Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-01-19

INCOMPETENTS ARE KEPT
The annual turnover in the govern
ment service is something almost in
credible. No business corporation,
however strongly established, could |
long endure the heavy annual drain on
its resources. Hundreds Of men leave
the government service daily; and
new, unframed people have to be taken
on and taught to do the work. This )
costs money, as every employer
knows.
The designations from the govern
ment service are chiefly from the SUI
pervisory and most highly paid posi-
tons and from the very lowest grades
The men at the top, if they have any
initiative or ability or ambition to
make name for themselves, are Of
fered private employment at double
or treble or more what the govern
ment can pay them. The people in
the lowest grades leave for private
employment when opportunity affords
because in too many instances they
actually cannot keep body and soul
together on their government pay.
1t is the people in the middle class
who stay on the longest. The whole
constant process makes for a steady
deterioration in the quality of the
government service and tends to re-
tain the mediocre in public employ
ment.
The civil service commission, through
which the great bulk of government
employees are brought into the serv
ice, is acutely aware of this condition
Its reports give emphasis to the diff
Guilty constantly experienced in secur-
ing and retaining competent employ
eeS. The rotation in Office has become
increasingly frequent and vitality i'm
pairs the efficiency of the service.
During the war there was a lower
rate of turnover in the mechanical
forces than in outside establishments.
The proposition of separations, how.
ever, is excessive in clerical, profes
SiOnal and technical positions, in
which the rate of turnover sometimes
amounts to q third of the force in a
year.
During the nine months preceding
| the armistice more than 10000 ap-
pOintments We're made in the civil
| service and about $4,000 separations
| occurred-that is, for every two ap-
| pontmentS made one person left the
service. For a period of similar length
| following the armistce only 60 per
| cent as many appointments were'made,
| but there were nearly SO per cent more
separations In this period almost as
many positions were vacated as were
| filled.
The eNigencieS of the war required
great expansion Of the cl6fical
| forces at Washington and elsewhere
and this was accomplished by labor
turnover several times above normal.
The percentage of destinations Of ap-
pointments among eligibles on the civ
IL service register increased in many |
instances from 30 to more than 80 per
cent-that is, more than half the men |
and women who successfully passed |
civil service examinations and were |
offered jobs under the government re-
fused to take them. 1t is estimated |
that more than 100000 of those who
met the test We're appointed during
that time.
The civil service commission saws
fatty:
CHOSE familiar with the federal
service at Washington know that the |
service is now hampered by the re-
tentiOn of ncCmpetents whose re- |
mOral is rendered difficult by influences |
which are Incompatible with the eff
cheney Of the service. Preferences |
and exemptions increasingly clog the
departments with persons who, no |
matter how Inefficient, are difficult tn |
remove, and whose retention tends 20
destroy the discipline of the service
Among these nefcients, of course
are the Superannuated and the phys |
ically incapacitated The b'ire9y of
efficiency estimated. before the pass !
age OF the approximation retirement |
law the number Of employees in the
civil service Of the United States sew
enty years Of age and over as follows:
Number
iS'IiNftS pO9tdl tltEnS. JJI !
Rural letter carriers. .................. Asa
City letter carriers. observation-disclosures. 23O |
Post office clerks. Observation-Disclosures. 3S7 |
MECHANICS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 32S |
General employees, Dist. Columbia 4 .484 |
General employees elsewhere .........1,613 |
Total Observation-Disclosures. ,693
The commissioner of pensions sup
plies the following compact statement
Of the age Of the employees in the pen
sion bureau:
Number in the classified civil sery-
ice. S74; age Of the Oldest EMPLOYEE,
lightweight; number over eighty years
of age. 26 number between sixty.five
and eighty, 266; based on age of sixty
five, number eligible for retirement.
292; percentage of employees eligible
for retirement, 1874 average age Of all
employees, July !, 1919, fifty.eight.
These old men and women bear the
burden of the administration of the
complex, intricate and involved pro-
cedure under the pension laws having |
to do with the disbursement of S222,-
l59,2 in 1920 to 10000 and some.
odd beneficiaries.