Evening star., 1937-12-02
BROOK|NGS REPORT
H|TSONE-MANRU[E
FOR CIVIL SERVICE
Three Member Board Held
Less Susceptible to
"Pressure."
Efficient PERSONNEL
UNITS ARE PROPOSED
Lack of Funds Cited in Criticism
Of Commission-Formation of
Advisory Group Urged.

In critical analysis of President
Roosevelt's plan to substitute single
administrator for the three-member
bipartisan Civil Service Commission
in general revamping of the Gov
ernment structure, the Brookings
Institution, in report today, declared
the move would tend to invite the
encroachment of politics in selection
OF civilian employees.
The report, one of series prepared
for the Byrd Committee, which origi-
nally launched the Government re-
organization study, was prepared by
Lewis Merriam, widely known in the
personnel field. ....
1t sets out positive reasons for
maintaining the present system, ex-
plains why the change would be
Objectionable, and then suggests
betterments that are possible
The commission plan is best, it is
contended, because applicants, civil
servants and administrative officers
need protection against the arbitrary
action of single administrator; broad
questions of policy come before the
commission and should be settled by
deliberative body, and confidence
and public support of the merit system
would, it is believed, be diminished
If there were only one civil service
administrator"
Objections Summarized.
Objections to single control are
summarized as follows:
The administrator would be affili-
ated with or suspected of af1liation
with one political party
He would be suspected of sectional
Interests or prejudices. even though
this suspicion might be ill-founded
The advantages of having both
sexes on the commission. proven in
more than two decades, would be lost
& A one-man administrator would
have to be either of no religious faith
or of some one faith
= Any organization or individual
elashing with the administrator might
be permanently in the bad graces OF
The official
There would be tendency to breed
the autocratic power that wrecked
the same scheme in Australia
One individual would be less able to
resist spoils pressure" than three.
Enthusiasm Curbed.
As another objection, it was pointed
out that civil service commissioners
in the past, some of the best of them
have had hobbies and acting alone
would have ridden them to extreme:
to the embarrassment of administra.
tive officers over whom they exercise
control Their enthusiasms have II
a measure been curbed by their asso.
ciates."
Correctives proposed for admitted
defects in employment problems in.
clude:
Merit system appointments through.
sout the service, with ''hut a small
handful of political directing officers
at the top"
otl chg tlNAiAlk VI NlNh oClFlSC SoAl-
mission recruiting machinery.
Creating of efficient personnel units
In every agency.
Formation of a Federal Personne
Board, representing all establishments
: to act in an advisory capacity.
Provisioi for an aide to the Presi-
dent who would be the liaison officer
between White House and Personne,
Board
Lack of Funds Cited.
Criticism of the Civil Service Com.
mission embodied in the Brownlow re.
port which was the basis for the Presi.
dents reorganization plan is answered
in detail by DR.. Merriam Admitting
lit is slow and often far behind in its
work." he says lack of funds is re.
sponsible and adds that the same goes
for shortcomings in tests for higher
professional, technical and scientific
work. He also takes exception tt
complaints that the Commission ha.
failed to develop in-service training
career service and an adequate trans
fer system, holding that these are mat
tiers more properly for individual
agencies.
The part-time civil service boar,
that would act as watchdog" for tn
administrator is impracticable, the re
port contends, drawing a parallel witt
the old Board of Indian Commis
sioners abolished at the outset of tn
Roosevelt administration.
THE seven part-time commissioner
would be too largely dependent O.
what the one-man administrator tol
them and probably too much handi
capped by what he withheld fror
them," the report says. "At tn
quarterly meetings, the board of seve
would spend much Of its time tryin
to find out what it was all about, wit
individual members aro,Iin0 about RI