New Britain herald., 1919-01-03
REFORM OF CIVIL
 SERVICE IS URGED
New Conditions Must Be Met by
 New Standards

alyzed in the report of the executive committee made to the annual meet ing of the Connecticut Civil Service Reform association held here this afternoon. Looking ahead, the com mittee urged "punging of the law Of 1915 into which were introduced ob- iectionable features through recall or the original law of 1913. The state commission was complim tented on it's administration of the law in spite of it's weakened state. Extension, by re- O1Iest. Of the examination of bank clerks was pointed to as a public se1v- ice. The report pointed out the pos .5tble danger in covert undermining of the civil service laws by giving veterans preference" to men dis charged from service out of proportion 70 their merit, and advocated a rule to meet the issue fairly.
 The meeting was presided over by President Henry ". Farnam, who submitted the committee report, from which the following are excerpts:
 The war put an unprecedented strain upon all machinery of govern ment It increased the work of the Civil Service commission. The num- Der of persons examined by the fed cral commission increased from 211, ,703 in 1917 to 5o1, ,391 in 1918; the number of appointees increased from S6,312 to 214,567. These increases represent only a small part of the diff faculties. Creation of an army de- creased the number of candidates for civilian positions and it became neces- sary to recruit officials instead of wait ing for them to apply Tn Washing ton lack of housing accomm odations, inequalities of salaries, failures to ad- just pay to work performed, led to excessive troubles and turnovers. designations amounted recently to 5000 a month. Since the signing of the armistice conditions have been re- rersed and many people are leaving Washington.
 Tn spite of difficulties, important 'teps have been taken by the admin s,ration for the extension of the merit rNstem. The report enumerated these which includes examinations for pres idential postmasters and where in- creases of salaries are made under the presidential order of March 31 1917.
 The report said the effect has added burdens to the commissions and these are so serious that the National Civil Service Reform league undertook an investigation into this departm ent with the result that the league report cd that the commission had failed to adapt itself to new conditions. It is now using volunteered staffs of the league in it's work.
 The report says further: Our ex- perience in war indicates lines on which to progress in the future. We cannot rest content with excluding g politics from appointments to office. It is imperative that the present com mission be reorganized. The Waf departm ment has developed a system of selection and prom otion which Is the , result of scientific analysis and which ! it is hoped may be of service in setting 2 new standards for civil service exam ination.
 The civil service reform movem en t 1 faces a new stage in it's history. We 1 must adapt to new conditions: we must not be content to cast out the l predatory spirit of cruder days, but we must put in it's place the spirit of l progress, tlexibility and efficiency" Turning to Connecticut, the report refers to the need of ''purginlg" the state law, summarizing the "objec- | tionable features in 1t, and gives l credit to the commission for its func- i tioning. II points out the difficulty which has existed in securing efficient l candidates for offices because of with drawal of thousands of citizens into 1 inc army and because of the demand for thousands of others in war indus tries where high wages were paid while comp pensation of state officials is still on low scale"
 Because of absolute impossbi1ity to secure men through the ordinary l channels, the directors of the state prison asked for exem ption from the 1 law. In spite of these handicaps, the com mission has done it's work eff ciently. Some of the best maintain eG departm ents have continued under 1t and the Council of Defense. whicf might have felt justified in asking ex, emption, went to the commission fol many appointees.
 The report states: Now that de-
 mands of the war are a thing of tht past, we believe the law should be re
 stored substantially to its former or
 iginal form that the state may not b, put in the humiltating position of only
 wanting mediocrity, and to make i
 the duty of every public official to ad
 minister his office in accordance witt the merit principle"
 The report referred to a condition
 in New Haven brought about by tn, adoption of an ordinance making tn, mayor ex-officio 8 member of all com
 missions, and how Mayor Fitzgerald recognizing the force of the argumen 1 that the civil service comm ission'
 duties are semi judicial, had the or
 dinance modified so as not to apply t this commission.
 On the matter of veteran preference the report said: "We believe a ru1' l s.AaA