Evening star., 1922-06-15

New legislation by Congress to pro-
vide automatically for the removal of
the inefficient among the civil service
employees of the government is being
urged upon members from all parts of
the country, and especially upon the
membership of the committees on re-
form in the civil service by the Ma
tional Civil Service Reform League,
of which william Dudley Foulke Is
acting president.
The provisions suggested to strength
en- the existing powers of the appoint.
ing officers to remove or suspend
subordinates are:
Rules shall be made by the United
States Civil Service Commission Tor
establishing standards of efficiency in
the public service uniform for each
class of employees; for ascertaining
cheney of individual employees and OF
groups of employees: for service records
and rating to be used in determining 6
the promotion, demotion or removal OF
employees.
,, The commission may likewise pro-
cations and examinations, periodical
or otherwise, as may promote the good
of the service, and for the suspension,
demotion or removal from the service
of any employe who fails to pass satis-
factorily such tests, Investigations and
examinations or who fails to reach the
standard Of efficiency provided by the
commission.
, Grounds for Suspension.
Employees may also be suspended
denoted or removed for any cause
I ,{11, vr.{h nt
| the service upon written specifications
! filed by the appointing authority. head
of department or any citizen, with q
board of hearings and adjustments
appointed by the Civil Service Com
,, mission; such board shall give no
| whose removal is sought. who shall
have the opportunity to be heard. and
the hearings, investigation and deter
| mination of said board shall be made
within thirty days after the fling of
such specifications. and the findings
and decisions Of such board, when ap.
proved by the commission, shall be
final. unless overruled by the Presi.
dent. and shall not be subject to re.
vision by any court.
The council of the league contends
that if this power 10 given to the
Civil Service Commission in addition
to the present right of the appointing
power to remove absolutely any sub.
| ordinate after giving reasons and
notice there will not be left any
ground whatever for the claim sc
often made that the civil service sys.
| tenn prevents or obstructs the dis.
charge of the inefficient. On the con
trary it will provide for such dis.
charges far more effectively than II
they were left solely In the hands OF
the appointing authority. The idea
| of reverting to the monstrous abuses
| of the spoils system in order to re.
move the inefficient is thus deprived
Of tho very smallest ground of sup.
port.
Misapprehensien Seen.
In seeking this new legislation from
Congress the reform league says tina,
1t is evident that not only the gen.
eral public. but also many Of those
| who are conducting the affairs of the
government, are under grave misap.
| prehension as to the operations OF
| the present civil service law. They iE
| sist first that 1t unduly restricts the
| selection Of proper employees by those
responsible for the operations of thl
government. and second that 1t fur
| nishes no means Of getting rid Of thu
| idle and inefncieut. but actually pfe,
1 vents executive officials from dis.
J charging undesirable -snhordinates.