Evening star., 1939-10-07
Civil Service
Seen Peri|ed as
Result Of War
Possibility Of Rapid
Expansion Cited by
Personnel Chiefs

uiCAC W AlhC AACll VII y oSdlC dl1O
with a rapidity which they COM
pared with World War days Of 1917
and 1918 and with the early period
of the New Deal, three key officials
warned personnel directors Of Gov
ernment agencies last night that
the civil service merit system may
be lost in the shuttle.
William H. McReynolds, admin
istrative assistant to President
Roosevelt in charge of personnel
problems; Arthur S. Fleming.
youngest United States civil service
commissioner, and Frederick M.
Davenport, named by the President
as chairman of the Council on Per-
sonnel Administration, expressed
their opinion in a panel discussion
held in the Y. w. C. A. Building.
There was no deliberate inten-
ton during the World War or the
depression emergency to withdraw
the rank and file from our classified
civil service system-there was just
the crying need for something to
be done in a hurry What we should
have is framework for quickly
recruiting new men for the Gov
ernment through the civil service
system Mr.. McReynolds declared.
Many Offering Services.
He said he saw hope that the
Civil Service Commission will be
more capable of taking fast action
than ever before in its history, re-
vealing that special unit has been
set up within the commission to
Index and catalog" the qualifica-
tions of the flood of "able citizens
who have been offering their serv-
ices to the administration since tho
war began-often as dollar year
men," At the suggestion of the
White House. the names of these
volunteers will be Immediately avail
able for use in the proper spheres
'in case of emergency" he de-
clared.
Commissioner Flemming, however,
stated that the commission lis not
ready to take peak load when it
comes along" He cited statistics to
the effect that at the end of the
last fiscal year the commission had
more unread competitive examina-
tions left over than it had been able
to grade during the entire year.
The pressure is here again." he
said. LAS it builds up we must see
| to 1t that everything-money, man
power, resources-is applied to keep
Ing our Government within the
framework of civil service-or we
will be set back IS or 20 years. I
don't like to talk in terms of q crisis,
but that is how see It,"
Suggests Procedure
Declaring that there is not enough
planning in the commission or in
! the Federal departments and agen-
cies, Commissioner Flemming sug-
gested that personnel directors
should acquaint themselves with
the future policies of their various
organizations and then come to the
commission and say: In two
months we are going to do such and
such. Get ready to give us men"
If this were done, Mr.. Flemming
argued, then I'VE could get on our
toes"
Though referring several times to
comparable conditions in 1917 and
1918,' Mr.. Flemming made 1t clear
to reporters after the discussion that
he did not anticipate the predicted
pressure" would arise from Ameri-
can entry into q war.
AT present our neutrality and
other efforts are increasing the
activity and personnel of a great
many agencies, and this will con-
tinue. he said This will mean a
big shift in governmental activity,
not necessarily an increase in its
total personnel" Mr.. McReynolds
said that nobody knows" just what
circumstances will cause the ex-
pected expansion.
DR.. Davenport urged that execu-
tive officers throughout the Govern
ment raise their personnel Of
f1cers ito position of dignity and
prestige so they will know the plans
OF management and be able to act
as liaison officers with the Civil
Service Commission in order that
jobs may be speedily and efficiently
filled.
Examination Reform Urged.
Reform of civil service examina-
tions was also advocated. Mr..
Flemming said that the commission
should keep in touch with the
learned and professional societies to
work out examinations for the more
important posts, since procedures
worked out for the lower brackets
won't work at all in the higher"
Too many people who have no
real prospects are permitted to clog
the examinations, contended Mr..
McReynolds. Mr.. Flemming agreed
that "the word speed is q very
significant word in the process Of
Streamlining our system"
About 300 members of the Society
Tor Personnel Administration at.
tended the forum, held after their
opening dinner Of the season. John
M. Carmody, administrator of the
Federal Works Agency, rose to say
that he agreed that personnel work
is to be highly important"
Mr.. Carmody also took occasion
to denounce as "a cruel lie" q re-
Gently published implication that q
"panning" by Gen. Hugh johnson
had induced him to ease q brother.
in-law of the generals out of his
job. The charge was made in q
syndicated column widely distrib-
uted by newspapers over the coun-
try.
The administrator maintained
that he had never previously heard
that the employe in question, Mai.
Covington G.. Kilbourne, was q rela.
tive of Gen. johnson, and said that
his furlough had been one of q rou-
tine series now being carried out
In . w