Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-19
LUMP SUM WAGE
APPROPRIATIONS
ARE FAVORED

Continued from First Page)
I if these are secured in the upper
grades. promotions can be provided
Tor. 1T is impossible. however, to
loreSee year or more in advance
Where promotions are most needed
and it is also impossible to foresee
what vacancies are going to occur by
designations Hence it often happens
that it is difficult or impossible to
make the promotions that are most
deserved, and one is obliged instead
10 make SUCH al can be made. That
is. promotions cannot be made strict
~ on merit, but must be determined
TO large extent by accident. 1t
may happen that two men of the
same salary are equally deserving of
promotion, but there is only one
vacancy. Perhaps the next higher
vacancy is $500 above the given sal
give each 500. But that is impossible
with statutory salaries. as the salaries
cannot be changed. One must be
given $500 and the other nothing,
or else neither promoted and the
position left vacant. or filled by an
appeintee from outside the bureau.
Such distressing situations often
! arise Wfere statutory salaries prevail,
put do not on lump sum basis
"here a bureau is growing slowly
motions only as designations occur
at the top. or salaries are increased
oy Congress. Vacancies at the top
due to death are usually too slow to
provide promotion. Hence resigna-
tons must be depended upon, and
these are apt to be from the men
that are most useful. To lose the
best in order to promote the rest
is very detrimental to the service.
A lump-fund plan that will permit
M fS<vn
most without sacrificing valuable
members of the staff is extremely
/, important.
~. Inequalities and InjuStices Under
Statutory Salaries:
IF position has special title and
there is only one of a kind in the bu-
reau. promotions cannot be made with
out special action of Congress. For
example. chief chemist, chief clerk,
chief mechanician, chief engineer, Sec
rotary, librarian and great many
other similar positions may occur only
once IN given scientific bureau. The
hoioers OF these positions frequently
go on year after year without promo
tion. and although they may be espe-
cla4Iy deserving. Sometimes they re-
sign for this reason; sometimes they
are transferred to other positions
where they can be promoted; some
! times their salaries are raised by Con-
lnfrequent. however, and this partly
because the bureau chiefs are often
instructed not to ask for any increases
IN salary. Bureau chiefs should be
encouraged to equalize salaries when
they become unequal-to correct in
justices when they occur. However.
1t is well known that promotions
anu equalization of salaries are being
made for 1ump-sum employees, and
Tor statutory employees where there
are vacancies. Nevertheless, all de-
partnentS are frequently requested to
ask FOR no increases in statutory sal
ar1e3 even to correct the most glar-
| ing cases of injustice that may arise
through the inflexibility of statutory
salaries. This is one Of the strong
est reasons for disseminating statu-
tory salaries
! IS. Unusable Statutory yacnnc,e..
AT the present time there are a
great many statutory positions in the
government service vacant because
the salaries are SO low that they can
not be filled. In such cases the money
cannot be used for any other position
OF PURPOSE. put reverts to the Treas
ury. This puts administrative officers
| under pressure to fill positions as best
they can. even though unsatisfactory
liy, rather than get nothing out of
them. This is not an efficient use of
the money. but may be justified as
. Deing better than leaving the position
vacant and neglecting work that is
calling for more help. It hurts the
service to have such cases occur. and
they never do occur under a lump
sum, plan. T.. =, -
"& other D1sadvantuxes- Of Statutory
Salaries:
l. 1T is Uncomfortable that a private
corporation employing the services
OF scientific and technical men: and
employing labor vH large scale.
would operate on statutory basis. as
it promotes ineficiency and destroys
cannot be rewarded when it is de-
serving, the result is loss of efficient
conduct of the work. II not rewarded.
| the employe becomes discouraged. and
II he does not leave the service his
work usually deterioates in quality
number of such DISCOURAGED employes
increases from month to month, the
working morale of the force is weak
ened and the output soon decreased
The statutory salary does not encour-
age initiative. enthusiasm or ability.
and it holds the employee with these
qualities to the salary level of en-
ployes lacking them. In the economi-
cal conduct OF some special work, it
is sometimes not advisable to promote
the understudy for particular piece
of work to the salary vacated by the
chief of the division or section where
there is wide range in salaries. This
promotion should not be made until
the successor to the section chief has
shown his ability. Yet under a statu-
tory system, it would often be neces-
sary to promote the understudy to the
chiefs position or leave the posi-
ton vacant Emergency work or work
in an overburdened section cannot be
cared for. because of the special char
acter of the work, for which men in
any other section are not properly
qualified; and even when so qualified,
their assignment to the overwhelmed
section will usually mean embarrass-
ment to the work of the section from
which they are taken.
~. Filling Positions OF Special Char
meter:
Probably never before has the
overwhelming Importance Of the per-
sonal equation been SO fully recog-
nized as 1T is today. One man makes
a brilliant success where another has
failed totally, although having the
same advantages at his disposal: an
other, surrounded by every advantage
which could reasonably be expected.
permits the decay and dissolution of
IE IN WORLD.