Evening star., 1922-06-03

The near approach of the close OF
the fiscal year sees the hope OF re-
classification legislation pushed far.
ther and farther into the dim distant
prospect through the appointment
Friday OF a subcommittee of the SEN
ate appropriations committee to con-
slider the subject. This legislation
means more to the 10000 or 10000
government employees in the Dlstrlct
of Columbia and the half million req,
eral employees outside the District OF
Columbia than any other legislation
now pending before, Congress.
The need for such legislation has
long since been recognized. A large
number of influential organizations,
headed by the Chamber of Commerc
of the United States, are on record
as favoring such legislation. Large
sums of money have been spent by the
joint congressional commission on re-
classification and by the bureau or
efficiency in ivestigations and still
nothing happens. ,,
The so-calied Sterling-Lehlbach bill
was passed by the House Of Repre-
sentatives by an overwhelming vote
many months ago. after extensive
hearings had been held by the joint
committees on civil service OF tine
was reported last February by the
Senate committee on civil service. with
the importan. proviso, however. that
the Senate committee on appropria
tions should pass upon the salaries.
There the bill has stuck and hung.
Hopes Go Glimmering.
The recent special article in The
Star to. the effect that the bureau Of
efficiency's plan was the only one that
had a chance of being put into i'm
mediate effect and that the Sterling
tehlbach bill has not ia a ghost t., OF "a a
speech Of Senator Sterling, in which
he would have none of the bureau of
eficiency's plan, served notice upon
the government employees that their
hopes of Redistribution legislation at
the present session OF congress nave
been dimmed.
Observers and victims ask how
things have come to such pass. The
root Of trouble goes back to the dis
agreement between the joint congress
sional commission on reclassification
and Mr.. Brown, chief Of the bureau OF
efficiency Mr.. Brown deserves credit
for initiating the legislation creating
the congressional commission to inves-
tigate reclassificatlon. but when the
expected that Mr.. Brown would serve
as expert. either he could not agree
with the commission or tho commis-
sion could not agree with him and
they parted company. II they had only
managed to agree and work toEethef
as do other public officers and legis-
latiye bodies, undoubtedly the legis-
lation would have been on the statute
books two years ago and the govern
ment employees would now be enjoy
ing the benefits instead OF becoming
more and more disheartened as the
hope of such legislation gets pushed
farther and farther away.
Report Too voluminous.
The report produced by the Joint
commission on reclassif1cation was
indeed a formidable document one
who. like other human beings. pre-
fers to have his knowledge In tabloid
form. but the reclassiffcation report
was a sound document on which good
leeislation could be based. The civil
service committees of both houses OF
Congress have made several attempts
and at length succeeded in framing
simple and comprehensive to &C.
oomplish tho purpose II only 1t had
been written into law.
In spite OF the criticisms OF Senator
Sterling and others, the bureau OF
eficiency's plan also has its gooo
features, and had 1t been enacteo
it would have been, possible 10 40
The joint congressional commis-
sion on reclassihcation and the Ster-
linx-Lehlbach measure. have been
critized as being too much lapor
union proposal. The Wood-Smoot plan
professional and administrative
has been criticized az favoring the
cal workers. It is Inevitable that any
sich measure brought forward should
he ,.a,IAiect to- criticism Tho main