Milford chronicle., 1922-06-09
By EDWARD G.LOWRY
Copyright, Western Newspaper Union
INCOMPETENTS ARE KEPT

i-AANOOANAA H \ GaAN - AA4NE gAGA
The annual turnover in the govern
ment service is something almost il
credible. No business corporation
however strongly established, cOul
long endure the heavy annual drain o
its resources. Hundreds Of men leav
the government service daily; an
new, unframed people have to be take
on and taught to do the work. Thi
costs money, as every emplOye
knows.
The designations from the govern
ment service are chiefly from the su
pervisOry and most highly paid posi-
tons and from the very lowest grades
The men at the top, IL they have an!
initiative or ability or ambition tt
make a 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 vitally 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, profess
siOnal and technical positions, in
which the rate of turnover sometimes
amounts to a third of the force in a
year.
During the nine months preceding
the armistice more than 10000 ap-
pOintments were made in the civil
service and about $4,000 separations
Occurred-that is, for every two ap-
pOintments made one person left the
service. For a period of similar length
following the armistice 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 exigencies of the war required
a great expansion of the clerical
forces at Washington and elsewhere
and this was accomplished by a labor
turnover several times above normal.
The percentage of declinations of ap-
pOintments among eliglbles on the civ
IL service register increased in many |
instances from 80 to more than so 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. It is estimated
that more than $4,000 of those who
net the test were appointed during
hat time.
The civil service commission says
latly:
"Those familiar with the federal
ervice at Washington know that the
ervice is now hampered by the re-
entlOn of lncOmpetents whose re-
1Oval is rendered difficult by influences
which are incompatible with the eff
iency of the service. Preferences
nd exemptions increasingly clog the
apartments with persons who. no
natter how inefficient, are difficult to
emOve, and whose retention tends to
estrOy the discipline of the service"
Among these inefficients, Of course.
re the superannuated and the phys
ally incapacitated. The bureau Of
ficiency estimated, before the pass I
ge of the superannuatiOn retirement {
lw, the number of employees in the
lvil service Of the United States sew
nty years Of age and over as follows:
Number :
ailway postal clerks................... 1V7 :
.ural letter carriers. rs..................... 454
ity letter carriers. 23O
ost office clerks. ks......................... 387
-ecnanlcS ...........s.............. 32S
eneral employees, Dist Columbia. i, ,4S4
eneral employees elsewhere. re..........1,613
Total ..........'................ 693
The commissioner Of pensions SUD-
les the following compact statement
the age Of the employees in the PEN
on bureau:
Number in the classified civil serv-
e, S74 age Of the oldest employee,
ghty-eight; number over eighty years
age, 26; number between sixty-five
ID eighty, 266; based on age Of sixty
re, number eligible for retirement,
2; percentage of employees eligible
r retirement, 1874; average age of all
lployees, July 1, 1919, fifty-eight.
These old men and women bear the
rden of the administration Of the
mplex, intricate and involved pro-
dure under the pension laws having
do with the disbursement of S222,-