The Washington times., 1911-01-27
Mr.. LOEB ON THE TROUBLES
OF THE CIVIL SERVICE.

mere nave Deen some striking Illus
trations, of late, of the incongruous
and unbusinesslike methods of the civil
service. The Times has been made
the repository of a good many conf
dences in this connection, with which
the appropriate committees of Congress
would do well to familiarize them
selves. Let typical case be suggested: :
In certain important executive
position is a thoroughly competent
young man who draws Sl,4OO a wear.
He has the confidence of superiors, and
at thirty-two years, after about ten
years of service, is acknowledged to
be exactly the right man in the place.
Note now how he works.
This young man has a good deal of
writing to do. He is provided with a
stenographer to take his dictation of
letters, reports, memoranda, etc. A
good stenographer is, of course, neces-
sary in such a place.
When this young mana college
man, by the way, and trained spe-
cialist-pushes the button for his ste
nographer a man just under seventy
years come in. He has been in the
Government employ about half his life
This old man is carried on the salary
roll at $1,000 a year. He does the
stenographic work for a man of thirty
two who draws 81, 400. Now observe
how he does it.
He does not bring the usual stenog-
rapher's notebook, because it is not
practicable to dictate to him in the
usual way. Once a good stenographer,
he is no longer able to do the work
satisfactorily from dictation.
So the youthful executive actually
writes out in longhand the letters,
reports, etc, which are necessary, and
then turns over this manuscript to the
aged stenographer to be copied.
The copying is done excellently,
though slowly.
But by that process the man who
ought to dictate his reports is COM
PEELED TO 60 through the archaic per-
formance of writing them by hand,
involving a great waste of time and
energy. 1t makes his work vastly
harder, and reduces his output and
efficiency in a proportion which any
business man may pretty accurately
guess.
How would that sort of method do
in a private business? When the
young man was asked why. he did
not insist on an efficient stenographer,
he shrugged his shoulders and replied
that you can't do that sort of thing,
you know"
But why"
Because, if it should get any atten-
tion at all it might be the occasion of
that old man losing his place or being
reduced in salary. l can't do it, merely
because am a human being, and know
that he must have his position. More
over, if did take the business view
and get him removed and a good ste
nographer in his place, 1 would arouse
the antagonism, even the hatred, of
all the people in my division. You can
understand why
For these conditions, the remedies
have been presented time and time
again. Redistribution of positions
and salaries would make it impossible
to intrude an inefficient stenographerI
at a point where his intrusion is a
clog to the machinery of business.
Excluded from the position he is in
competent to fill, he would fall within
( the purview of a retirement program.
He represents the great class of people
who "come high" in salary, and produce
little in output. Vastly better for the
Government that his long service be
recognized by Pensioning him at the
.