Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-25
Mr.. S. H. Carr of General Land
Office Attacks System
Before Masons.
PUTS FORTH A PLAN
FOR A Department
Addressing Trowel Club of Interior
Department, Expert Urges a Cen
tralization of Employment.

Civil service exists in the United
states in name only-it consists only
of an organization for hiring employees
and dfscharging them. according tc
Sam Houston Carr Of the general land
office. speaking last night at a smoker
of the Trowel Club of Master Masons
of the Interior Department at the New
Ebbitt
Charging that there is no real civil
service. Mr.. Carr. who aided in the
preparation of the civil service law OF
Cuba, put forth plan for a depart
ment of civil service with an officer
to sit in the Presidents cabinet The
proposed law has a retirement provi-
sion. both on account of age and on &C
count of disability incident to service
and it is declared would reduce the ex-
penses Of the government 80 la per
cent.
Mr.. Carr declared that Masons neces-
sarlly are constructive body, and he
asked those present last night to take
up the matter of obtaining the enact
ment of such civil service law as he
had outlined. He declared that he had
talked with members of Congress
about the bill. and they spoke favor
ably of it. He quoted Senator Cum
Der of the Senate civil service com
mittee, as in favor of the bill, of which
Mr.. Carr is the author.
Followed Army Organization.
The civil service department, which
would be created by the proposed law
would be headed by a secretary, who
would have two assistant secretaries
The department would be divided into
corps, something after the fashion OF
the army organization. Mr.. Carr ad-
mits that he followed that organlza-
ton in mapping out the proposed new
department.
There would be an inspector corps.
of the chief clerks of the de-
partments, bureaus and divisions of the
various departments Of the government.
an engineer corps, a law corps. medical
corps, scientific corps, nautical corps and
a service corps, under the latter mead To
be placed ordinary clerks. laborers and
such employees as do not come under any
special corps.
The author Of the bill would require
to be made to a particular
corps of the service at the lowest grade
and promotions to be made only In that
corps. If a person entered one particular
corps he was to follow along in line OF
promotion in that corps while he was in
the government service. Promotions
would come by seniority, as they do in the
army and navy, all things being equal
at the present time. For instance, in the
postal corps postmasters would be ap-
when young men and gradually promoted
to larger post OLIVES such as New York.
Philadelphia or Washington.
Provision for offensea
One feature Of the proposed new law
upon which Mr.. Carr laid great stress
was that providing that when a person
had committed an offense against the reg
which would have to be promul-
gated something after the fashion of the
articles OF war. he would be brought be-
fore d board Of inquiry fashioned after
the court martial boards Of the army and
given a hearing Mr.. Carr stated that
under the present procedure a man could
be discharged by any official. While
there is provision for an appeal, he ga id,
but seldom does any one resort to it after
having been discharged from the govern
,nent service.
Retirement Of civil service employees
would take place at the age of sew
enty-f1ve years, declared Mr.. Carr.
however. he declared that the law also
would provide that the secretary of
civil service could order up any person
for a mental or physical examination
and If the employee was found wanting
he could be retired. All retirements
would be on SO per cent of the salary
OF the retired person. payable quar-
terlv.
"one of the first questions asked me
when I explain my plan to member
or Congress" declared Mr.. Carr, "is
whether 1t will save money to the gov
eminent. Ny answer to that is that it
VIII save 33 1-3 per cent. This saving
would result from the doing away with
the duplicatio of work now prevailing
IN the various departments, and from
the increased efficiency incident to the
retirement of the physically deficient.
Plan for Labor Saving.
"All transportation would issue from
one place. instead of from many, as
now All materials would be provided
under the QuartermaSter Corps which