The Republican., 1922-02-16
BY EDWARD G. LOWRY
Copyright. Western Newspaper Union
INCOMPETENTS ARE KEPT

lNOOMFE1 EN , AXE hEF L
The annual turnover in the govern
ment service is something almost in
credible. No business corporation,
however strongly established could
long endure the heavy annual drain on
its resources. Hundreds Of men leave
the government service daily; and
new, unframed people have to be taken
on and taught to do the work. This
costs money, as every employer
knows.
The designations from the govern
ment service are chiefly from the su-
pervisory and most highly paid posi-
tiOns and from the very lowest grades.
The men at the top, if they have any
initiative or ability or ambition to
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 yitally 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
year.
During the nine months preceding
the armiStice more than 10000 APP
( pOintments were made in the civil
service and about 2SOOO separations
occurred-that is, for every two ap-
pointmeutS made one person left the
service For a period of similar length
! following the armiStice only go per
cent as many appointments were made,
but there were nearly 33 per cent more
separations. In this period almost as
many positions We're vacated as were
| filled.
The eXigcncics 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-
! Iointments among eligibles on the civ
| II service register increased in many
| instances from 80 to more than 80 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. 1t is estimated
that more than 100000 Of those who
met the test were appointed during
that time.
The civil service commission says
hatly:
"Those familiar with the federal
| service at Washington know that the
service is now hampered by the re
! tention Of incompetents whose re-
moval is rendered difficult by influences
which are incompatible with the eff
| cheney Of the service. Preferences
and exemptions increasingly clog the
departments with persons who, no
/ matter how inefficient are difficult to
remove, and whose retention tends to
destroy the discipline of the service" ="
Among these inefiicients, of course
are the superannuated and the phys
/ ically inCapacitated. The bureau Of
! efficiency estimated, before the pass
! age of the approximation retirement
law. the number of employees in the
! civil service of the United States sev-
/ enty years Of age and over as follows :
Number
Railway postal clerks................... 1877
| Rural letter carriers. s..................... asa
City letter carriers. observation-disclosures. go
Post Office clerks ks......................... 3S7
| Mechanics .......,...,,.,.....,....,,. 3IS
! General employees, Dist. Columb bia. i, asa
! General employees elsewhere. ..........l ,613
Total ....................,......, 695
The commissioner of pensions sup
plies the following compact statement
of the age of the employees in the pen
sion bureau:
Number in the classified civil serv-
ice, S74; age of the Oldest employee,
eighty-eight; number over eighty years
of age, 26; number between sixty-five
and eighty 266; based on age Of sixty
five. number eligible for retirement,
| 292; percentage Of employees eligible
for retirement, 1874; average age of all
employees. July I, 1919, fifty-eight
These old men and women bear the
burden of the administration of the
complex intricate and involved pro
ceGure under the pension laws baying
to do with the disbursement of 500.
159, ,292 in 1920 to 100000 and some.
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