Evening star., 1943-06-10
War Department Aide
Tells Of Moves 10
StreamIine Personnel
House Civil Service Unit
Hears Kushnick Testify
On Organization
By WILL P. KENNEDY.

The War Department more than q
year ago "set a self imposed freeze
on additional increases in personnel
in the departmental service in
Washington" William H. Kushnick,
director of civilian personnel and
training for the War Department,
told the House Civil Service Investi-
eating Committee today.
Since then, he added, the depart
ment has made a special drive to
streAmline it's organization and poll
cies for economical and efficient
work.
Mr.. Kushnick, the War Depart
ment representative on the Federal
Council of Personnel Administration,
is chairman of Secretary Stimson's
Council on Civilian Personnel,
which has been a clearing house for
the exchange of ideas with the Civil
Service Commission and the Navy.
Further Corrections Needed.
Some management deficiencies
in respect to the efficient utilizati ton
of personnel still can be found" he
said. He asserted the War Depart
ment has not been content to merely
ascribe its difficulties to growing
pains but said that limiting the
number of people was not as i'm
portant as getting war plans and
production under way
Mr. Kushnick pointed out that
Secretary Stimson sent a letter to
the commanding generals of the
three forces and to the chief of
staff at the time of the Presidents S
letter of December %. 1912, calling
upon heads of departments to be-
come more aggressive in securing
full use of personnel. Secretary
Stimson directed that their policy
should be ito eliminate work which
does not directly further the war
effort, to eliminate from within any
duplication of essential activities,
to perform essential work with a
minimum of personnel, time and
materials, and not to determine the
salary of supervisor by the num-
Der of persons supervised, but rather
by the degree and nature of the re-
sponsibility" Secretary Stimson
called upon all operating executives,
control stafts and personnel ad-
ministrators to quickly develop
clearly defined organization struc-
ture, simplifled and streamlined pro-
cedures, industrious and competent
personnel and capable and alert
supervision.
Summarizes Progress.
Summarizing what has been &C
complished since that time, Mr..
Kushnick said:
"ManpoWer economy and full
utilization of skill is management
activity of serious and active con-
cern in the department. Operating
officials, control staffs and person.
mel officers are all trying together
in their combined efforts to do the
kind of management job which will
hasten victory and in manner
which will lend prestige to the War
Department and which will increase
the confidence of the public and of
Congress in the administration of
the department"
A major step recently taken by
the department to improve and SIM
plify civilian payroll operations was
emphasized by Mr.. Kushnick be-
cause, he said, it probably will be
followed by other Government de-
partments and agencies. He ex-
planned that the changes involved
several far-reaching improvements
particularly regarding War bonds,
Victory tax, overtime requirements
and facilitating audit by the Gen.
eral Accounting Office. This pro-
cedure, he said. will result in
Standardization of forms and equip
ment.