Evening star., 1941-02-24

the result of several years of expert.
mentation.
Plan b.
BY contrast, Plan B recommends
complete application of the merit
system by means of a register
on which names appear in order Of
merit as tested by examination and
from which certification Is made In
order Of merit"
An unranked register, the Plan B
group argued, "opens the door to
every form of pressure and discrim-
ination. From the point of
view of the general counsel, whose
responsibility it is to make appoint
ments, we believe that it is unwise
to throw open the doors to several
hundred eligibles, all equally quail
fed under the rules for immediate
appointment. From the point of
view of orderly procedure, we think
the plan is faulty; from the point
of view of public confidence in its
impartiality, we think the plan is
weak. AS precedent, we
think the plan is unfortunate"
Plan B concurs with Plan A on
desirabilty of a committee on Gov
ernment lawyers, but goes farther
to recommend the specific functions
of the committee and to outline its
relation to the Civil Service Com
mission.
The full committee agreed on a
list of minor recommendations with
regard to building up the Federal
legal staff, including direct and per-
sonal recruiting of young lawyers by
the commission, program Of
planned assignments for training
purposes. and the facilitating of
promotional appointments.
AS in the RamSpec& Act, the COM
mittee recommends that where gov
ernment positions are placed in the
category of competitive classical
tions, incumbents who have served
with merit for not less than six
months and who have passed non-
competitive examinations may be
blanketed in. In event of failure to
pass the examinations, such en-
ployes would be separated from the
service within six months.
Although a signatory to the full
report which he described as help
full in many respects" Justice Muir
ply submitted with it an independ-
ent memorandum containing his
opinion that the report docs not
constitute an adequate reply" to the
requested study of extending the
merit system.
"It is perhaps indicative Of ma
tional unconcern over long period
rather than a reflection upon any
single agency" Justice Murphy con-
tinued, that the existing
national personnel system is in
many respects outmoded and i'm
properly equipped to provide uni
formly efficient, modern personnel
administration. With such system
we should not now be content"
Broadly, Justice Murphy declares
the essentials of sound public per-
sonnel administration to be: "a
statement of fundamental policy
proper legal authority and a code of
administrative rules and regulations,
a position classification plan, a pay
plan, a recruiting system, a service
rating system, adequate records and
statistics, a system for the pre-
auditing and certification of pay
rolls, and such supplementary aids
as may be found particularly desir-
able"
In his conclusion, the associate
justice suggests that the positions
covered in the committee study be
brought into the civil service struc-
ture, but that concurrently with that
action there be instituted further
study by qualified civil service ad-
ministrators with a view to de-
termining all measures necessary
for the modernization of personnel
administration in the national Gov
ernment."