Evening star., 1925-09-07

Continued from First Page)
was dominated ny the same bureau
that foisted The much compla ined of
efficiency rating system on the em-
ployes In the departments A sim
Die. workable system of mea suring the
efficiency of employees is an instrument
of great good for all concerned. but.
like many other good instruments is
susceptible Of infictinS grave injury
when in the ands of bia sd incom-
retent and unfriendly hands The
tight Of the organized employees must
continue to he directed toward build
ing up \ strong impartial central
agency with authority tn review and
adjust actions taken by heads of de
partments in personnel matters. to
bring about uniformity as between de.
partments and TO throw into the scale
the weight Of authoritative. progres.
sive opinion in personnel matters AZ
against the all too frequent arbitrary
action of departmental officials many
Of whom as political products have
no background for competent handling
Of personnel matters.
Our legislative experience Of the
ST two years has demonstrated he
yond peradVenture of doubt that
further adjustment Of pay rates for
through the medium OF legislation
having classification as it's bas sis. The
Compensa tion schedules contained in
the classification act of 1923 applied
10 the District of Columbia only and
the Personal Justification Board as
the administering agency had under
the terms of the law. the period from
March. 1929. to June 80. 1924 to draw
up Job and class specifca tions in
order that the employees In the Dis
trict might be alloCated to their ap-
propriate grades. ella sses and rates
and that such alIora tons approved by
the board might become effective on
July !. 1924. the date set in the act.
The ma jority members of the Person
mel ClassifiCat ton Board instead of car.
rNlng out the clear ma ndate of the
law turned the recla ssification Of the
employees in the District Of Columbia
over tn the tender mercies of the Ru
reau of Efficiency. which thereupon
proceeded 10 allocate District EN-.
ployes under the rejected Rureau or
EHciency salary rating scheme in ut.
ter disregard Of the compensation
schedules appearing in the classifica-
uon act. and without the prepa ra tion
ot any loh or class specifications as
oontempla ted by law. Mr.. Moffet the
civil service member Of the board on.
posed this unlawful procedure 10 the
utmost. but IN vain. The alloca tions
ot the District employees. which went
into effect July I, 1924. perpetuated
practically all of the existing salary
inequalities
Says Meaning Lost.
Almost year after the initial al.
oca'lons OF the employees in the Dis
trlct or columbia were made, the Per
sonnel Classification Board issued
what il was pleased to term class
specifications" The issuance of these
so-called specifica tions meant nothing
to employees who had been wrongfullv
allocated in the first instance. and the
absence of any accomDa in
structions promised no future relief
With botched application of the re.
classification law aggravated l,y the
Srotesque system of efficiency ratings
imposed by the Bureau OF Efficiency.
the situation in the District of Colum-
b!a became intolerahle to employees
and administrators alike
This condition strikinglv points out
what bad administration ca n do to a
good law. Our first job as an organi-
zation must he to eliminate the evil
Influence OF the Bureau of Efficiency,
from all personnel matters and to
place the adminiStrA ton of classified
tion and All other personnel Iegisla-
ton in the hal nds of one competent
central agency, md the only existing
agency competent to handle these
most import2 nj problems in the Unit
ed States Civil Service Commission
We will not even approach a solution
of the many problems that confront
Federal employees as 10 salaries and
working conditions until this job is
accomplished.
During the period of rigid re-
trenchment the National Federation
of Federal Employees has carried on
has by vigorous and effective protest
and an isistence upon action predicated
on a fact basis held every step
gained and made substa ntial prog
ress. 1t has warded off repea ted at
tempts- to impose unfair conditions
and to revise discrimina tions which
we have successfully combat ted in the
past. This viGilant and uncea sing
campaign on behalf of the best in
terestS of the Federal employees has
won for the National Federation of
Federal Employees the increa sing re-
spect Of all of those with whom we
come in contact. II rema ins for Llle
membership. through intensive or
2ani2ation effort. to convert this asset
into very substantial results In the
near future"