The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-04-20
XI.
HIRE GOVERNMENT HELP

The civil service commission hires
all employees in he classified service
of the government. The only thing to
be said about the classified service, is
that it has not yet : beer classified.
But you shall hear what the civil serv-
ice commission has 70 say about hir.
ing help, without comment from me
There is an utter lack of definitely
planned and well-organized employ
ment policy in the government serv-
ice.
There is need for a centralized en-
ployment office with jurisdiction ia all
matters relating to employment.
The employment methods of the gov
INNS should be such as to serve
for a model for private business.
There Is at present no central con-
troll over the executive service short
of the President. The President is a
busy man and cannot concern himself
with the details of the executive de-
partments. q q
The lack of efficiency in govern
ment offices has a marked effect on
private business.
Definite information concerning the
number of federal civil employees in
different branches of the service and
the amount of the government pay
roll are not readily available.
An official register, or blue book,
is issued every two years. 1t is out
Of date long before 1t is printed.
A provision of the civil service rules
theoretically gives the civil service
commission authority to collect and
maintain complete personnel statis-
tics. The labor and expense involved,
however, practically prohibit the COL
lection and compilation Of reliable sta
tistical data.
In addition to the limits of the COM
missions authority is the absence af
authority to enforce it's findings. -
commission can make recomr'".
lions to the departments and .
and urge their observance, but it Ga.
not enforce them.
Congress passed what is known as
the civil service law January 10, 1883.
This act created the United States
civil service commission. The law was
intended to cure In part the evils
traceable to the spells system, which
grew out of the four-year-tenure-of-
Office act Of 1920.
During the first 40 years after the
organization of ii government, adj
ministrative practice with regard to
the civil service seemed to conform
to the intention of the founders. The
Constitution fixed the term Of no Of
fcer in the executive branch of the
government except those of the Pres
ident and vice president. It was the
established usage during these first
40 years to permit executive officers,
except members Of the cabinet, to hold
office for an unlimited period during
good behavior. The practice was
changed in 1920 by the four-year-ten-
ure act. The spoils system, as it was
officially described as early as 1895,
was introduced and extended until it
permeated the entire civil service BE
the country. g. t
The fundamental purpose Of the civ
II service law was to establish, In the
parts Of the service covered by liz,
provisions, a merit system Whereby
selection for appointment Should be
made upon the basis OF demonstrated
~relative fitness, without regard to po,.
Iitical, religious. o. other such on
sideratfors. Z
The act requires that the rules shall
provide, among other things, for open
competitive examinations for testing
the fitness OF applicants for the classi-
fed service, the making Of appoint
ments from among those passing with
highest grades, an aDportionment of
appointments In the departments at
washington among the states ana ter
ritories, q period OF probation before
absolute appointment and the pro-
hibitIOn Of the .use Of official authority
to erc the politcal action " my
person Or body.
III 1859 the year Il which the CIVIL
a1r1les Law Wasenastsd. IaQ2zpodr