Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-11-19
CLERKS HERE
AND In GREAT BRITAIN

|.
under which he is serving. The head Of
his own department has the power OF
life and death in that he can effect dis
missai in cases OF misconduct
Clerks of the lower grades may be as
signed to all manner Of degrees such as
copying. routine work under direct super
vision or other inferior labors. but a
rule the clerks are named for specific
xmas OF work, and are kept at such
duties throughout their careers.
A certain social line is drawn in the
government service between the clerks Of
the lower grades and those of the higher
positions. In the upper ranks of British
of1cialdom there is unquestionably a no.
ton OF aristocracy that is definitely i'm
pressed upon those in the ranks below
There is no general mingling of the clerks
OF all classes. Government workers OF
the same grade go about their tasks har-
moniously and are usually personal
friends. Those of the lower classical
tons, however. do not associate with
those who are in the superior positions
This Is a characteristic Of the entire
structure of British society. A minor
clerk Is about as likely to be entertained
on equal terms at the home of his divi-
sion chief as be would to be asked to
lunch with duke In this the water
tight compartment theory to which ref
erence will later be made obtains rigidly.
Inc government clerks in London live
well, in all parts Of the great city. They
are usually thrifty class, managing to
make both ends meet well within their in
comes and taking their annual leaves with
comfort and without skimping They
make definite provision for their annual
expenses. and 1t is said that they are sell
dom In financial difficulties. Some OF
them live in the suburbs and travel back
and forth daily by tube, tram or motor
bus. being permitted to do this by the
comparatively liberal time allowance
granted by their department heads.
There is noticeable on the part of the
British clerks spirit of contentment
which is conspicuously
Spirit of absent from the OFF,
Cohteutment. Washington. There is
no lobbying for promotion or legislation.
Inc clerk Is assured by law of regularly
recurring. steady promotions up to a GER
tain limit. and he knows that his only
means of jumping from grade to grade is
By taking a competitive examination
against numerous contestants fresh from
school, So desirable is government
place, in view of all the social conditions
X.
satisfied to accept his lot without striving
for betterment.
1t may be that this makes for dry rot
In the government service. British Off
Gals will not admit that this Is true They
believe that contentment and lack of in
diyldual push serve the government bet
ter than the pressing ambitions of discon-
tented workers. They point to the fact
that there is constant movement within
c. a fln /.
crements and finally pass out of the serv-
ice 70 the retired list, thus drawing In
steadily new men who keep the service
UP to standard.
At all events. London knows no such
striving and pressure for general and
Individual legislation on behalf of the
clerks as does Washington. In point of
act. the British administration, the min
istry, concerns itself in no degree with
the personnel of the service 1t leaves
that matter first with the civil service
commission and second with the subordi-
ma chiefs OF the various offices and
divisions. II expects a certain measure
of work and pays for it, and if results
are not forthcoming Ii asks few pointed
questions and effects changes. This.
however, does not happen often The
British government work is well done
and willingly done by all engaged in it.
Iet ithe civil service system as conducted
in England has its disadvantages to the
individual clerk He
Water-Tight has few opportuni-
Compartments. the 20 eer rise VIM" f.nn,
one grade of work to a higher In this
country there have been several instances
of men climbing up the departmental lad
ders from the bottom to the top. 1t is
only a few years ago that man became
the head of one of the government de-
partments who had about decade
previously been an humble stenographer
in one of the lower ranks.
The public service explained one of
the higher officials of the British civil
service to me, when I asked him about
the chances Of a man improving his
status, lis supposed to be series of
tight compartments
He went on to point out that the
fundamental principle upon which the
service was founded in Great Britain is
that men are specialized in their own
lines and are hired to do only one class
of work throughout their service. A man
obtains, by virtue of a successful civil
'second-class clerk at 600 a year,
equal to about $1,000. He faces the pros
pect of rising at the rate Of EGO a year
$1,000 for fifteen years, until he obtains
the maximum pay Oh mis- grade, say
$500 ($2, 500. Thus he en- advance from
an actual salary of E200 to $500. If.
however, he should desire to improve
his. status by obtaining appointment in
another grade it would be necessary
for him to go into an examination for
the vacancy in that grade and to COM
pete on equal terms with all classes
including men fresh from the univer-
stiles and public schools and from COM
mercial life. He would have no IT
on his score of points for the expert
ence gained in the course. sly,
or ten years of faithful and efficient
wcrk in his DEPARTMENT.
For says the government, you were
hired to do a certain piece OF work: you
are dom 1t well, and are being promoted
from year to year for doing it we'll. You
are just where you belong. You have the
right, of course, to try to jump grade.
hut you must take your chances of de-
feat, knowing that the men who will be
examined with you are fresher from their
studies and much more likely to obtain
the position you seek We WILL however
protect you In your present place by
promising that if you fail of appointment
to the place you seek you will not be dis
turbed, nor will you be depriveed of the
benefit of the promotion and retiring sys-
tenn
THIS attitude toward the clerk unques-
tionably tends to establish a feeling of
loyalty to the government and at the
same time prevents the unrest that is SO
lamentably in evidence in practically all
Of the American public service offices.
G. A. LYON JR