Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-02-16
By EDWARD C. LOWRY
Copyright. Western Newspaper Union
HIRE GOVERNMENT HELP

All employees III llt tldSSll'h NtlNl't
of the government. The only thing to
be said about the classified service, is
that il has not yet been classified.
But you shall hear what the civil serv-
Ice commission has 10 say about hir-
Ing help, without comment from me.
There is an utter lack Of definitely
planned and organized employ
ment policy in the government sery-
ice.
There is need for centralized EN-
ployment office with jurisdiction in all
matters relating To employment.
The employment methods of the gov
eminent should be such as 10 serve
for model for private business.
There is at present no central con
troll over the executive service short
OF the President. The President is
busy man and cannot concern himself
with the details of the executive de
partmcntS.
The lack Of efficiency in govern
ment offices has 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is issued every two years. 1t is out
OF date long before it is printed.
provision of the civil service rules
Theoretically gives tie civil service
commission authority 10 collect ana
maintain complete personnel Stats
tics. The labor and expense involved.
however, practically prohibit the col.
lection and compilation of reliable sta
tistical data.
In addition 10 the limits Of the com
missions authority is The absence of
authority to enforce its findings. The
commission can make recommenda-
lions 10 the departments and Offices
and urge their observance, but it can
not enforce them.
Congress passed what is known as
the civil service law January is. 1883.
This act created the United States
civil service commission. The law was
intended To cure in part the evils
trareable 10 the spells system. which
grew out Of the r-year-tcnure-o
office act of 1920.
During the first 40 years after the
organization of our government, adj
mnistratiVe practice with regard 10
the civil service seemed To conform
TO the intention of the founders. The
Constitution fixed the term OF no Of
hcer in the executive branch of The
government except those Of the Pres
ldent and vice president. 1t was the
established usage during these first
40 years TO permit executive officers,
except members of the cabinet, 10 hold
office for an unlimited period during
good behavior The practice was
changed in 1920 by the four-year-ten-
IRE act The spells system, rs it was
officially described as early as 1888
was introduced and extended until ID
permeated the entire civil service o.
the country.
The fundamental purpose of the civ
il service law was 10 establish, in the
provisions, merit system whereby
selection for appointment should be
made upon the basis of demonstrated
relative fitness, without regard 10 20
litical. religious, ar other such con
slderations.
The act requires that the rules shall
provide, among other things, for open
competitive examinations for testing
the fitness of applicants for the classi
fled service, the making of appoint
meuts from among those passing Will.
highest grades, an apportionment OF
appointments in the departments AZ
Washington among the states and ter
ritorieS, period of probation before
absolute appointment and the pro-
hibition Of the use of official authority
10 coerce the political action of any
person or body.
In 1888, the year I'm which the civil
service law WAS enacted. 1924 posi-.
tons i'm the civil service were made
subject to competition. The entire
number oe positions in the federal
executive civil service on June 20
1916. was 4SO.327. At the height of
the war expansion there were approx
imately 1000 900 men and women EN-.
poyed i'm the federal executive civil
service, about 0O000 of whom held
positions subject To competition. On
July n, 1920, the entire number OF
federal executive civil positions, a.
nearly as can be estimated, had been
reduced 10 69l rs. Approximately
10000 OF these were subject To com
petition, or, i'm other words, in the
classified service The force is still
slowly but steadily decreasing.
During the 10 months Of our partici-
patton i'm the war the civil service
commission gave competitive exami.
nations under the civil service law anf
rules Ia slightly less than 100000 per
sons. and about 100000 persons will
tested qualifications were supplied by
the commission 10 the service. 4 nor
NAL years business Is about 2OO.OW
persons examined and about 10000
appointed.
JURY CASES PUT OVER