Evening star., 1924-07-20
BY JOHN II. BARTLETT,

t1rSt Assistant Postmaster General
| The reason why l might venture to
discuss the reclassifcation act as it
Is applied in actual practice is that
have observed that very many OF
the departmental clerks do not under
| stand it nor the principle which
| underlies it.
| Many of the statements which are
made in connection with it by those
! interested in the service clearly indi-
| cate that they are laboring under a
| apprehension as to the principle
und. rlying reclassification-and here
l desire to emphasize the word "prin-
| ciple." 1t will always be true that in
the introduction of any reform or
new principle in government it will
| take time to smooth out the excep-
uons and adjust the injustices as the
principle is applied to everyda,
practice.
Let me say first. therefore. that the
principle underlying the recIassifica-
tion act marks the Inauguration of a
great reform in the handling of the
personnel of the Government.
| Same Class for Same Work.
This principle, simply stated, Is
that persons doing work requiring
the same amount of education, ex-
perience. knowledge and ability" are
placed in the same class. in whatever
| department or Independent establish
ment of the Government they chance
to be employed.
This is manifestly a just principle
| Prior to the adoption of this classi-
tication act clerks doing identicaIly
the same work in different depart
ments received different compensa-
! ton, and in certain instances the
! difference was very great. The abilit,
to pay the higher salary in one de-
partment over another department tC
persons doing identically the same
| KIND or work was quite often d. ter
mined by the ability of that depart
| ment to secure from Congress the
larger appropriation with which tt
pay such higher salaries.
| 1t piaced a premium upon lobbying
with Congress for large appropria
tions. Certain departments or estab.
popular with Congress were com.
PEELED to pay poorer salaries thar
others more powerful and more popu.
lar with Congress. the result beine
that the department paying the
higher salaries for the same grad.
of work became more effcient ant
the others less efficient. The innocen
personnel doing the work suffered
the injustice Of this inequality.
Sees Injustice Rertified.
The great reform which l believe
mas been initiated by the classifica.
tlon act is putting ourselves on tn.
read to permanently cure this in
equaIlty OF employment. No doub
the morale of the Government EN-
rioyes will be better and the eff
cheney of every department and in.
dependent establishment will b,
placed on the same footing of ad
| vantage.
The Congress and the administra.
ton generally are to be congratII
| lated on the Inauguration of a reform
In handling the labor problem.
some OF the things complained of
however, are complaints not agains
the principle of the law. but becaus
OF some of it's applications.
| Who shall determine into wha
! grade or service the work of a riyer
| clerk falls? The law provided tha
this task should fall to the lot Of ;
| Doard OF three men, namely, the Di
| rector or the Bureau OF the Bulge
| or his alternate. member of tn,
| civil Service Commission or HIS al
ternate and the chief clerk of tn,
| Bureau of Efficiency or an alternate
As practical matter the alternate.
| have done the bulk of the work of thi:
| board.
Clerk States Duties.
| Upon what set of facts does thi.
board, or did this board, locate {
| given clerk in a. given grade? Fol
| the most part, / think each clerk wa.
permitted to write out the nature o,
the work which he had been doing
While the clerks own description OF
| his work could be modified by tn,
head of his department or independ
| ent establishment and in many cases
was perhaps modified. yet on the
whole the facts which went to tn.
| classification Board were those fur
nished by the clerk himself.
! The duty of the Classification Boart
was to take those facts thus fur.
nished in writing and fit them int
one of the grades which Congress.
had set forth in the law.
| In the clerical, administrative ant
| fiscal service Congress in the act hat
made IA grades. Each one Of these
| IA grades is described in genera
| language in the act. The work o
| the Classification Board was to fl
ing into one of those IA grades which
seemed most nearly to describe tn
| situation.
| Some Mistakes Probable.
OF course, the Classification Boart
could make mistakes of judgment il
| doing this work, but there is no rea
| son to suppose that they did not d.
| it as judiciously as any other com
| mission or court does it's work. Som
| mistakes were made by the clerk
| themselves or their supervisors wh'
misdescribed the duties which wer
| being performed, or who did no
| fully or adequately set forth the1
| Importance or the skill and abilit,
| required to perform them.
| cred. or whenever they shall be dis
| covered in the future. the right to ap
| peal and a re-hearing Is open. Their
| should be no excuse hnally TOT al
employe being rated in a class wher
| he does not belong.
| The first of the IA grades above re
| ferred to is described in the act a
Grade one in this service. whicl
| NAV be referred to as the under
| clerical grade, shall include al
| classes of positions the duties o
! diate supervision the simplest routin
| office work"
| No Automatic Promotions.
Congress provided that whateve
emnloye came within this description
| should begin at $1,140, and II the ap
propriation permitted it, and the abil
ity of the employe in that grade war
ranted it, such employe could even
tuaily get as high as $500. Their
are no automatic promotions. l
might take a lifetime to get tn
ZOO. provided the employe re
mained in that grade.
This grade does not simply meal
doing the simplest kind Of routin
| s4aa x,ork AS long as he does tha