The Caledonian-record. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1920-current, 1922-12-12
VT. MAN POINTS
OUT DEFECTS IN
CIVIL SERVICE
George r. Wales Outlines
Views Before Reform
League
Especial to Caledonian- r ecord)

Especial to Caledonian- Record
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12-
APPLY illustrating his argument by
q verbal picture of the prehistoric
dinosaur, whose two bIains-the
one to operate the forward portion
of his huge body and the other to
control his hind legs-were so de-
plorahly lacking in coordination
that his unwieldly bulk made him
a comparatively easy prey to his
single-brained enemies. Hon.
George r. Wales. of Vermont,
member of the u S. Civil Service
Commission. told the National Civ
il Service Reform League at its
42nd annual meeting in Washing
ton some Of the defects of the
present Civil Service system and
pointed out some of the remedies
which might p'ofitably be applied.
81 do not wish to draw a paral-
LEI between this ancient lizard and
personnel management in the gov
eminent" said Mr.. Wales, "but it
illustrates my point. Greater eff
fectiveneSs in personnel admins
tration can be secured by more
central control, by the substitution
of one uniform policy for many
variable or conflicting policies"
From a force of a few thous-
md, he continued in his speech on
Reconsideration and Removal,
"the Federal Civil Service has
grown to nearly half a million;
each department process of
growth has been divided into bu-
ireaus, and bureaus into divisions,
some of which are larger than the
original departments. From rela-
lively few simple tasks the
duties performed by government
employees have become more vari-
ed and specialized until now civil
servants perform practically every
sort of work under the sun. Poll
cies affecting the personnel are
shaped by departments bureaus
within department. and independ-
ent offices, often without relation
to each other. With power to Gre
ate positions, fix salaries, and es-
tablish methods of handling per-
sonnet vested in various branches
of the service, it was inevitable
! opinion as to qualifications neces-
tiles in pay, wide variations of
that there should be gross Unequal
sary for like Jobs in different ser
vices, confusion of terminology by
which like Jobs we're designated,
and lack of harmony so far as gen
eral policies are concerned.
There has been. no agency
whose function it is to correlate
these personnel policies, to bring
ali the members of this mammoth
organization to act in unison so
that we might move forward with
rhythmic step toward better and
more productive methods. The
net result is waste; waste of effort
IN operation; waste of human mat
crial through dissatisfaction of the
workers; and, waste of ability
through failure to make the best
use of the talent available.
Passing to the needs of the pre-
sent situation, Mr.. Wales said that
primarily more adequate control of
personnel was required, more CO.
uitable treatment of employees.
improved selection of new material,
and elimination of inefficients.
with a net result of better of bet
ter and more economical service 20
the public.
Celebrating successfully upon
these points, the speaker said:
More adequate personnel control
should involve the uniform appli-
cation throughout the service of
the best personnel policies that can
be developed after study of the
most advanced methods found I'M
der either public or private man
agement.
"More equitable treatment of
employees should insure equal sal
aries for equal work and broader
opportunities for advancement.
Examinations and tests for
the selections of entrants to the SER
vice should be further improved by
research and investigation so as to
enchance their protective value.
/ These tests are the scales in which
is weighed the ability the govern
ment is to purchase, and they
should be standardized with the
/ greatest possible precision.
Employees, who, because of lack
Of ability or of willingness to work
are below a reasonable standard of
efficiency have no place on the
government payroll. They not
only represent direct waste, but
their example is hurtful to their
fellows.
Improved classification, or re-
classification, is fundamental to
the successful achievement of any
Of these purposes"
Equalization of pay is by no
means the only thing to be accom-
plishcd by Redistribution, Mr..
Wales showed. at is fundamental
that class should comprise SINH
lar jobs" he said, "and arrange
ment of dissimilar or unrelated