Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-15
HEALTHY QUARTERS
ASKED FOR SURVEY
Continued from First PageD

value to the country. must be i'm
mediateiy recognized by providing
just salaries, if they are to be re-
cafned. otherwise the necessarily high
standard of the survey must perma-
nentfy suffer. These three classes of
men are the computers (mathemau-
cfans), craftsmen (cartographers) and
instrument makers.
The situation in these three branches
IL Just this: The salaries are far too
low to retain first-class and expert
enced technical men; the now apparent
vacancies, If filed at all. with men lack
ing in fundamental training or ground
work, which obviously means delay, in
accuracy and additional cost OF produc-
ton 1t takes years of training to, pro-
duce frst-class computer. craftsman
lose this class OF technical men and
continue to accept any one available?
The field force is now on a substantial
basis and will be handled with economy
the. same atmosphere OF efficiency
among the technical force in this office;
otherwise the results will be compli-
Gated and delayed. The remedy is clear
and economical. besides giving correct
and prompt results to the county,
Later in the report. speaking Of the
less technical employees of the bureau.
the director says:
Pay Must BE Adequate.
III the government work is to pro-
gress as II should, the government must
provide pay for its employees that will
permit at least the ordinary comforts Of
life and some provision for old age. The
average pay of the government worker
under existing economic conditions does
not permit this. The entrance pay is
generally too low to attract applicants.
especially efficient applicants. The re-
Buk u that in the lower grades there IL
, continuous turnover and a very large
number Of temporary employees.
This condition puts direct burden
on the whole organization in that the
time Of the seasoned employees 10 con-
SANITY consumed in instrueting the new
present ecdncmic conditions. the gov
eminent organisation Is becoming weak.
ened. due to the fact that the entrance
pay In the government service Is rela-
lively lower than elsewhere
consequently the govDnmenf secures
only those who are unable to meet the
where the entrance nay Is
hizher. This brings into the govern
nent service many who win never 1T
for larger responsibilities.
That we. have numbers OF Iow-paid en-
p3oyes. This condition has been brought
bout BY the very low entrance salary
lnd the necessity of filing the posi-
C1OIt8 Ny Tic dRPO1nIIHS0t
Of those best fitted for the work. though
It was known that they were not up to
The standard that should be maintained.
"Experience has proven that work
u more efficiently and cheaply done
BY fewer number of relatively WE'LL
qualified employees than by a larger
number of lower paid. inefficient en-
pscyes. Even the efficient employees
who came into the service before the
great war and who have proven their
worth are very much dissatisfied with
present conditions.
1ncreases On Outside.
Outside the government service
the salaries and wages have steadily
increased to meet the Increased cost
OF living. but within the government
service the statutory salaries have
remained about the same. with the
exception of the relatively inconsid-
cradle bonus of sac per annum. The
administrative officer in the govern
ment service who is Jealous that a
high degree of efficiency shall be
maintained is constantly face to face
with the fact that the employees under
his supervision are nor adequately
paid and that he dare not force the
issue by demanding results that the
government should ordinarily expect,
because to do SO would be to drive
those employees from the service, only
- be replaced by less experienced
and less competent employees
1.-The outcome is compromise in a
not too rigid exaction of results. a
condition in which the morale of the
whole organization suffers, and
laxity of discipline which will be
harder to overcome the longer it is
allowed to continue. Yet the ad-
ministrative officer has but one or
the other Of two courses open to him:
He can exact the services that should
be rendered under ordinary condi-
lions and have a continuous turnover
Of the dissatisfied employees. or he
can lower the standard OF duties re-
Quired to meet the salary scale pro-
yided by the government and retain
fairly continuously the employees
who receive intermediate salaries.
The entrance grades are never con-
tinually filled either by permanent or
temporary employees"