Evening star., 1919-04-02
TO TAKE CENSUS Of
D. Gu. S. CLERKS
Commissions Plan for Re-
classifying Employees and
Standardizing Work.
Mr.: HEATING EXPLAINS

Plans for taking census of all
the employees of the federal and mu-
nicipal governments in the District
of Columbia, preliminary to the re-
classification of the employees and
Standardization of the government
Jobs. have practically been completed
by the joint congressional commission
on the reclassification of the govern
ment employees. it was learned today.
questionable which all Of the
employees will be asked to fill out
has been drafted at the request of
the commission by the bureau of ef-
ficiency, and it is expected will be
approved. perhaps with a few changes,
by the commission.
A plan for an organization, to be
composed almost entirely of employees
of the various government depart
ments and bureaus here. which will
handle these questionnaires and an
swer the questions of the clerks ana
of the commission. also is beng
worked out. AS soon as this organl-
Zation has been perfected the QueS-
tionnaires will be issued and the work
of having them filled out by the en-
ployes and their supervising officials
will be begun.
Work Since Congress Adjourned.
A large amount of this preliminary
work. which is necessary to an intel
lieent study of the situation with re-
gard to government employment and
salaries. has been accomplished since
the close of Congress. when the joint
commission was created. FORMER
Representative Keating of Colorado.
secretary of the commission; Senator
Henderson of Nevada. vice chairman
of the commission, and other mem
bers have been in Washington and
have held a number of conferences
with reference to the necessary pro-
cedure.
The commission is expected to rec
ommend to Congress standard salaries
for the clasSficationS into which the
government employees are divided. In
order to obtain comparison or what
the government is paying for various
kinds of work with sa alaries being paid
by private employers for similar work,
q questionable also has been drafted
to send to private employers and also
to state and municipal governments.
Purpose Is Reconsidered.
1t was the original intention of the
commission to send out this question
naire to the employers as soon as it
was drafted. This determination was
reconsidered, however. the commission
believing that it would be better first
to classify the employees and their
work before asking private employers
to comRare the salaries paid by them
with those paid by the government, so
that it would be possible for employ
ers to say whether they had employees
doing similar work to that done by the
government employees. So the ques-
tionnaires to the employers will be
held up for a time. 1t is possible
in the end that representatives of the
commission will be sent out to can
vass the situation with regard to
private employment and salaries.
While the queStionnaire which will
be sent to the government employees
has not yet been made public, since it
has not been finally passed upon by
the commission, it can be said 1t IS
course. for the name, age. length of
employment, character of employment
and salary received by the employees.
After the questionnaires have all
been answered and collected they will
be turned over to the experts Of the
bureau of efficiency. who will canvass
them and draw up statistical report
for the commission, indicating as far
as possible what the questainnaires
show.
The commission is seeking the CO.
operation OF the clerks and their super
visory officers at every stage of the in
vestigation The representatives of the
employees, for instance, were consulted
with regard to the draft of the question
raire, and they already have expressed
their approval. The association Of chief
clerks of the government departments
and bureaus also has been called upon to
give an opinion of the QUESTIONABLE.
When this has been done the ques-
mission itself for final approval.
Three Essentials Designated.
Mr. Keating. whose former Office in
the House Office building is being used
temporarily as an office for the COM
MISSION. pending an assignment OIL
permanent offices during the investi-
cation, pointed out today three es-
sentials for a successful reclassifica-
ton of the employees with benefit to
themselves and to the government.
..First,' said Mr.. keating, there
must be paid the employees d fair sal
ary, sufficient to enable them to live
in decency.
second, the jobs of the employees
must be so standardized that en-
ployes doing the same kind of work
shall receive the same salaries.
Third, there must be hope of ad-
vancement for every employe of the
government who does good work and
fits himself or herself for promotion.
"The lines between the different
government departments and bureaus
must be broken down when it comes
to promotions. in order to assure the
employees of the proper chances of
advancement. If a clerk is working
in one department and is worthy or
advancement and an opportunity for ad-
yancement comes in another, then the
clerk should be transferred to the better
job"
Number of Questions to Consider.
Mr.. Keating suggested that there
were a number of questions allied to
the salaries and Standardization of
Jobs which the commission would have
to deal with. One of them was the
question of annual leave and sick
leave The leave. he said. is really
part of the compensation to the en-
ployes In some of the departments
employees are treated differently in
the matter of leave from the employees
in other departments. He said that
this matter of leaves should be made