Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1922-05-10
XIII.
WHY GOOD MEN QUIT
BY EDWARD G. LOWRY
Western Newspaper Union

Go today into the Treasury depart
ment. the Department of Agriculture,
the Department of Commerce, or into
any other establishment of the govern
ment doing important technical work,
and they will tell you that their chief
difficulty is to retain competent en-
ployees In the supervisory and tech.
nlcal positions. Their turnover Is alb
normally high In these positions
Every day men leave the service
no accept private employment at ma
terially increased salaries, so that the
departments are continuously going
through process of selecting and
training executives and technical en-
ployees, only to lose them, as they be-
come really valuable, on account Of
the inadequacy Of their compensation.
The second factor which contrib
ates to the present ineffectiveness Of
the government as a business estab-
lishment is found in the improper or
ganization Of the executive branch of
che government for effective service.
You are familiar, at least in a general
way, with the defects Of the present
administrative machinery.
You know for example, that the In
terror department now has jurisdiction
over great number of bureaus Of
miscellaneous character that have
nothing to do with each other or with
the functions which the Interior de-
partmsnt was originally established to
perform.
lon know that many agencies have
been located in the Treasury depart
ment, the great fiscal department of
hha government, which are purely non
fiscal in character, such as the coast
guard. the public health service, the
supervising architects Office and the
bureau Of war risk insurance.
You knew that the great bulk of
the civil public works of the govern
ment are executed under the super
vision of the War department, although
the bureau of public roads is located
Ia the Department of Agriculture, and
the reclamation service In the Depart
ment of the Interior.
, You know, furthermore, of the in
dependent existence outside the jurls-
diction of any of the great executive
departments of some 4O-odd boards,
commissions, offices and bureaus.
These are merely examples of con-
ALTON that would require volumes to
describe fully, but 1t is generally
Known that the executive branch Of the
government is at the present time IL
logically and uneconomically organ
lzed in many important particulars.
1t should be remembered, however.
that even with an ideal personnel and
4 perfect organization it Is doubtful
II the high degree of economy ana
efficiency that characterizes private
business can ever be attained in the
government Offices. This is so because
economies made by government off,
Gals are not transformed into divl-
dends for themselves as they are IN
private business.
There is an impression in congress
and throughout the country that men
Of great ability are not found In gov
srpment service; that the salaries are
not sufficient to attract and hold them.
On the contrary, there are great
many people of distinguished ability
IN the government service. One is
more and more impressed by that fact.
especially since the war sent to wash
ington so many men OF large means
and famous names with whom the
government employees could be COM
pared The comparison was time and
again 10 the advantage Of the govern
nent employee. But the salaries are
not the attraction; it is the work IT.
self. This is we'll understood by some
eminent observers of public life. Sec
,etary of State Hughes declared him
self as follows before the advisory
committees of the war risk insurance
bureau:
Ut has been my experience that with
the higher officers, the officers of greater
institutions, where deficiency Is rewarded
~ public representatioh-while the field
n n limited one because OF the great OPP
,ortunity to men OF abity-it Is still en-
urely possible to draw to the pubic sefV-
zee men of great ability and distinction.
because Of the desire to render public
service and the number of men Who are
available for that purpose. while rela-
uvely small is still sufficient If the APP
lointng officer wants men of that class
In order to obtain them. however. ne
must give a free field He must not In
terfere as to political action to control
administration tendencies and must per-
nit them to be given the reward which
= well-conducted Office of Importance Will
give to it's incumbent in the public esti-
nation.
Now the difficulty increases when you
pass those heads that get the credit and
come TO the technical expert who has
rot to do the regular work and upon
whose efficiency the operation of the de-
partment finally depends. These men are
little known. The public hasn't time even
1. learn their names They are interested
- work to q degree Of being willing to
make sacrifices.
There ID active competition for men Of
nrains and great ability Of that sort. and
TIE government will never b served I'M
Ass II pays the price for those men. Now
I think that is . plain situation. You
nay b able to get director In the bu-