Evening star., 1942-09-29
Congress Gets
Worker-Waste
Data for Study
Civil Service Report
On Faulty Placement
Goes to Committees
BY J. A. FOX.

Goes to Committees
BY J. A. FOX.
Charges by the Civil Service
Commission that manpower is be.
ing wasted by Government aRen.
cies and that poor supervision i!
responsible were under congres.
sional scrutiny today.
The report, based on survey
Of transfers, was sent to the Senate
Appropriation Committee and thu
House Civil Service Committee
Senator OMahoney, Democrat, o1
wyoming, who was largely re.
sponsible for the commission study
said its findings unquestionably
were important and would be care.
fully studied. Representative Rams.
peck, Democrat, Of Georgia; chair
man of the House Civil Service
Committee, had not had a chance
to familiarize himself with the con-
tents of the report.
In some quarters it was felt that
the House Appropriations Commit
tee would be interested in the re-
port in connection with appropria-
ton bill hearings later on.
Duties Below Capacity.
The commission said bluntly that
thousands OF employees are assigned
to duties in which full advantage
Is not taken of their ability and that
additional thousands are using
their skills for only "a very small
percentage Of the working day.
The underlying cause for this sit
uation, it was added. was the fail
ure Of administrative and supervis-
ory authorities to recognize their
responsibility for making maximum
use of inanpower resources.
From the personnel chief of one OF
the largest employers In the Govern
ment came the interesting comment
that the commission was no doubt
correct, but that certain amount
of blame attached to the employees
themselves.
Carlton Hayward. in charge OF
personnel for the War Production
Board, one OF the largest employers
Of the Government. said that every
day" cases are developing where
employees are suited for other tasks
than those they are performing.
Emphasizing that he did not want
10 give the impression that thou
sands of WIPE workers are in blind
alleys, Mr.. Hayward said that it is
q fact, nevertheless, that applicants
for employment too often are salts
ned simply to get In" the Govern
ment as clerks and that their
superfors consequently are not fully
acquainted with their capabilities.
sCataloEued BY skiIls.
Forsseveral months, M. Hayward
contirixk0, TIE WPB has catalogued
every new employe and coded the
personnel cards In order that va
cancies requiring special skills could
be filled quickly by persons already
In service If they could meet neces-
sary specifications. Despite that, he
added, there still are shortcomings,
Employees come in asking for a
particular job" he said. Talking
to them, you find that they were
fully qualified for a place in which
there previously was q vacancy
And that situation, he added, is due
to the employees not furnishing COM
plete details as to their abilities
when they have the opportunity.
While the commission did not
name any of the reputed offenders
u was understood that the fire was
directed in large part to cases where
stenographers and typists are being
used for work in which these skills
are not necessary.
For months the commission has
ben combing the country in what
has become a losing fight to supply
an adequate number of skilled ste
nographers and typists, and on at
least two occasions has notified agen-
cies that personnel of this type must
be assigned to other than steno-
graphic duties. Despite these efforts
1t was said. the desired compliance
is not Forthcoming over the Gov
eminent as whole.
Now Holds Power.
An improvement is expected along
this line, however, the commission
told Congress, for it now has what
amounts to absolute power over
transfers by reason Of Manpower
Commission directives, and it was
asserted that these powers would be
used to the fullest extent.
The commission study resulted
from an appropriation bill amend
ment aimed primarily to determine
If personnel pirating was heing prac-
ticed to any extent. The commits
sion said that Undoubtedly" some
field agencies had been outbiddine
other units for personnel, but or
this point a commission spokesman
said later that, "quantitatively," thi'
practice did not figure Importantly
in the personnel picture.
The commission report covered
1902 transfers between March
and June 80, which was subseouen
to an executive order setting up I
transfer plan to get employs
assigned to duties that would be O
greatest benefit to the war effort
It said that "a great majority of th'
transfers were definitely beneficia
to the Government service as {
whole and to the war program II
particular"
Higher Qualifications Proved.
In this connection. the commission
cited q number of instances in whicl
employees working in relatively mino
posts were found fitted for position
Of responsibility with corresponding
increases in salary. 1t was said a
the commission that while the exac
history of each case was not known,
these hidden skills no doubt wer
uncovered as the result of searcl
of the personnel records maintaine,
by the commission, or because tn
employees themselves sought tn
higher assignments and proved thei
qualifications for advancement.
Some officials ascribe inadequat
supervision to the fact that wa
apencies are rnrshrnor,ino opd tbo