Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-06-30

upper DrlQSe rather nySteTlcaily Oe-
and that is the incalculable harm
done by labor strikes in the plants
where this construction work is go
ing on. No matter what might be
said, no matter what the economic
effect of outrageous wages may be,
this is not intended to be a criticism
adverse or partial to labor as a body.
but as statement of the fact that
strike or cessation of work at fac
tory or shop works damage far
greater to the government-and that
means to the whole country, work
men, soldiers, women, children alike
than can be measured in the loss
of time represented by the hours Of
idleness.
as if the government had lost one
sixth of a weeks work, but the fact
is that the break in the work has
caused an interruption in the forward
movement that cannot be measured
in any such terms. The plant has
OF the labor, when competition for 1t
is SO keen, at once seeks other fields
and new men must be educated to
take their places before things will
run along smoothly again. Men who
have been cheerful and contented are
unhappy anu oLbNOulcukcQs Will
consequent loss OF efficiency. The to-
tai interruption can be measured only
by the results within the shop, and
these are never published. it is not
indifference to the effect upon the
work-at least, to the majority of
ciate those results that make these
Interruptions to war work possi-
bility. But those results are possible
That fact is known well to the pro-
German propagandists and it is a
source of anxiety to those who are
familiar with the situation and real
lze the magnitude of the danger from
labor Interruptions.
4 X
NNY HEN the Regular Army was a
w toy for big war purposes it was
not difficult to keep track of the
qualities of it's officers, since the ad-
jutant general knew most of them.
except the youngsters. personally.
Yet their system of efficiency reports
from their superior officers was ever
sword over their heads. With the
increase in the Army until there are
or soon will be as many officers in
the service as the total force of the
whole Regular Army, their proper
came big subject, one that just at
the present time concerns very
many.
A committee on classification of
personnel, after it had worked out an
arrangement for the eniisted> men,
took up the task of rating the COM
missioned personnel. Their labors
have resulted in an order &c. o. 46)
for the rating of officers.
Every officer in this country will
fill out his card and he will be rated
according to its content and indorse-
with him to each detail and another
will be filed in the office of the adj
jutant general. Each officer must fill
in suitable blanks his record in edu-
cation, business and his last civil oc-
cupation, his military experience and
his preference for any particular
branch of the service, besides usual
information as to age, parentage and
the like. Then the card contains
blank in which the rating officer
must fill his knowledge of the Of
ficer and his opinion of his qualifica-
tions.
The Endorsement, of course, is the
danger point in the scheme, for it is
hardly possible that with the best of
faith on the part of the rating Off
GERS all of them should base their re-
ports on the same standards and that
no Partially or prejudice should creep
into the statement. The following
scheme has been adopted, devised as
far as possible to obtain good average
results. The rating officer must select
ten officers of his own grade and of
varying qualifications and give a
mark to each of them in the FIVE
groups-physical qualities, inteni-
gence, leadership. personal qualities
and general value to the service. The
order Celebrates upon each of these