Evening star., 1938-09-12
AT, c, f, IS TOLD
PROMOTION AIMS
OF CIVIL SERVICE
All in Line for Advance to
Be Allowed to Try for
Jobs, Meyer Says.
EXPERIMENTAL EXAMS
HELD PROVING VALUE
Director Thinks Private Schools
and Colleges Should Offer
Fundamental Courses.
By ]. A. FOX,
Star Stan Correspondent

CHICAGO, Sept. IL. - The Civil
Service Commission proposes to see
that all Federal workers in line for
promotion get an opportunity to quail
ify whenever there are openings, Law
son A. Meyer, executive director and
chief examiner of the commission, to-
day told the seventh annual conven-
ton of the American Federation OF
Government Employees.
In an address at the opening ses-
sion OF the convention, in which he
discussed at length President Roose-
velt's two orders Of June "a for i'm
proving civil service procedure. Mr..
Meyer pointed to the provision for a
competitive promotion system through
out the Government, and added:
The commission will insist that in
making promotions. competitive con-
sideration should be given to all per-
sons who may be in line for promotion.
This will give the rank and file Of
employees a greater opportunity for
promotion on merit"
Examinations Found Of Value.
In this same connection, he said
that competitive promotion examina-
tions, with which the commission has
been experimenting in its own force
for several months, have been found
we'll worth while, both to the employees
and the organization.
Director Meyer also expressed the
belief that the training program con-
templated by the Presidents program
should be limited to needs OF the
service, rather than branch of into
supplemental lines.
Il do not believe it is feasible for
the training program to include
courses which can be obtained just as
adequately from schools and colleges
to which the workers have ready ac-
cess" he explained In other words,
believe that the Government agencies
should not compete with private in
stitutions of learning There will re-
main, however, many courses which
are not available at private institutions
which can be taught adequately to
Government employees and which will
result in the education of employees
along the lines Of the work they will
perform"
Courses Pay Own Way.
Courses based on the work of the
individual establishments, he asserted,
will more than pay their way" by
increasing the efficiency of the en-
ployes and consequently OF the agen-
cies themselves.
Mr.. Meyer told Of the plans to build
up a personnel Office in every akency
for improving administrative procedure
and added that the commission shortly
would be ready to hold the examination
for personnel directors.
He said the commission was not yet
able to say how many OF the 300 900
non-classif1ed employees would be
brought under civil service by Presi-
dent Roosevelt's orders, explaining
that the departments and independent
establishments have until September
"a to file requests for exemptions
1t is certain, however, he continued.
that thousands of places will be
affected, and the President is sure"
he emphasized, to renew his recon-
mendation to the next Congress for
legislation to classify thousands of ad-
dltlonal positions OF non-policy-
making nature which are excepted by
statute from civil service and conse-
quently could not be reached by
Executive order.
More than 200 delegates and guests
attended the opening of the conven-
ton. They were welcomed by Mayor
Edward ]. Kelly. Postmaster Ernest
Kruetgen, John Fitzpatrick, president
of the Chicago Federation of Labor,
and J. v. Swanson, manager of the
seventh civil service district.
William Green, president of the
American Federation Of Labor, speaks
tomorrow.