Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-10
ALBERT SMITH TAUGHT
On Public Jobs and Appropriations

TNIlE fact that jobs should not be created
l. for any purpose except serving the actual
needs of the community. and should not be
made for the purpose of influencing appro-
priations or building up political machine,
Is emphasized by Albert Smith Taught. sec
retary of the Civil Service Reform Asso.
citation.
The low pay of probation officers is also
criticized by NJ. Taught who asks whether
II Is possible for any one to live today on
5000 year.
"A Judge Of the Municipal Court. speak
ing, at recent public meeting, explained
with refreshing candor that jobs may be
created with the intention of influencing ap-
propriations,' says Mr.. Taught. Under
old Councils and even in this sanity Council
you cannot get appropriations If you don t
create enough jobs. was amazed recently
to see the extent to which this had gone
remarked this jurist.,
The charge was promptly denied by
Is that judge of the Municipal Court
frankly recognizes that there is temptation
to crente unnecessary jobs.
The Civil Service Reform Association
do not believe that jobs should be created
for the purpose of influencing appropriations
or for the purpose of building up political
machine, or for any other purpose except the
actual needs Of the community.
''Onc object Of civil service laws Is to
provide an impartial employment Office.
whose duty it Is to provide eligible lists of
persons qualified to serve as clerks, stenog-
raphers, janitors. probation officers and
similar classes of employees.
One Benefit of Civil Service
''If the rank and file of employees Of the
Municipal Court were chosen only after
competitive civil service examinations there
would be no temptation to ask for additional
jobs for the purpose of influencing appro-
priations. According to the statement made
in the budget estimates for 1921, now before
the City Council. the municipal court en-
ploys 200 probation officers, with salaries
ranging from 5000 to $4,000.
probation officers are chosen by civil
service methods in New York state, and the
fifth annual report Of the New York State
Probation Commission gives this definition
of probation officer
% Probation is system used in suitable
instance to discipline and improve the con-
duct of convicted adult offenders and Iuvc-
nile delnquents without commitment to an
institution, by release on good behavior and
under authoritative helpful oversight of an
ofhccr known as probation officer
with this understanding of what it
means to be probation officer the tax
payers of this city are interested in knowing
whether probation officer qualified as such
can live on 5000 per annum. or 81. .65 n day,
or whether this Is an extra bonus given
some other employe of the city. The budget
estimate gives no hint that any ones salary
is being split into two items. One purpose
of budget estimate is to indicate clearly the
total salary needed for each employe.
1T is poor economy to give only 5000 or
1864 year for a full time probation officer,
One of the fundamental recommendations OF
the classification report Is that employees
who are serving the city should be given
adequate wages. Can it be justly said that
1854 year, or seas u day, is a standard
rate for 1921 for even the lowest paid pro.
baton officer? Clearly not, for this il less
than the amount now paid by the city 10 nm
skilled laborers.
Should Obtain Standard Salary Rates
''By asking the Civil Service Commission
to make a classification study of the EN-
ployes Of the Municipal Court, the Munic-
ipnl Court and the City Council could obtain
recommendations as to standard salary
rates, which, II adopted, would result in
giving equal pay for equal services and nde.
quate pay for each based on the Character
and responsibility of the position,
Probation officers perform duties of rec.
ognized Importance, and politics should nor
be allowed to enter into the appointment mr.
compensation The citizens OF PhilsdeInhia
are vitally interested in seeing that probation
officers are given adequate wages. II docs
not seem just to grant salary increases In
1921 to certain favored classes of pnb,ic
servants and ignore recommendations for
standard salary rates for the rank and fiie
OF employees. IL any probation officers are
kept In 1921 at $2.36 a day, while polices
fmen and frenen are advanced to IS a day. !,
the existing inequalities will be made worse