The Connecticut labor news., 1921-03-25
HARDING WELCOMES EMPLOYEES AID IN
 FEDERAL SERVICE
Civil Service Problems Must Be Solved Together, President
 Tells Men.

Washington, March 25.-Through the executive council of the National Fed eration of Federal Employees, who called upon him at the White House, Presi- dent Harding sent message to all gov ernment employees, welcoming their CO., operation in solving the problems of the civil service and government efficiency.
 "WOrk for the government" said the President, means an opportunity for service and accomplishment, all of us to- gether. It does not mean mere job holding. That is my message to all gov ernnent employees, through you as their representatives"
 The President at the close of the in terview accompanied the representatives of the national federation to the south lawn of the White House to be photo graphed.
 Since we are to work together, by all means let us be photographed togeth- er," he said.
 The representatives of the organized employees of the government, through their president and spokesman, Luther Steward, told President Harding that to them the three essential means to the achievement of improved employment conditions and greater efficiency i'll the government service are rec1assifcation tlIu lC-Ol SdlllLdllOH Ol lIle CIVIL SSINlCS, and the establishment of a national bud | get systenl-'the same program which we understand you have in mind, MT. | President, as one of the big aims of your | administration"
 The statement to the President in be- | half of teh employees was in full as fol- | lows:
 | "The executive council of the National | Federation of Federal Employees, now in session in Washington, offers you greetings and desires to express to you | its hope of rendering service to your ad ministration. Our organization, com | posed of 234 local unions, with members i'll every state, exists for the two, as we l believe inseparable, purposes of improv- | ing employment conditions and increasing the efficiency of the United States civil service. To us 1t seems that the three essential means to those ends are re- | classification and reorganization of the 1 civil service, and the establishment of a | national budget system, the same pro- gram which we understand you have in mind, Mr. President, as one of the big aims of your administration.
 ''To the directly human factor in gov errment efficiency-the personnel prob lems-our organization has devoted it. self from the beginning of it's existence. Your phase as we believe it is to put heart into the civil service, therefore has deep significance to us. We are earnest | ly asking for thorough reclassifcation of the service, in order to guarantee to the people of the United States an actual merit system in public employment to the employees a just wage and proper conditions for efficient work, and to both public and employees the elimination of the inefficient This we know would put l heart into the service. Through repre- sentative committees from our organiza- ton we have been and are now cooper ating with administrative officials and legislators who are at work upon re- classification measures. Believing that this legislation will have your full sup port, we trust that 1t will be speedily enacted by the next Congress.
 For the reorganization of the execu- tive departments of the government, as well as for reclassihcation, we as. en- ployes in all occupations and Ill all branches of the service, through our or ganization offer you our fullest CO., operation i'll the undertaking to readjust | the various services, bureaus and offices in order to set up an efficient government machine. Because we are the men and women who operate the existing machin- | cry, we understand its defects and recog- nize the need for read justment. We count it the high calling of public serv- ants to give to their government the best that is in thern,, and it is not alone our calling but our earnest hope and desire to be of assistance to you and those who with you are responsible for the opera tion of the various departments of the government with the utmost efficiency and usefulness to the people of our country.
 We shall take pleasure, at your call
 in naming from our membership con- mittee or committees of experts i'll gov- ernmental problems to cooperate in the administrations reorganization program and to place at your disposal the full re-