Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-04
Civil Service Commission
Head Makes Statement in
Address to U. S. Workers.
PROPOSED PROMOTION
SYSTEM is OUTLINED
Exemption Of Civil Service From
New Positions Is Laid
to Congress.
BY ]. A. FOX,
Stad Correspondent of The Star.

to stay, Harry B. Mitchell, president
of the Civil Service Commission, today
told the Thirteenth Convention Of the
National Federation Of Federal En-
ployes.
The statement was made in an ad-
dress in which he emphasized the
importance Of widening the applica-
ton of civil service to insure greater
competency In the selection of the
personnel that will carry on in the
new fields in which the Government
is embarking. At the same time Nit
chell deprecated che lack Of interest
which Congress displays in the merit
system, but heartened his listeners
with an outline of a new promotion
and transfer plan on which the COM
Is at work In an effort To
better employment conditions.
Situation Abnormal.
"There has been complaint that
the number Of Government employees
Is too large" Mitchell said. II pre-
sumo that there always has been
of that sort since govern
ment began. We know that there was
in England in the days Of Charles I.
and 1t has been an ever-present ground
of complaint in this country since the
early days of the Republic. The
present situation as to Government
employees in the United States is ad-
abnormal. due to abnormal
and most depressing conditions, but
even under normal conditions, past
experience shows continued growth
in the number Of Government en-
ployes, national, State and local. ]
question whether the proportional in
crease in the Government service
is any greater than the proportional
increase in the professions during the
past hundred years, or than the pro-
portional increase in the number of
what are generally referred to as
white collar Jobs. Whether 1t Is or
not, there is little doubt that govern
mental activities in the future are
going to be greater than under nor
NAL conditions In the past.
Greater Need for Efficiency.
This country is undertaking a pro-
gram Of economic security. Its peo-
pie have apparently made up their
minds that If democracy is to continue
and the individual be free. there must
be some curb in the greed that indi-
vidualism naturally breeds. That
curb can only come effectively through
the Government. Therefore, there is
today greater need for efficiency in
the rank and file of American public
service than ever before. No matter
how unselfish or how able the men
who are steering these new ven
lures may be, there must be the
greatest possible efficiency throughout
II the best results are to be obtained
In the days Of our forefathers, when
our industrial and commercial life was
simpler, and the Government was con-
cerned almost entirely with the pro-
lection of life and property, it could
get along more easily with the hit
and-miss sort Of employees that the old
system produced. Today 1t needs
employees skilled In practically all
walks Of life. In the selection of these
the methods that apply to private
business. the methods that have been
found most successful in government,
the methods that other nations have
found the best, the methods that all
tell US are best, should
surely be used"
Issue Up to Congress.
Taking up q tender subject with
the federation, the exemption from
civil service Of thousands of new po-
sitions, Mitchell laid the issue squarely
on the congressional doorstep, saying
the Attorney General had held the
President powerless to remedy the
situation by executive order. The
President has gone as far as he can.
said, and undoubtedly, with
legislative sanction, would 60 fur
ther.
As for Capitol Hill-"Experience In
Congress during the late session in
getting bills through which would per-
nit of the extension of the merit
system is not encouraging. Congress
men hear from political friends who
want jobs. They don't get many let
ters from those who are interested
primarily in efficient administration
Of Government affairs"
Mitchell emphasized also that Or
ganized employees do not show the
same interest in civil service legisla-
ton involving the country as a whole
that they do in that by which they
are touched directly.
The new promotion and transfer
system on which the commission is
Mitchell said, is believed by
the commission to be a move toward
strengthening the merit system.
1T Is proposed" he said, ito estab-
lish a method whereby the commits
sion can bring to the attention of
the various agencies the names and
records Of employees who have equip
ped themselves for higher grade posi-
tons. It Is intended to make this
plan q part OF the commissions reg
ular examination and certification
procedure so that employees who quail
ify in open competitive examination
may be considered on-competitively
for transfer and promotion. Also 1t
Is thought the commission may be of
aid to employee who wish to transfer
TO vacancies in similar positions in
their own States"
Warns Against 'Radicalism."
Mitchell said there Is need for an
agency to settle Federal employee and
employer disputes. but argued for in
dependent Cancellation committees in
the different agencies, with Civil
Service Commission itself sitting as
the court Of final resort, rather than
the creation Of q new establishment,
which would mean an additional ex-
penditure.
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