Evening star., 1920-10-31

often makes it impossible to appoint
the most competent eligibles ana
sometimes rules out all the applicants
from several states.
s. The entire lack, until very re-
Gently, of a retirement system for
aged or disabled employees, when
made it necessary to retain thousands
who under other conditions would
have been retired to the advantage
of the service.
Statutory Versus Lump Sum.
The salaries of government en-
ployes either are fixed by statute or
paid from a lump sum appropriation
on scale determined by the head OF
the department. The former system
is wholly unsatisfactory. because OF
the impossibility of increasing the
compensation except by act of Con-
gress. A proposed increase. for ex-
ample, might come into the House
with the unanimous approval of de-
partment, and the committee on ap-
preparations, and still be defeated on
the floor on the objection Of one mem
Der. Moreover. the law now not only
fixes the salary, but determines how
many persons in each bureau shall
be employed at that salary; If more
persons are imperatiyely needed for
the work, they cannot be employed.
and, on the other hand. If vacancies
occur, the money so saved cannot be
applied to the salaries of others, but
must go back into the Treasury. In
the Department of Agriculture most of
the scientific workers of the various
bureaus are employed under the lump
sum system. which prevails also in
the geological survey and the bureau
of mines. In the bureau of standards.
whose work Is equally technical, the
salaries are in part fixed by law. and
capable men there. as elsewhere. are
devotedly holding to their positions in
the hope that Congress will relieve
them, when they could double or treble
their incomes by taking positions out
side. The reclassification bill is a COM
promise between the two systems; the
law hxes the general scale, on a more
uniform and equitable basis than at
present, but does not specify how
many persons may be employed. thus
giving a very necessary latitude to
the administrative officers. which is
conditions in statutory bureaus.
Criticisn Of the Jones Bill.
The Jones bill is criticised in one
important respect, however. in that
it prescribes that persons shall enter
the service at the minimum rate of
pay in a given class. This provision
the administrators regard as very un-
fortunate. For example. the pay for
a. certain class of scientific, technical
or professional men may range from
$4,000 to $2.700 q year. Under the
Eystem proposed all applicants would
be compelled to enter at $1,000 year
and await their chances of promotion,
which also are more or less restricted.
The result would be, it is pointed out,
that some of the higher grade men
would refuse to enter the government
service at all. while others would be
accepting positions at the minimum
rate when by common consent they
would be worth more or even the
maximum.
Section 3 of the Jones bill prescribes
an elaborate method of filling vacan-
cies or new positions and Of making
promotions from one class to another
which DR.. Rosa criticises as much too
complicated and time consuming The
net effect of the various provisions,
he says. is to give preference to per-
sons seeking a transfer or reinstate-
ment over those in the same bureau
and in line for promotion. This sys-
tenn would violate one of the most
important principles of good admins
tration, namely, that when Il person
deserves promotion to Il higher po-
sition in the same line of work he
should receive ii rather than have
stranger brought in and put over
him. Such d method not only would
be cumbersome, but would destroy
the morale of the service. Dr. Rosa
suggests that it would be far better
to continue as heretofore to promote
within the bureau if there are COM
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