Evening star., 1924-10-24
BY A. b. MCDANIEL,

Secretary, National washington Omce, Ameri-
can Association OF Engineers, and the Re
search Service. Formerly member Of Civilian
Advisory Board, General Stan, war De-
partment.
Ever since the law providing for the
classification Of Government employees
went into effect on March 4. 1923. about
zoe, 900 Of those workers for Uncle Sam
who were concerned in this legislation
have been wondering how they would be
affected. and as to just where they
would At into the picture. Finally. after
about 16 long months Of watchful walt
ing, these patient toilers have learned
the results Of the work OF the Personnel
classification Board, charged with the
administration Of the law. While all OF
these nearly 100000 employees have been
exposed to the operation, 1t seems to
have taken with but relatively few.
Many seem to feel that the operation
has left them worse off than before, and
majority are still trying to ascertain
where they fit and why.
The first tangible evidence of these
results came on July Is, when the Fed
eral employees received their first salary
payments of the fiscal year Of 1925. And
soon thereafter they learned that the
Personnel Classification Board had Is
sued book of class specifications. Natu-
rally their curiosity was aroused as to
1t would help them to find themselves in
the new scheme of things. This book.
Personnel Classification Board Form
No. 12, was sent to the various depart
ments on August II. 1924. 1t Is a pub
lication of some 1855 pages, and con-
tains "a letter Of transmittal," signed
by F. ]. Bailey, chairman Of the Per-
sonnel Classification Board, reprint Of
the classification act Of 1928 and
AP
lists Of grades and classes" and "class
specifications for the various services
established in the act for the depart
ments and Offices in the District OF CO.
lumbia.
Dates Striking Fact.
The most striking fact connected
with the issuance of this publication
is the date of it's appearance. 1t
should be noted that it was sent to
the departments about IL months
after these same departments had
prepared their estimates for the use
Of the Bureau of the Budget in Its
report to the Congress on the In
creased cost of classification for the
departmental service for 1925, and at
least two months after any depart
ment had. made its final ALLEGATION to
cover changes and adjustments in its
sion Of estimates.
The board did not prepare class
specifications as the basis for It's
classification work in the District of
Columbia or in the field. as was the
intent of Congress as expressed In
the third paragraph Of article of
the act. Presumably neither the
board nor the departments would be
able to properly determine the vari-
Gus classes of positions concerned
until comprehensive class specifica-
sponsibilities," typical tasks' and
minimum qualifications" - had been
prepared. Congress expressed Its crit
icism of this neglect on the part OF
the board in House Report No. 315
| dated March Is, 1924, in the following
words:
In the face Of these provisions OF
! the law, the Personnel Classification
Board did not subdivide the grades
into classes. and furnished no titles
| and definitions, published no such
| statement as required by the act fol
| the guidance Of department heads
| In short, made no classification a,
ALL" =
Mr.. Bailey, chairman Of the board
| in his statement before the Hous.
committee on reform in the civil
service, indicated that the reason fol
the delay in the preparation of class
specifications was lack of time. The
/ field division staff in its initial work
| of the classification of positions Ii
| the field service--in accordance with
section of the act-did find time il
! the six weeks from August to Sep
tember Is, 1923. to prepare tentativ,
class specifications for about so Pc
cent Of the 10000 positions concerned
Personnel Classification Board Form
6, dated September Is. 1923-and thi,
material was used by the Department.
in the preparation Of theft estimates
for the field services. It win be re-
called that these estimates ,wer,
later discarded, tho work Of the Geld