The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1920-09-16

tcularly interested in the plan for
a system Of training Of government
clerks.
Members of the big local, whicR\has
eight votes at the national convention,
the biggest representation In the
United States, back the proposal of
the reclasshcation commission for a
training school for government work.
ers.
They point to the fact that some
forms Of such a training school al
ready are in operation in several gov
eminent bureaus here, The Washing
| ton city post Office has a modified
training school for new postal clerks
and carriers, in which the raw mate
rial' is given preliminary instruction
/ before being allowed actually TO take
up the work Of clerk or carrier.
Would Help Workers and Government
It Is pointed out that a system Of
training for higher positions in the
| federal service not only would be adj
yantageous TO the workers themselves
but would be equally advantageous to
Uncle Sam. Such training would be
part and parcel of the Reconsideration
scheme which the national federation
of federal employees Is backing on a
nationwide basis. 1t would enable the
employees, 1t is declared, to fit them
selves for advancement instead of be-
ing brought face TO face with "blank
wall" This "blank wall" is one Of
the commOnest things in the expert
eRce Of progressive government work
ers, and 1t is hard to become well ac-
quainted with such an employee and
not soon have him speak of the blank
wall" which he faces.
Many very capable government
workers have been facing that "blank
wall" beyond which there is no ad-
vancement, for many years. They are
highly capable and feel that they have
ability, but there is no way for them
to get away from the wall" In re-
cent months many of them have looked
over the wall" at the high salaries OF.
fcred in outside industries, and many
have jumped over the "wall" at last,
leaving the government service Just
when they were getting to be most use
full to It, 1t is in this respect, it is
pointed out, that Uncle Sam is the
greatest loser Because his civil serv-
ice offers no training for advance
ment, the service loses many of its
best men just when they become adj
mirably equipped-by government
training-to become most serviceable
TO the government
Tariff Seems Out of Politics.
Has the tariff been taken out Of
politics? By an act Of congress
signed September s, 1916, the Uni
ted States tariff commission was Gre
ated. 1t is composed Of six men,
bers, appointed by the president by
and with the advice and consent Of
the senate, and not more than three
Of the commissioners shall be mem.
bers Of the same political party. It
was the desire Of congress to provide
for commission that would be as
free as possible from political infu-
ence.
1t will soon be four years since the
commission was created. During these
years it has done an enormous amount
Of work. Ii is today one of the bus
lest branches Of the federal govern
ment. If congress should be called in
extra session next week to revise the
tariff, it would find the commission
ready to supply it with accurate in
formation on practically every branch
of this intricate subject. Surveys
and reports on more than 1000 items
in the existing tariff law have been
made by the commission. Some Of
the reports have been printed, but
the bulk of the information Is In
manuscript form,
The present congress has shown a
disposition to accept, without ques-
ton, the information supplied it by
the commission. During the recent
session the ways and mtans commit
tee Of the house of representatives
in preparing several so-called pop
gun" tariff bills, depended entirely on
the commission for guidance.
Considered a Fixture.
Congress, as a whole, now looks on
the tariff commission as fixture. At
the recent session an ample appro-
priation for carrying on the work Of
the commission was made.
The law creating the commission
provides that the commission shall
prosecute any inquiry necessary to its
duties In any part of the United
States, or in any foreign country.
Only recently the commission sent one
Of its investigators into Germany, with
instructions to make a general survey
Of industrial conditions there
Three other investigators, who were
selected because of their expert quail
ficatlOns, for the study of particular
industries have been sent TO Great
Britain. They were directed to give
chief consideration to certain of the
metal and textile industries, but they
will also devote attention to general
industrial conditions.
Two other Investigators have been
sent to Japan, The commission has