Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-19
SEEKS LEGISLATION
ON RECLASS|FY|N
Committee Cites Its Benefits
to Government as Well
as Workers.

were called upon today to interest
themselves in the purpose of the pro-
posed re>cla ssification legislation. in
a statement of principles issued by
the joint conference on reclassifica-
ton
This statement. prepared today by
X. }. Quinn OF TIE adjutant general $
office: Dr. George w. Bowerman OF
the Public Library. and A. J. Oliver.
president of the Washington Society
of Architects and Craftsmen. proved
the first gun" in a general campaign
10 be waged by the conference to res
cue the report and bin of the recias-
SificatiOn commission from the in
ocuouS desuetude" to which it seems
to have been consigned.
Issuance of the formal statement
OF principles was authorized at
meeting of the conference last night
1t was the opinion of the members
that there was a tendency on the part
of Congress. and possibly persons in
private life. to think that the reclas-
sification of the 10000 federal work
ers here concerns primarily that m
dividual employe. whereas 1t is the
belief and conviction that TIE reclas-
siflcation would affect principally the
government itself.
Text Of the Statement.
What the reclassfication is and is
not is brought out in the declaration
Of principles issued today by the spe-
cial committee appointed to draw il
UP. as follows:
There is no thought on the part of
the promoters of the reclassification
to establish a plan that will keep in
the government service either incom-
petent or superfluous employees. The
adoption of the plan of the reclassifi-
cation which will put the administra-
tion of the service on good business
he, ftrx. hi f<.
the elimination of incompetent or un-
necessary employees.
THE reclassification will tone up
the government service by holding in
ii the most competent giving them
something to look forward to in the
ing of the accumulated experience and
skill represented in the government
service.
The recIassification will likewise
service the best men and women from
colleges. technical schools. high schools
and business schools by Offering a
worthy career in the public service
with reasonable competence.
One of "Big Things" I'm View.
"One of the big things that the re-
classification will accomplish will be
the equalization of pay for substan-
TALLY equivalent service. There is
ent lack of system by which persons
working almost side by side and do
ing substantially equivalent work re-
ceive grossly unequal pay. A defec-
tive civil service, such as our present
service admittedly is. results in the
needless expenditure Of thousands OF
dollars annually because of the turn
over that results from the dissatis-
faction that drives competent en-
ployes out of the service and destroys
initiative and retards development of
the employees who remain. The effect
of this can only be steady lowering
of the standard of personnel that is
obtainable.
"Not only does the government steadily
lose by this turnover, but those who
Leave the government service because of
dissatisfaction with the prevailing con-
ditions go back home among their peo-
pie and there recite the appalling condi-
in creating a sentiment in the minds of
a large part of our population which
would be prejudicial to any one who
had any thought whatever of entering
the government employment.
Government employment as a conse-
quence is looked upon as a berth for
those who have no initiative or business
ability. and many of our representatives.
hearing the opinions Of their constituents
who have left the government employ
ment, have begun to believe that under
the present method of conducting the gov
eminent business the opinion that they
hold is true. Thus every competent but
dissatisfied employe who leaves the gov
ernment service advertises the defects
of the service and helps to deter other
competent persons from entering gov
ernment employment
Purpose OF the Promoters.
"The purDoSe of the nromoterS of
this legislation is TO secure the adop-
ton of the report in principle as rep
resenting the correct employment pol
icy for the government. but there is
to be no insistence on a cast-iron
adoption of the identical classification
report. but rather the securing of a
plan by which just and rea asonable
compensation can be insured for each
employe of the government.
The system included in the re-
classification report is sufficiently
flexible to facilitate changes from
time to time to meet changing condi-
tions in the government service.
THE committee is especially desir-
Gus of eliciting the interest of all in
dividual employees and classes of en-
ployes whose positions appear to be
adversely affected by the reclassifica-
ton in order to secure their criti-
cism to the end that helpful and con-
structive changes may be brought
about either in the legislative stage
or later through the instrumentality
of the Civil Service Commission. OBJ
viously it is clear that it would be
desirable to secure these suggestions
prior to the hearings on the bill. so
that necessary or desirable changes
of the bill to either. house Of Con-
greSs for consideration"