Evening star., 1913-12-08
Gen. Bixby Urges That Appor-
tionment Law Be Changed
to Let Down Bars.
MINIMUM SALARY, ST 900;
PENSIONS ON RETIREMENT
Chief of Army Engineers Says Best
Clerks Cannot Be Kept in
the Service.


the abolition of the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
grade and the repeal of the statute ap
portioning appointments among the states
and territories on the basis Of population
III order that more appointments may be
given to residents of the District of Co
lumbia. arc advocated bv Brig. Gen.
w. III. Bixby, In his last annual report as
chief of engineers of the army.
The chief of engineers. he says. has
received from the civilian employees of
the office most loyal and efficient sup
port and assistance in the transaction of
the duties devolving upon him. and takes
this opportunity to express the hope
that sorle provision will speedily be made
for their financial relief. when they be-
come superannuated in the public service,
TO which many of then have devoted the
best years of their lives, the salaries of
the office clerks as fixed by law. and
practically unchanged for fifty years,
being too small. excepting in rare in
stances. to have permitted such accumu-
lation will provide for their support
when they become incapacitated for
active duty.
To Equalize Pensions.
1t Is believed, moreover, that in order
to give due credit to long years Of serv-
Ice and to avoid undue credit to short
service under high pay. the annual COM
of retirement should be based
upon either the total compensation dur
ing all years Of service equal to number
of years multiplied by the average an
nual pay) or upon average pay multi
Piled by some number varying with the
length of service.
The recent experience OF this office
In connection with appointments to the
clerical force appears to warrant my call
ing attention to the desirability of a
repeal or modification of the provision of
law requiring that appointments in the
departmental service shall be apportioned
to the several states and territories and
the District of Columbia In proportion
to the population of each. The lower
clerical positions in the departments no
doubt appeared sufficiently inviting to
competent men throughout the country
thirty years ago to warrant this pro-
vision of law, but conditions in this re-
spect have completely changed with the
marked advance in the cost of all neces-
sites Of life without any compensating
general advance in salaries in the de-
partnleDtal service.
Positions in the entrance clerical and
technical grades of the classified service
in Washington are not now. as a rule, SO
sought after as to require their being
appOrtioned among the states as matter
Of equity or justice to the inhabitants
thereof. and the entrance salary in these
grades is as a rule too low to offer any
special inducement to competent clerk
living at a distance to leave his home to
accept such a position.
Glad to Take Places.
'On the other hand, there are many
well qualified individuals in Washington
and the neighboring states who would
be glad to accept such positions. because
they could live at home or at least near
their homes; but such persons cannot now
be appointed on account of the apportion-
ment
1T is believed that ordinarily the lower
grades of service could be better filled
from the immediate vicinity than from a
and that the better Of these ap
pointees would be more likely to remain
IN the service than they do under present
methods Under the existing law it Is
necessary for the civil service commits
sion to certify for appointment l.: many
cases individuals from distant states who
have barely secured d sufficiently high
mark to render them eligible, while eligi-
Dies IIOtH OlEGf STATES WHO HAVE plSSCO
much more creditabie examinations may
remain uncertified until their period Of
has expired. This corditon tends
to reduce the efficiency OF the service, and
without any material compensating ad-
vantage to the citizens Of any state or
territory.
Past experience demonstrates that 1t
Is very difficult to secure the services Of
suitable, efficient clerks at a salary Of
5000 and owing 20 the slowness of promo
ton to the higher grades, 1t is even more
difficult to retain the best; and as the up
per grades must as a general rue. be
filled by promotion from the lower grades.
retention Of the present nine-hundred-
dollar grade is decidedly detrimental
rather than beneficial. 1t Is believed to
be for the ultimate good Of the service
that this grade be abolished In this office,
and that the number of clerks at $1,000
provided for the Office of the chief of en-
gineers be correspondingly increased. This
change is asked for in the estimates SUBJ
mittcd this year