Evening star., 1937-02-12
RAMSPECK BILL
BACKED BY A.F.G.E.
Officials Favor Open Com.
petitive Tests to Extend
Civil Service.

unanimous support OF the RamSpecE
bill to extend the civil service to cover
some 100000 employees in emergency
agencies and in some of the old estab.
lished departments and branches OF
the Federal service through an open
competitive examination, was voiced
today by officials OF the American
Federation of Government Employees
at a hearing before the House Civil
Service Committee.
However, if this is not possible
through open, competitive examina-
ton, as an alternative these speakers
favored extending the civil service tc
those employees not now under civi
service by non-competitive examina.
ton, as recommended by the President
The witnesses today included Charlie.
l. Stengle, former secretary of the New
York City Civil Service Commission
and former member of Congress, now
national president of the American
Federation of Government Employees
H. Elliott Kaplin of New York, execu-
tive secretary of the National Service
Reform League; James B. Burns oi
California. member of the Executive
Council Of the A. F. G. E.: James A
Campbell, Cincinnati; Harold E
Smith, Atlanta, and G.. Carroll Dia.
mond Of the War Department, all ma
tional vice presidents of the A. F. G. E
Invites Organizations.
Chairman Ramspeck invited all
representatives of organizations desir-
ing to be heard on this legislation to
notify the secretary of the committee
The hearings will be continued
Tuesday at 1890 am, at which time
Chairman Ramspeck expects to gel
started on the testimony of official:
and employees from the various Gov.
ernment units covered under the bill
Representative O'Neal, Democrat. OF
Kentucky, member of the committee
presented statistics showing that in the
last six years there have been 14la ap-
plicants for every position and that if
the proposed extension of the civil
service is made through competitive
examination, some 4,350,000 persons
would take the examination which
would be extremely expensive and give
false hope to hundreds of thousands
of applicants. The records show
something less than so per cent Of the
applicants pass the examinations.
Unfairness Feared.
Representative Rogers, Republican,
of Massachusetts, said it would be un-
fair to those who already have quail
fled in the civil service for hundreds
of thousands to be blanketed in by
non-competirive examinations.
Stengle said his organization be-
lieves in getting the best qualified
employees for the Government and that
I'VE are entering upon a career pro-
gram" For that reason he favored
the open. competitive examination,
but would compromise on a non-com-
petitive examination If the bill is
amended to include a character test
which would give a check to purge the
Government service Of criminals and
others of that character.
In reply to questions by Mrs. Rogers,
Kaplin paid tribute to the work done
by the Civil Service Commission, say
ing it is frightfully undermanned and
underpaid, with able examiners re-
ceiving only $4,000 who would be get
ting $4,000 to SIC, in outside busi-
ness. He emphasized that they are
doing better job, though they do not
get credit for it, than is being done in
personnel management in private in
dustry. He said the civil service bud
get should be increased at least so
per cent.