Evening star., 1945-07-06
Secret House Report
Demands Inquiry on
U.S. Job Advancement
BY JOSEPH YOUNG.

BY JOSEPH YOUNG.
A demand for immediate con-
gressional investigation Of the lost
battalion" of Government employees
who never have received Job ad-
vancements is one OF the high
lights OF the confidential report of
the House Civil Service Commit
tees investigating unit, The Star
learned today.
The controversial report, which
led to the dismissal OF Col. E. j.
Mccormack, staff director of the in
vestigating unit, is being withheld
until a House subcommittee con-
siders the charges made by Col
Mccormack.
The report states that despite "eX-
cessive promotions" in Government
service, about 10 per cent of Federal
employees have been passed over
and forgotten" Many of these en-
ployes are in the lower grades.
Should Be Given Chance.
"It is possible that some are old
and tired; others may simply not
care" the report said But there
are undoubtedly many who have
given long and efficient service and
are now at the peak of their
capacity. This group should be
given the opportunity to achieve for
the service, and for themselves, more
than their present situation now
promises"
Chairman Ramspeck of the House
Civil Service Committee relieved
Col. Mccormack of his duties after
the latter made public a letter he
sent to Mr.. Ramspeck, charging that
the report was being deliberately
withheld from the House because it
might interfere with the Federal
pay raise legislation then being
considered. Mr.. Ramspeck charged
his aide with INSTRUMENTATION in
making the letter public without
his permission.
The report asserts that some
agency heads have circumvented
Civil Service Commission hiring
standards and wage regulations for
which they obtained congressional
appropriations ostensibly for use in
special services" and expenses. The
funds obtained were used to employ
persons of their own and not the
commissioned choice.
Creation of Unneeded Jobs.
In some instances, the investigating
unit reported it had discovered the
creation of jobs that were not
needed. Basic salary rates as
measure of Congress intent of equal
pay for equal work" has become al
most meaningless during the war.
the report charged. This was blamed
on the absence of job classification
controls.
An inflated job" technique fire.
quently is used by Federal admin
strators to get Jobs at higher salaries
for friends and their candidates for
Government positions. the report as
serted. One method used, it was
said, was to designate the jobs with
impressive titles to increase the ap-
parent Importance of the position.
This is common practice, the re-
port said.
A wide variance between agencies
in adherence to the principles and
intent of the Classification Act was
another condition found by the fn-H
vestigatAng group While old and
well-established departments and
agencies have maintained some SEM
blance or order and continuity, war
agencies almost without exception
have, with the "tacit" approval of
the Civil Service Commission, ini-
tiated classification policies result
ing in inf1ationary promotional prac-
tices, the report alleged.
Hoarding Of manpower was found,
with some sections overstaffed at,theIt
expense of others. In some inf
stances, four or five employees we're
engaged in duties that easily could /
have been handled by one person,
the report said.
Commission Critized.
The Civil Service Commission was
sharply criticized for its failure to
prepare and publish specific stand |
ards for the merit system. Failure [
to prepare and publish such stand f.,
ards has been costly as to funds and |
wasted manpower, the report said.
This report does not intend to
say or imply that many Federal
employees who have received promo
tions have not earned them by long
and efficient service, the report said.
But this report does positively
state that, unfortunately, there are
a large number Of employees who
have been promoted beyond justif1-
cation through the lowering Of
standards, the imitation of jobs, and
the creation of positions that were
not needed"
The report adds:
"One of the tragedies of public
service, particularly the Federal
civil service, is that the quality Of
administration found there often
discourages those highly qualified
to render needed service. Many men
and women of exceptional ability
have entered the Federal civil serv-
Ice and have departed bitter and
Gisillusioned."