The Washington herald., 1921-04-24
Chamber of Commerce
Offers Civil Service
Reform Plans.
TRULY ECONOMICAL
TO BUY EFFICIENCY
Nine Suggestions Made
For Reclassifying
Problems.

Adequate and equitable pay for
the army of more than 100000 gov
ernment employees is urged by the
Committee on Budget and Efhciency
of the Chamber of Commerce of the
United States as one Of q series ot
proposals for q complete recasting
Of the Federal civil service.
The report of the committee was
sent out today for a referendum
vote of the 400 Industrial and
commercial organizations within
the chambers membership. 1t pre-
sents nine recommendations dealing
with reclassification of personnel
and telated problems.
ThIrty-afth Referendum.
This is the thirty-fifth referendum
taken by the chamber on important
national questions The purpose Is
to ascertain the opinion of business
organizations respecting the recon-
mendations made by the chambers
committee The propositions to b
voted on are as follows:
l. The present system under which
personnel for the Federal civil serv-
ice is secured and managed should
be recast
ii. Adequate and uniform pay un.
der essentially like conditions should
be established as a fundamental
principle for the Federal civil serv-
ice through reclassihcation and re-
grading.
III. RecIassifcation should be by
ready made and further investiga-
ton oy the civil service commission.
For Current Correetion.
". Reconsideration should be in
stalled by the Civil Service Commis-
sion and the budget bureau and cur
rent correction made by Congress
aided by these agencies.
" Promotion should be given
statutory recognition as the pre-
TERED method for hIling vacancies,
with lines of promotion clearly de-
fined and promotions made upon the
basis Of proved merit under civil
service regulations
vi All administration officers not
responsible for determining policies
should be included under civil sery-
ice rules.
VII Transfers between depart-
ments should be regulated by Ex-
ecuttve orders consistent with the
civil service law.
VIII. Efficiency records should
be developed by the Civil Service
Commission.
TX. Removal of O., .,,,,.
should be possible upon a written
statement of reasons to the en-
ploye with opportunity for written
reply. but without right Of appeal
aoove the head of the department.
Arssfhents Pro and Con,
The ballot as sent out Is accom-
panied by the full report of the
committee, which supports in de-
tail the recommendations, and by
arguments in the negative. The
aim Us to give the members of the
chamber the fullest Information
available with respect to the prop-
osition on which they are asked to
vote
The arguments against the prop
ositions advanced call attention 70
the fact that reorganization of roy-
ernment departments already has
been proposed and that II might be
wen to delay any recastinr OF the
civil service until this has been ac-
complished. other objections 10 me
committees report also are brought
out.
The committee in its report states
its conviction that the subject of
reclassifcation and related prob
lens affecting the civil service are
Of pressing interest and Importance
Public Pays the Bills.
The personnel problem Of an en-
terprise which engages the services
of more than half a million em-
pioyes cannot be minimized," 1t is
declared. "if the public. which foots
the bills in ever increasing amounts
for government costs. is ever to re-
ceive a reasonable return on its
investment Recent deveIopments
make 1t not only opportune, but
imperative, that business now give
this matter the thoughtful consid-
Grafton which II deserves"
For all practical purposes. saws
the committee. personnel problems
in the. administration of the ma
tional government are those which
are Inevitable In a civilian force Of
nearly half million men and wom-
en- employed on work OF almost
every conceivable character
Importance Recognized.
Tn private. Industrial and COM
mercial life" says the report. '-the
innumerable questions relating
to the eficient utilization cf the
operating and anaging forces Of
the organization are now accepted
as Of vital Importance to successful
management Of business. In
this Geld OF administration of the
public business government has
Jagged far behind.
with the passage Of time the
statute books have become filled
with a mass Of varying directory or
prohi5itory decisions Of Congress
which today seriously hamper any
successful handling Of recognised
Of admittedly primary i'm
portanee in establishing a business
like administration OF the Federal
service"
Adequate Pay Urged.
with reference to its recommen-
a.ffor .fhaf oHa-..f~ a~a