Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-12-09
CIVIL SERVICE
REPORT EDGE
Commission Tells of lncreaS-
ed Work and Decreased Force
in the Past Year
BIZ sreeiaI Correspondent.

BIZ Spccidl Correspondent.
TRENTON, Dec. -Tha tho
merit system stood the test in the fact
of tho Extraordinary war conditions
of the past year Is the statement OF
the Civil Service Commission in itS
annual report to Governor Edge for
the new fiscal year, which ended June
80. made public today.
The report covers eight months. or
from the first of last November. when
the fiscal year under the old system |
ended. 1t recites that New Jersey vas
a hive of war industry and that the
calls for help. accompanied by allur-
ing offers of compensations was an at
traction to state employees to leave
their places in civil service and take |
the more remunerative places. De-
| spite this. says the report. the opera
ton of b state government was not
impaired and many refused to leave
its employ. /
''The labor for the year in
the competitive class OF the civil SER
vice is probably not more han ten
! per cent, and in the non-competitive
and labor classes Is apparently little
more than In normal times" says
the report in this connection. This
stability has been maintained, and es-
pecially Is this true in the state SER
vice Notwithstanding the fact that
probably seventy-five per cent of the
public employees could have readily
obtained employment elsewhere at a
decided advance in compensation. The
records show that probably every
state, county and municipal depart
ment has been run with depleted
forces, and, as the volume of business
passing through the various public
Offices has certainly not decreased. this
is further Indicative of the efficiency
and faithfulness of civil service en-
ployes. 1t is to be remembered also
tina me public work has been carried
on without the accompanying labor
disturbances and dissatisfaction so
frequent in our industrial life. and
even without concerted effort on the
part of public employees, to obtain
what seemed needful and immediate
relief in the matter of the higher
compensation, made necessary by
changed living conditions. The spirit
Of patriotic service which has so gen
orally characterized the work of pub
lie employees during this trying period
must be acknowledged as commend
able.
The now system of standardization as
to positions and alaries is working
out very satisfactorily. says the Civil
Service Commission. The work OF
Standardization was completed on
March IL last and put into operation.
The primary objects involved are to
provide systematic and uniform means
of employment control, to establish. in
fact, the principle of equal pay for
equal service, and to make possible
the application of business like en-
ployment throughout the state SER
vice. When they have been realized
tho Civil Service Commission expects
TO have the same DLsiIless like system
II administration as may be found
in any well organized and efficiently
conducted private enterprise.
THE knowledge on the part of en-
l nlANna shat chair n6xrn nnnYnnnf ha-
ponds upon their initiative and work."
said the report. rather than upon
their considerations, and the aSSur-
ance that the same range of compen-
sation is applicable to the same char
acter and mount of service through
out all departments will tend to sta
[ bilize employment within departments
= make for q more contented body of
state employees and increase the work.
ers' incentive for efficient service. 1t
will also tend to reduce expensive Ia
Dor turnover and a high
class of workers to adopt h civil
service as a career"
There are 5000 employees under
8 the Jurisdiction of the Civil Service
Commission. including those under the
counties and cities. Because of the
scarcity of labor, caused by the alb
: normal war conditions, 1t was neces-
sary for the Civil Service Department
to hold more examinations, 81 total of
235 being conducted during the fiscal
period of eight months. A total of
2.51S applications for admission to
7 these examinations were received.
Qualifying tests to the number of So
were given and the non-competitive
boards, as provided by the Civil Ser
vice law, have conducted 1.49S exam
nations. A total of 1,784 laborers
registered, making a grand total of
5,808 examinations and registrations
for the ear.
During the corresponding eight
months period OF the fiscal e of
1917, q total of 7.719 applicants were
examined or registered, thus showing
Il decrease of approximately thirty
three per cent. according to the report.
in the number of persons examined
and registered during the fiscal year
of 1918. This is due to the nature of
the times.