Evening star., 1924-09-25
SERVICE
NOW SINGLE UNIT
State Department Machinery
| Completely 0 0yerhauIed
g. Under New Statute.

? The United State foreign service,
including consular and diplomatic Of
ficials in a single. interchangeable
corps. is now functioning, State De-
partment machinery having been
completely overhauled and reorgan-
lied to put into effect the re-
organization law passed at the last
session of Congress.
A vast amount of detail Work mas
Deen required. but now only one step
remains-inaugura of the For
eign Service Training School within
the department, authorized by the
law-to insure that future American
diplomatic secretaries and consular
officers are we'll equipped for the Jobs
TO which they are assigned
II First Steps Completed.
The first step in the reorganization,
affected by executive order, was the
creation of the Foreign Service Per-
sonnel Board to examine and report
on the character, ability. efficiency
and general availability Of all secre-
taries in the diplomatic service, con-
suls-general, consuls, vice consuls OF
career, consular assistants, interpret
ers and student interpreters" The
report was completed by July 1 and
the actual Intervening of the con-
been in progress on that basis.
A primary object of the reorgantTa-
ton, as explained during debates in
Congress on the bill, was to take the
foreign service out Of politics so far
as possible. The personnel board ma
chtnery was designed to relieve the
White House of the task of selecting
for appointment any foreign service
official, except those ambassadors and
ministers who are not taken from the
career groups in the State Depart
ment
Aids White House.
There are indications already that
the White House has taken immedi-
ate advantage of the relief thus af-
forded. So far as known, selections
for appointment to embassies, leGa-
tions and consulates are being left
entirely to the State Department.
The Personnel Board also regulates
retirement under the 65-year age
limit, pensions being drawn from a
fund built up by retaining 5 per cent
from the salaries of all State Depart
ment personnel. One member of the
diplomatic corps and 81 from the
consular service already have been
retired.
The work of the Personnel Board
has by no means ended. Records of
all officials have to be continually
overhauled and kept up to date;
individual performances studied to
determine in what particular field
each individual is most proficient;
special qualifications and limitations
recorded for future reference. The
board has also the power to recon-
mend dismissal of officials whose
efficiency rating is low. So far no
dismissals have occurred, but some
offenders have been denoted and
warned that unless improvement is
shown they will be dropped.
Effective This Fall
The Foreign Service School will
como into full effect after the Fall
diplomatic examinations. Successful
candidates will attend courses of lee
lures on all aspects of consular and
diplomatic work, including also its
subtler sides, such as the trickeries
most prevalent abroad for evading
American regulations and obtaining
passports under false pretenses. Ac-
tual work in the divisions of the
State Department will be intermixed
with the lectures. After one year of
schooling, department officials be-
lieve. the students talents will have
shown themselves clearly enough to