Evening star., 1920-11-14
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

TINE United States government
service is being seriously handi-
capped because the most eff
cient employees are being enticed
away by the hundreds into commercial
employment at generally double the
salary Uncle Sam pays. New men of
special training cannot be secured to re-
place those who resign In this gloomy
state of affairs a drive is being made
upon Congress in the next session to
revise the antiquated statutory rolls.
Uncle Sam maintains the biggest in
dustrial concern in the world right here
in Washington, with branch offices
throughout the entire country. What
ever change there may be in party con-
troll Of the policies of federal govern
ment, this monster business-em-
ploying the greatest force OF scientific.
professional, technical and expert men
must be kept going. 1t is the bureau
and division chiefs that keep the wheels
of government machinery moving. while
the cabinet and other administrative
officials determine policies.
Though republicans may como and
democrats may go. or vice versa, both
parties are desirous that the quality
of federal service should be maintained.
The members of Congress are being be-
sieged now by bankers in every state,
by commercial organizations. by scien-
tific and engineering societies not to al
low the service built up by this govern
ment to deteriorate.
Figures Show Vacancies.
The head Of practically every gov
ernment establishment in the annual re-
ports now being written has pointed
out the serious difficulties experienced
in getting trained employees under the
statutory limits, and a number of them
give amazing figures showing the va
cancies for specialized men already
existing which cannot be filled. They
all emphasize the fact that the basic all
ment in the government service is the
disintegration Of the personnel
REORGANIZATION of the entire led
eraI service in the interests OF econ
omy and efficiency will be the nrse
big Job the incoming republican ad-
ministration will tackle. Congress
sional leaders and political advisers
of President Harding agree that econ
omy in the federal service really means
paying good salaries to really efti-
cient employees, SO that the work can
be done on a most efficient scale.
The people of the country. the farm
ers, the marketing associations con-
cerned with the high cost of living
and threatened shortage of food sup
plies have been besieging the Depart
ment of Agriculture for reliable fig
ures. They have not been able to get
satisfactory replies. because. as
George Livingstone. chief Of the bu-
reau of markets, points out, there are
sixteen divisions in that bureau and
the chiefs of eight Of those divisions
have resigned within six months and
competent men cannot be secured to
take their places. He has been try
ing to get men trained in economics
to fill FIVE of these places. and though
he has tried for a year he cannot hnd
them. He has been trying to get
specialists to keep in touch with the
world situation, but it seems impos-
sible.
Urges Lump Sum Be Increased.
To relieve this condition. Secre-
tary E. T. Meredith, in his annual re-
port, is-urging that the lump sum
limit for hiring experts be increased
from $4,000 to $500. The entire De-
partment Of Agriculture has had an
overturn Of approximately So per
cent during the last year.
With the greatest difficulty. the for
est service has avoided a collapse of
its administrative and protective sys-
tenn. There were 752 designations.
2S.6 per cent, of the best trained and
most efficient men. In the Office of
forest economics in six months there
was 100 per cent turnover in the
technical force. and not a single
technically trained man in the service
who was in that Office six months
ago remains.
One assistant in forest education.
receiving a salary Of $3.50 from
Uncle Sam, left to take $4,000 with a
commercial concern. This is typical
! Of hundreds Of cases throughout the
entire federal service. The present
statutory rolls of this bureau were es-