Milford chronicle., 1922-06-02
Bv EDWARD G.LOwRY
Copyright, Western Newspaper Union
SYSTEM IS ALL WRONG

The great difficulty that stands in
the way of discussing Uncle Sam as
an employer is that there is no such
person. The men who stand in the
relation of employer to their subOrdi-
mates are nothing but employees them
selves, and temporary ones at that,
with a very fleeting tenure Of office.
Cabinet officers and members of con-
gress, to whom the rank and file of
employees look for guidance for a
solution of their problems, are simply
feeting figures that come and go, with
their own interests to serve. They
testify freely enough as to conditions
of government employment. Senator
Carter Glass, recently secretary Of the
treasury, for example:
"The largely multiplied business of
the government cannot be conducted
with efficiency and economy unless
there be attracted to and retained in
the public service a group of highly
trained, well-paid and permanent Off
cials of supervisory grades. Uncer-,
tainty of tenure in some instances and
inadequacy of compensation have
closed the public service to many men
of the best type or forced them out of
government employ at the moment Of
their greatest usefulness.
"The war has increased the public
debt more than twenty-five fold and
has augmented the functions and ac-
,F in
ways. The duties are greater and the
responsibilities are larger than those
Of other days, q to the standards of
which it is not to be expected that
the government will ever return. The
conditions are such that failure to take
the necessary action to invite and
hold in the public service men of ex-
ceptiOnal ability and of real distinc-
ton in their fields can result only in
grave burdens to the taxpayers Of the
country and in possible disaster.
"Already the transaction of the
business of the government is ham,
pered by deficiencies of personnel due
to the return to private life Of many
men of large capacity who during the
period of active warfare were willing
and glad to serve their country at
! great personal sacrifice. have come
to learn that there are heroes in the
civil establishments as well as in the
military services, self-sacrificing pa
triOts who toll year in and year out for
a bare pittance when they could COM
mand salaries double or treble the
amounts they receive from the govern
ment but who, for the love of their
country and for the love Of their
work, have rejected alluring offers in
the field of private enterprise. They
were too fine and too patriotic to leave
their posts.
"Under the compelling force Of pa
triotism they made willing sacrifices
during the war, but with the return Of
peace the government cannot expect
to retain these employees indefinitely,
because in justice to themselves and
their families they will sooner or later
accept the larger opportunities that are
open to them in the world of business
and industry unless the government
proposes to pay them salaries that at
least reasonably approach the value Of
their Services. Is ezg4.sl- lt.-i..
"Only prompt action by the congress
to build up a permanent and dignified'
civil service which will include men
of great ability and high, attainments
can prevent mistakes and failures in
the transaction of the public business,
the consequences of which may be
calamitOus."
Ex-Representative Good, who was
chairman Of the appropriations COM
mittee of the house, is equally frank:
"Today duplication in the govern
ment service abOunds on every hand.
For example, eight different depart
ments Of the government, with large
overhead organizations, are engaged
in engineering work, in navigation, ir-
rigation and drainage; eleven different
bureaus are engaged in engineering
research; twelve different Organiza-
tions are engaged in road CON
struction, while twelve, with large
overhead organizations, are engaged
in hydraulic construction and sixteen
are engaged in surveying and map
ping. Sixteen different bureaus exer-
else Jurisdiction over water-pOwer de-
velOpment. Nine different organiza-
tiOns are collecting information on the
consumption Of coal. FOrty-twO differ
ent organizations, with overhead ex-
penses, are dealing with the question
Of public health.
'The Treasury department, the War
department, the Interior department
and the Labor department each has a
bureau dealing with the question of
general education. These departments
operate Independently; instances Of CO.
operation between them are excep-
tiOnal. Each Of these departments is
manned at all times with an Organiza-
tion prepared to carry the peak of the
load and maintains an expensive
ready-to-serve personnel. A lack Of
cooperation in the executive depart
ments necessarily leads to gross ex.
travagance. The system is wrong, and
pOngresS alone Can change the system"