Evening star., 1920-03-12
GENERAL Summary
MADE OF FINDINGS.
Facts on Salaries, Rates,
Working Conditions, Pol
icies and Practices.

: The summary of findings by the
decentralization comntissioh. 40 stat6d
In It's report, 10 as follows:
The facts found by the commission
in its investigation "of the rates Of
compensation paid to civilian en-
ployes' and it's parallel study Of
working conditions and. employment
policies and practices, are briefly
summarized in the following state
ment. These findings are more fully
stated and discussed in chapters IL.
Nv and v of this report.
Lack OF Uniformity in Pay.
AS to the lack of uniformity and
equity in present rates, the commits
sion finds (see Ch. ID:
l. That the salary and wage rates
for positions involving like duties
and responsibilities and calling for
the same qualifications (that is. for
positions Of the same CLASSY show
wide variations and marked inequali-
ties.
2. That the salary and wage rates
for positions Of the same class are
different in different department and
Independent establishments. the scale
of pay in some departments being
markedly higher than the scale for
the same class of work in other de-
partments.
3. That these Inequalities in salary
and wage scales as between depart
ments are most striking when the
rates of pay in the war-expanded
establishments are contrasted with
those in the organizations that were
not largely increased during the war.
4. That the present system Of pay
ing bonuses tends to increase the in
equality in salary and wage rates
for positions of the same class
Not Keeping Pace with H. c. L.
s. That rates Of compensation in the
government service as a whole have
not increased as rapidly as has the
cost of living.
s. That the amounts Of recent in
creases in rates of pay in the gov
ernment service have varied greatly
(a) as between classes Of employ
ment and (b) as between departments.
AS to the causes that have led. and
unless remedied will continue to lead
to this lack Of uniformity and equity
the commission finds (see Oh. I'D:
Z. That the government mas no
standard to guide it in fixing the pay
of it's employees and no working plan
for relating the salaries appropriated
to the character and Importance or
the work for which such salaries are
to be paid, and that the designations
of positions now appearing In the
book of estimates are inaccurate and
misleading.
8. That there is a large number OF
unnecessary titles of positions con-
tained in the book Of estimates upon
which appropriations are based due
to the lack of definition OF out.es OF
positions, and that this numoef can
be materially reduced.
9. That the lack Of standardization
in rates of pay may be largely &C
counted for by the unrestricted Tree
dom allowed in the administration
of lump-sum appropriations ana INC
rigidity of the present system OF stat
utory appropriations.
10 That the present method OF fix
ing the salaries OF employees upon
their entrance into the service leads
to inequality in the rates OF pay 1or
the same class OF work at the very
start.
Experience and Promotions.
II. That the absence Of any uniform
nlan or system for regulating in
creases in the pay Of employees who
have GAINED in experience and use
fulhess in a given class of work and
the even more serious lack OF any
equitable system governing promotion
from lower to higher classes OF posi-
tions have been very largely respon-
sible for the disproport1on in pay and
| work.
AS to the effect of the lack OF uni
formity and equity in rates Of COM
pensation of government employees
| the commission reports (see CHI ID:
IL That there is serious discomfort
! accompanied by an excessive turnover
and loss among the best trained and
most efiicient employees. that the mo-
rale Of the personnel has been i'm
paired, that the national service has
become unattractive to q desirable
! type Of technical employees and that
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