Evening star., 1947-02-27
ReesSees Threat
1oMerit System
In New Rules
Commissioners Defend
Decentrolizine Order
At House Hearing
By Joseph Youno

.
President Truman's executive
order decentralizing the activi-
ties of the Civil Service Commits
sion threatens "to wreck the
merit system in government"
Chairman Rees of the House
Civil Service Committee, charged
today.
Mr.. Rees made his statement as
the committee opened hearings on
the new civil service regulations.
issued Monday. which delegate
authority on various personnel mat
ters to individual departments and
agencies.
The regulations become effective
May /.
If the commission contends that
the new system will work more
effectively than the old, "it must
follow that the Congress must care
fully examine the remaining activi-
ties of the Civil Service Commission
to determine whether the commits
sion should be continued" Mr.. Rees
declared.
Placing the responsibility for
personnel functions into the hands
OF the personnel officers of the
countless bureaus and agencies of
the Government could result, ard
has resulted during the war, in g.
complete breakdown of the merit
system" the Kansan asserted.
Flemming Defends Change.
Commission officials called TO
testify today disputed Mr.. Rees
assertion that the new regulations
will injure the merit system ana
also denied the implication that the
commission itself was no longer
needed. Mr.. Rees declared that he
had been disturbed for some time
"by the fact that the commission
seemed to view its responsibility
under the Civil Service Act as one
OF consistent delegation of its au-
thority to the agencies with respect
to employment, classification, in
vestigation, promotion and other
personnel matters"
Civil Service Commissioner Arthur
S. Flemming, In a defense of the
new regulations, told Mr.. Rees and
the committee that the new rules
combined the best features of the
wartime regulations, which dele
gated authority, and the provisions
Of the old system.
THE agencies are given more au-
thority in respect to hiring, promo
tions, classifications and other per-
sonnel matters Mr.. Flemming de-
clared, "but the commission still
has the authority and supervision
to determine If the agencies carry
out the polices which are set by
the commission.
Sees Merit System Strengthened.
Mr.. Flemming made it clear that
the commission will set the policies
for all the agencies to follow and
will have the power to suspend or
revoke any delegation of its au-
thority to an agency If it finds that
its policies are being disobeyed.
Mr.. Flemming added that the new
regulations, far from wrecking the
Governments merit system, will
strengthen it by eliminating a lot
OF red tape and dead wood" and
speeding up the operation Of Gov
ernment. He said one Of the high
lights of the new rules is the set
ting up of boards of examiners for
each agency to hire scientific, pro-
fessional and technical personnel.
Some of the other committee
members disagreed with the chair
man on the decentralization issue.
Both Republican and Democratic
members said they were in favor Of
the new policy, although some ex-
pressed fear that favoritism and
politics might result from careless
supervision of delegated authority
to the agencies.
Others Back Policy.
Representative Stevenson, Repub-
lican, of Wisconsin, ranking majority
member, said he was Gin accord with
decentralization" Other Repub-
licans who said they were inclined
to favor it were Representatives st.
George Of New York, Corbett Of
Minnesota and Scoblick of Penn
sylvania.
Democrats indicating their ap-
proval were Representatives Albert
of Oklahoma and Miller of Cali
fornia.
Mr.. Flemming assured the COM
mittee that the commission would
maintain strict supervision over the
activities Of each agency. He said
that the prewar system was too
centralized and created bottlenecks
that seriously hampered Federal
agencies.
Another witness, Harry B. Mitch
ell, president Of the commission,
acknowledged that when the new
system was first suggested to him,
he was mot particularly enthusi-
astic." Mr.. Mitchell added, how
ever, that the wartime innovations
delegating authority to agencies
seems to have worked very we'll"