The Washington times., 1936-10-24
CANADIAN GETS
CIVIL SERVICE
GR0UPP0S7
BY J. EARLE MOSER

eighth annual convention.
Mr.. Bland, who entered the Ca.
madam service in 1909, succeeds
Clifford N. Amsden, secretary and
chief examiner of the Los Angeles
County Civil Service Commission,
who had served as assembly chief
for the past two years.
In another election, William
Brownrigg, executive officer of the
California State Personnel Board,
was elected to the executive coun-
Gil of the assembly to fill the
vacancy on the board caused by
Mr. Amsden'S retirement.
The new president took the first
examination ever given by the
Canadian Civil Service Commits
sion when it was established q
years ago and was assigned i'm
mediately to the commission as
SiSting in it's administration Of
examinations until the beginning
of the World War. After serving in
the war, he returned to the Cana
dian commission and found it en-
larged to include all employees of
the government. In 1888, in recog-
milton of his brilliant service, he
was made commissioner, and in
1885 was elected to the chair.
In addition to the elections,
which formally closed the conven-
ton, advantages of aboliShing
veterans preference in tests for
government positions were con-
Sidered by delegates here.
The subject was introduced by
Clarence A. DykStra, city manager
of Cincinnati, at the annual ban
quet last night. He told an as
semblage of more than 300 Civil
Service representatives that laws
giving preference to veterans for
Government jobs should be re-
pealed.
Administrator of a strong civil
structure in the government of
this city, Dykstra said the Ohio
law giving 20 per cent preferen-
tial rating to veterans who take
tests has narrowed the field for
entrance to civil service work in
his State and that the same re-
suit has been found in the Fed
eral service.
Law Intent Perverted
He pointed out that originally
the law was intended to give
veterans preference "for appoint
ment over other persons of equal
r,,,o1ifina&iNpNc hut oIInI fhnf
this is no longer the case. He de-
clared:
"The United States Civil Ser
vice Commission said that in
1920 that there were 4,5OO,0OO
persons entitled to preference.
Large areas of the public serv-
ice are now restricted largely
to veterans.
"In the Federal service alone,
rs per cent of all appointments
go to veterans, although they
constitute very small percent
age of the population. Such
procedure seems to come dan
gerOuSly near to the creation
of a privileged Office-hOlding
class in America, and moreover
group which, according to
examination figures, made sub
standard records in tests TAKEN"
Speaking generally on the sub
ject of Zip service or Civil Serv-
ice," Dykstra declared the merit
system must evntually replace
patronage in Government per-
sonnet administration.
j. B. Probst, author of a method
of examination ratings used by
many civil service groups, and DR..
Emery E. Olsen, director of Am
erican University'S "in-service"
training courses, were chairmen
at meetings yesterday, in which
numerous problems of Govern
ment work we're taken up.
Present Tests Scored
Frank Herring, director of the
American Society of Municipal
Engineers, flayed current meth
DDS of giving civil service tests,
saying:
81 can never be sympathetic
toward the civil service move
ment as long as tests used are
based on virtue rather than COM
petence. Such questions as Are
you a widow, were you in the
war, are you disabled, were you
born here seem entirely with
out sense to me"
Speaking for Luther C. Steward,
who had returned to Washington,
Secretary Treasurer Gertrude M.
McNally of the National Fedora
ton of Federal Employees spoke in
favor of complete establishment
of a merit system in the Govern
ment, pointing out that her or
ganization has appropriated $780,
900 for merit publicity.
Patronage Widespread
Miss McNally pointed out that
many people think the merit sys-
tenn has been violated only in
New Deal agencies, which, she
said, is an error. Many old-line
departments also are ridden by
patronage, she declared, pointing
out that the Bureau of Internal
Revenues deputy collectors are
not under the merit system and
that President Roosevelt hasn't
the power to put them under it
without action by the Congress-
Mrs. Malcolm L. Mcbride, rep
resenting the National League of
Women Voters, said yesterday that
both major political parties must
be readjusted if they cannot live