Evening star., 1942-08-12
War Effort Slowed
By Red Tape, Speaker
Tells Conference
Officials Accused of
Failure to Adopt
Business Methods

Business MefnodS
Too close adherence to form and
procedure will wreck the entire Fed
eral personnel system if allowed to
continue, L. A. Appley special con-
sultant to the Secretary of War,
told the Conference on Better Man
Rgement in Wartime Government
which opened at the Washington
Hotel today.
Many Government personnel OFF,
GERS, he said, have allowed them
selves to become identified as pro-
cedural operating executives, rather
than constructive influences toward
bringing about better relations be-
tween workers and supervisors.
The conference, membership of
which is made up largely OF Gov
eminent officials and employees en-
gagged in the wartime management
program, is intended to take some
Of the bigs" out of the wartime ma
chinery and to get an all-out effort
into full swing.
Assails Government Delays.
Ensign Lowell H. Hattery, U. S.
N. r., on duty in the Navy Depart
ment here, in opening the sessions
with an outline of the purposes OF
the conference, said the assertion
had been made that the Govern
ment stations in the war production
line are slowing down the total war
process. He added that the shake
down period is here and it is taking
too long"
He said, further, that there are
too many breaks in the communi-
cations system, too many conflicting
objectives, too many hazy lines of
authority, too many cumbersome
organizational structures, too many
inefhcient people. too little of the
full employe cooperation necessary
to place our gigantic Government
plant into smooth operation.
Time, energy and materials are
too short to let these wastes con-
tinue," Ensign Hattery said.
In the first six months of 1912.
Ensign Hattery recalled, production
Of munitions was one and one-half
times that of all of 1941. In gen.
eral, he added, American industry
is turning out what it has been
asked to turn out. He said this was
the result of scientific industrial
management, which he described as
q systematic way of doing things
based on these simple rules: Def
milton OF objectives, collection OF
pertinent facts, determination OF
standards, scheduling operations,
setting up organizational structures
and securing operation.
Better Ideas Sought.
But, he said Government had been
slow in adopting this procedure.
Institutional differences between
peacetime Government and indus
try have caused lag in applying
successful technics of private in
dustry to governmental manage
ment, he added.
The purpose of the conference he
continued, Is to bring out ideas and
experiences of outstanding admins
traitors to pass on to others who can
use them to achieve better wartime
management in Government Is nee
essary to develop the Coordination
of Government, labor, industry, ag-
riculture, military forces, and physi-
cal resources which must be at
tained he added.
Emery E. Olson of the staff OF
the Civil Service Commission tolc
the. conference that a re-examina-
ton of existing personnel techniques
and the application of realistic
standards and procedure is needed
in wartime Government.
Unprecedented expansion OF gov
ernmental agencies and shortages
of manpower in many occupationa
fields have made the placement o1
qualified personnel in essential wal
positions a complex and difhcul'
problem. He added that this hae
made it imperative that some OF thu
procedure long identified with thu
civil service system be abandoned
but that the basic principle Of Sc
lection by merit must be retained.
20. Changes Suggested.
New employees, he asserted, mus
be more effectively oriented, loni
hours made more tolerable by i'm
proved working conditions and EN-
ploye morale safeguarded. Per
sonnet administrators must worl
closely with operating officials il
eliminating unnecessary procedure
and in maintaining a flexible work
ing force.
Mr.. Appleby asserted that tn
PHILOSOPHERS, principles and objec
tives underlying the Federal syster
of personnel administration ar
sound and added that if the syster
Is applied in accordance with tn
spirit of these objectives com
plete, comprehensive and progres
sive Job of personnel administratio
in the Government would be &C
complished.
The conference will continue tt
morrow. with a dinner meeting II
night. Later today subjects to
discussed are incentives for Gov
ernment employees, need for ct
operation among Government of
cials. manpower problems of e
fective management and manag'
ment problems in the United N;
tions program.