The Washington times., 1937-02-15


Of Government employees well known to
their colleagues, with accompanying bio
graphical sketches. Federal folk inter-
ested in such photos, or members of Gov.
ernment organizations. should contact
the writer in the editorial room by 5:15
p. M, or phone Di. 1000, branch 210.
The only means by which COM
petitive examinations for the 300,-
000-odd New Deal Government en-
ployes might have been given on
practical basis has been scrapped
by the Civil Service Commission.
The instrument which might
have made such an impossibility
fairly feasible is the famous "elec-
trio eye," an idea famed in SONG,
story and Comptroller Generals
decisions, which was drowned in
the sea of public disapproval be-
cause some critics deemed 1t a
labor saving device"
Nobody has ever seen the elec-
trio eye, but on the best Of author
ity it was, to have been a photo
electric machine costing $4,000,
built under direction of the Blu
reau of Standards which would
have rated test papers, hundreds
of them. before you could say
Jack Robinson, better still, say
''non-competitive examination"
three times in a row. 1t was the
idea of DR.. L. j. O'Rourke, who
thinks up such things for the
Commission.
Congress last year earmarked
the $4,000 for the machine but
former Comptroller General Nc
Carl smashed it promptly out of
the picture on grounds that it
wasn't mentioned specifically in
Civil Services appropriations.
This year the Commission didn't
even bother to mention the elec-
trio eye in asking cash of the
Budget Bureau.
Certain members of Congress
are reported as bent, bound and
determined to GUST IS or more per
cent of those now holding emer-
gency jobs via throwing open the
gate to the countryside with COM
petitive test announcements, for
establishment of a real, perma-
nent merit system" The electric
eye would possibly have made this
practical. AS the situation stands
now. however, hundreds of thou.
sands of additional dollars will be
necessary for the commission to do
such thing, and in view of House
Civil Service Chairman Ram
speck's announced opposition
against ANY legislation that would
be an additional expense to the
Government" his advocacy of com.
petitive tests seems headed for an
tmpasse.
Unless some drastic suggestion
not now on the horizon - IS
adopted, two to one or eventual
non-competitive tests for unclassi-
fled workers would seem to be
merely conservative bet. Cause
for real worry, some observers feel,
has not yet reared it's head.
Cival Services electric eye would
not necessarily have thrown en-
ployes at the commission out Of
work. The force of examiners.
well-trained, most of them college
men, could well be used elsewhere
in the agency, which is under.
manned by so per cent, according
to non-partiSan authorities. The
$500 which the machine would
have cost would not hire near
enough examiners to do the same
amount of work, and on this count
1t must be admitted that it was a
labor saving idea" But it would
have prevented the present period
Of anxiety between an examina-
ton and the announcement of rat
ings which competitors made.
One Of the newest movements,
brought to the attention of some
Federal workers, is an association
to lobby for direct Federal pen
sions, $50 per month to all men
and women over SIS years of age,
$40 per month to all over so, $50
per month to all over IS, to be
paid by the Government direct,
regardless of State in which pen
sioner may live, and without req
tape or meddling by States or
counties"
twenty-five cents in coin or
money order" buys an enroll
ment-for-life coupon in the as
sociation," which is unincorpo-
rated.
National Legislative Chairman
John j. Grim and Ralph N.
Werner, commander of the PreSi-
lent's own garrison No. 1o4, were
guests of Colonel Peake, superin.
tendent of the D. C. reformatory
and past national commander of
the Army and Navy Union re-
Gently. They discussed plans for
the Army and Navy Unions Wash
ington'S Birthday ball and fete to
be held at the Willard Hotel and
the national convention scheduled
for Washington next August.