The Washington herald., 1921-06-11
Redistribution.

IT is quite to be expected that the federal en-
ploye scans each reclassihcation bill to see
where it would place him and at what salary.
He next looks to find which gives him the better
chance OF advancement to higher salary, rather
than to greater opportunity for service On the
other hand the attitude of congress is rather to
hnd whSh one carries the smallest bulk appropria-
hon The mind OF congress is psychologically set
upon economy as evidenced in dollars
Fhe Herald is rather inclined to consider what
each bill offers those who enter the service and
what it is made possible for them to secure Ger
tainy the government should not place over the
door OF public service: Leave hope behind all We
VINO enter here. Also a payroll to express real
economy. must largely be based upon quantity and
quality OF production there is greater source of
waste than labor turnover which at the same time
may be material factor in keeping down pay
roll as expressed in dollars
The government service is one of the finest
schools any young woman can find if full
advantage is taken of what it offers. Take the pro-
tessonal service as defined in the Sterling and
Lehlbach bills where college or technical training
IS required. The collegiate enters the service in
grade one at $500, good salary as can be ex-
pected and may be better than most would be will
ing to accept with chance ahead Under the
Lehlbach bill advancement is not limited
Under the Sterling bill salaries for this pro-
tessional service, be increased but once year
IN any save the three highest grades There are
tour steps in each OF the three lower grades each
carrying salary increase. salary increase can
De granted but once year. After IL years or
when around "a or IS years old this collegiate
may reasonably expect to enter the fourth grade
at S4,I4o year. From then advancement de-
pends upon ability and its appreciation by superiors
along with the thoughtfulness of someone who
kindly resigns dies. But the limit of pay is ST.
ZOO and in all human probability that cannot be
reached in less than IS to 20 years.
1t is quite evident that college men of the re-
CURED ability, with the ability which should be
required for such positions, viii not stick around
long enough to be advanced to them. 1t is also
experience that heads of bureaus are often taken
from outside the service This is quite invariably
true OF assistant secretaries who fix policies and
are supposed to outline programs. With salaries
not OF sufficient nducement to get the desired
ability there is left service, just bare service and
the JOY OF service opportunity which the govern
ment leaves the chief reward.
1t is a fact, and always will be fact, that in
the professional and scientific classes the govern
and original research institutions in the world.
Anyone may gladly and most proftably pursue his
studies, or specially, there for term of years.
But without the financial inducement to stay hu-
man nature will it such an in nsttution Only
when ambition is narrowed, self-reliance dulled the
will to take chance-a most valuable character
istlc-replaced by timdity, when marriage and
a family makes any venture a much greater haz-
ard, will the best stay. There lies the cause of the
labor turnover which in this class is most expen-
sve which costs dollars in service for dimes saved
1t does not seem that any of the bills sufficiently
regard this point of view