Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-01-17

uIAkzN& Oh fffAsfFAs etS ~&KtE M3AAA "
transportation and The compilation Of
statistics where mechanical Equipment
Is essential.
Abolition of Lonal Offices.
Perhaps the part of the organization
IN which the greatest economy In pub
lie expenditure Is possible ia to be
found In the numerous local Offices of
the government In some ~instapces the
establishment and the discontluuanee
of these local Offices are matters of adj
minIstrative discretions In other In
stances they are established by perusa-
nent hw In such q manner that their
diseontiHuance Is beyond the power of
the president or that of any executive
officer. In a number of services these
laws were passed nearly Il century ago.
Changes In economic conditions have
taken place which have Ind the eEecs
of rendering certain offices not only
useless, but even worse than useless In
that their very existence needlessly
sswells expenditures and complexities
the administrative system.
The responsibility for the mafnte-
uance of these conditions must nat
urally be divided between the CON
gross md the executive. But that the
executive has performed his duty
when he has called the attentien~o OF
congress to the matter must also be
admitted. Reaitzing my responsibility
IN the premises, Il have directed the
commission to prepare a report setting
forth the p~osttionsin the local services
of the government which may be dis
continued with advantage, the saving
which would result from such action
and the changes IN law which are nee
essary to carry into effect changes In
organization found to be desirable.
On the coming in Of the report such
Offices as may be found useless and
can be abolished will be SO treated by
executive order.
Personnel.
In my recent message to the con-
gress ] urged consideration OF the ne
cessi-y of placing In the ctassified serv-
Ice all Of the local officers under the
departments OF the treasury, the In
terrier. postofice and commerce and la
Der.
As yet little Ii any attempt has been
made by law to ecure either for the
higher administrative positions in the
service at Washington or for local of
fees. the qualifications which the in
~cuinbents of these positions must have
II the business of the government is
to be conducted In the most efficient
and economical manner Furthermore.
In the case OF many of the local Of
ficers the law positively provides that
the term OF office shall be Of four
years duration.
Extension of Merit System.
The next step which must be taken
is Il require of heads of bureaus in
the departments at Washington and
of most OF the local officers under the
departments qualifications of capacity
similar TO those now required Of Ger
tain heads of bureaus and OF local Of
ficers. The extension of the merit sys-
to these officers aud q needed re-
adjustment OF salaries win have inn
portant effects in securing greater
economy and efficiency
In the first place, the possession by
the arrnnsbenIs Of these positions OF
the requisite qualifications MUST IN A.
self promote efficiency.
In the second place, the removal OF
local officers from the realm OF POI
Htical patronage in many cases would
reduce the payroll of the field serv-
ices. At the present time the ineurn-
bents OF many OF these positions leave
the actual performance eof many of
their Srt.es tc deputies and ass.stsI ss.
The government often pays two per-
SONS for doing work that could easily
be done by one. What Is the loss TO
the government cannot be stated, but
that it is very large cannot be denied
when 1t In remembered how numerous
are the local officers in the postal. Gus
TOMS, internal revenue, public lands
and other field services OF the govern
ment.
In the third piace, so long as~1oeal
officers are within the sphere of POI
litfcal patronage IL is difficult to con-
slider the question Of the establish
ment or diseontlnuance of local Offices
apart from the effect upon local po-
litical situations.
Finally the view that these various
ofHras apo RI ha dIiaa au a rsast,lt ~
political considerations has FOR It's con
sequence the necessity that the presi-
Dent and members of congress- devote
to matters of patronage time which
they should devote to questions of pol.
icy and administration.
Dangers OF Fixed Term System.
The greatest economy and efficiency
and the benefits which may accrue
from the presidents d~evotiRg his time
to the work which liz most worth while
may be assured only by treating all
the distinctly administrative officers In
the departments art Washington and In
the field In the same way as inferior
officers have been treated. The time
has come when ail these officers should
be placed in the classified service. Tha
time has also come when those pro
visions of law which give to these Oh,
GERS a fixed term OF years should be re.
pealed. So long Is a fixed term Is pro
vfded by Law the question OF reappoint
Inent OF an officer, no matter how eff,
eienfly he may have performed his du