
f their rights in order that particular
favoritcs whose names were further down
on the lists might be appointed. This was
an old and widespread evil The commits
sion declined to recognize the right OF
candidate to waive his position on the list.
IL treated a waiver as "A declination. The
candidate when summoned Tor appoint
ment had TO accept OF decline. NO other
course was open TO him. II he declined the
position and salary for which he was exam
ined his name. under the rules. could not
he so certified again by the commission in
one week that evil had come TO an END IN
every department OF the city government
1.-The correction of this abuse was due to
The Tribune. which exposed and denounced
the action of the Civil Service Commission
in allowing the placing Of favorite in the
Charities Department by means Of the
waivers Of candidates above him on the
list Al first Mr.. Creelman vigorously de-
Tended the action Of his department, put
after examining into the situation concluded
that II was allowing a vicious evasion OF
the merit system and instituted the thor
ough reform recounted by him.l
Among the other speakers We're Samuel
3. Donnelly. United States Public Printer;
William y. Moulton, president or the
Illinois Civil Service Commission. and Gin
ton Rogers Woodruff, Of Philadelphia.
Compensation of Employees.
That government employees should receive
adeouate CONDENSATION so as TO enable
them to contribute TO an old age retire
ment fund was the principal suggestion In
the report OF the special committee on
experimentation The committee reported
that it was unreservedly in favor Of the
following propositions:
Each employe I'm the civil service of the
government should receive proper and ade-
Quate compensation for his services at the
time the services are rendered.
If the salaries of the governments civil
EMPLOYEES are adequate as compared with
salaries for similar employment outside the
public service, so that the employees can
properly be expected. as ordinarily prudent
men to Law by sufficient amount year Dy
year 10 provide for their own old age. II
liz no hardship that the government should
compel them 90 make much provision, ana
il IS neither reasonable nor does it tend
toward personal thrift and economy for
the government to add 10 such salary "a
per sion for life at great expense to the
taxpayers.
Whenever the salaries or compensati ton Of
the governments employees as now fixed are
not sufficient to enable them TO maintain
the standard Of living 10 which their posi-
tions entitle them. tho necessary advances
in salary or compensation should be made
II these principles he embodied in praH-
tice. tho report says, there can be no le-
Ultimate objection to the compulsory con-
tribution bv a government employe each
year Of such percentage Of his salary as,
at reasonable rate of interest compound.
ed annually. will provide him a sufficient
annuity at the age of retirement.
Dr. Charles w. Eliot, president emeritus
OF Harvard University. now i'll in Ceylon.
was reelected president of the league. All
the other officers We're also reelected.
Henry A. Richmond, Of Buffalo, was added
to the list OF vice-presidents. which in
cludes Governor Woodrow Wilson Of New
Jersey, ex-Attorney General Charles j.
Bonaparte. of Baltimore; President Hadley
Of Yale University, Seth Low and Joseph
H. ChOaie, of New York, and Harry A.