Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-04-09
FRIDAY
UNCLE SAM As EMPLOYER.


statements and editorial comments
pr concerning the conduct of govern
ia ment departments, and ineffiCienCy
of many employees. Treatment of
men in the service by dwarfing
20 them through rules that destroy
initiative, poor pay ana no inccn-
tive except the practice under civil
service of retaining persons me0-I
n tally and physically unfit for worl;
instead of pensioning them ann
employing substitutes were fea-
lures criticised.
Now comes the Saturday Even
ing Post with a six page statement
by Edward G.. Lowry, of the staff
of writer's, who made 4 systematic
S6nvestigation and covers the sub
ject under the heading, Uncle.
i'd, Sam as an Employer"
Clipping freely from the compi-
Xxx lation by the writer who visited
departments in search of accurate
information from records. and
talked with chiefs and minor en-
ployes to learn exact cor ditions, all
given below, is without Coloring.
sa" Secretary Glass of the Treasury
department said that salary in
creases generally would be neccs-
sary to obtain aud hold employees
of the character so imperativei5
needed in the interest of economJ
and safety.
Secretary Houston, late of the
department of agriculture. added;
1.-THE government is constantly
- losing men of the sort I have in
mind and is compelled to satisfy
. itself with requirements of men
who, in the judgment Of executive
officers, may not be thoroughly
qualified for the tasks assigned
them"
From the department Of agricuI-
ture, including the forestry bu-
reau, $50 persons resigned in 1919.
TO take better paid jobs with pri-
Vate firms whore Advancement on
merit was an incentive.
In Washington. from the interior
department in two years, 7S5 left
to take higher pay, over 20 per
cent Of the force. other depart
ments suffered from the same
cause.
The annual turnover in the gov
eminent service is something al
most incredible. Hundreds of men
leave the government service daily.
and new, unframed people have to
be taken on and taught to do tie
work, This costs money as every
employer knows. The rcsignatiors
are chiefly from the supervisory
and more highly paid positions and
from the very lowest grades. The
men at the ton, if they have any
initiative or ability or ambition to
make a name for themselves are
offered private employment at
double or treble or more what the
government can pay them. The
people in the lowest grades leave
for private employment when op-
portunity affords because in too
many instances they actGallv can
not keen body ana soul together en-
& their government nay The pro-
t9 portion of separations Is excessive
in clerical. professional and techni-
cal positions. in which the rate of
turnover sometimes amounts to
third of the force in year. Ther'
Esfs NOT erfficiont i,d,,oor,o,,4 ,ar +na
most conohIo r,a,, ana ,,.aroo, -
enter the examinations, either in
g, +,o ,,rosroot, - oonoa,
.DTA Tho Ci,iI co,,.;oo Co.,,r,ise,o,,
G'Tbpro E, p,iIio,, !,
4he federal service at Vashinrton
know that tho service is now ham
pered by the retention of incom-
petents whose removal is rendered
~ Illicull Nv influences when are
elt Hleoiilpa ,ipIe WIN -alt ell'cleISE VI
ffhanu w. aI ' NV, ~
nartments with norsons who no
~ matter how inefficient, arc diff
ma cult to remove and whose retention
tends 70 destroy the discipline of
the service
4a. Among THESE lhelIlcIehts OF
anticourse are the superannuatcd ana
the physically incapaCitatcd, The
bureau of efficiency has estimated
The number of employees in the civil
eor,ico of tho r-nited states "a
i-agt L,aars ~ 400 and o,o,, os cog
a., o,',at a,,n,. ae TIA
Ahis year 'i'e 'I'IcI VI NV
iasireasury reports lio eiHploNeS ol
the treasury department as peloW
"a fair standard Of efficiency. But
.sanothing will be done about it. The
ewinterior department reports 139 in