Evening star., 1948-08-29
For BusinessIike Government

Retiring Civil Service Commissioner Ar
thur S. Flemming drew upon a wealth. OF
experience with Federal administrative
work when he spoke out at recent dinner
In his honor for reorganization OF the
Government along more busineSslike lines.
Long an avoWed enemy of lasSitude and
red tape in the civil service, Commissioner
Flemming is convinced that there is no
good reason why the Government should
not transact it's business with as much
efficiency as large private industry. But
he comedies it will take lot of doing to
accomplish the change.
Mr.. Flemming is correct In contending
that no modern business organization
would tolerate some of the outmoded prac-
tices which have grown up through the
years in the Federal service. What private
business nowadays would employ person
without a careful check on his character
as well as his mental capacity? Yet, as
Mr.. Flemming points out, the Government
in years past has laid too little emphasis
on character Investigations, even though
the employees we're to be assigned to posi-
tions of great responsibility and trust.
What private employer would put up with
the mediocrity and nproductiveneSs of
some of the misfts who have become in
trenched in the civil service-as Mr.. Flem-
ming~has found to be the case? Career
service should not convey to the inefficient
employe the idea that he is secure in his
Job, however little work he performs or
however unsatisfactory his work may be.
Much of the fault lies with the super
visors rather than the employees under
them, according to Mr. Flemming He sees
the need in the Government for admins
traitors with "stiffer backbones," officials
who have sufficient fortitude to take the
employe who does not reach the agreed
upon standard of performance and either
put him in job where he can perform
successfully or fire him" Not that there
are not plenty of hard working, intelligent
and efficient civil servants in most of the
departments and agencies But their bur-
dens are made the heavier by the failings
of their less apt and less interested fellow
workers
AS a means to inject more businesslike
methods into the Government, Mr.. Flem-
ming makes a novel suggestion. He pro-
poses that each department be provided
with an assistant secretary for manage
HlenG-d career business manager, IN
other words 1t would be this officials task
to keep constant tab on personnel eff
cheney, procedures and similar factors
bearing on departmental operations. It
would be his Job, presumably, to see that
personnel were used to the best advantage
that duplication of efforts was eliminated
that the number of reviewing levels was
reduced to an absolute minimum, that
fewer carbon copies, memoranda and re-
ports were required.
Since Mr.. Flemming will continue his
work as a member of Herbert Hoover's
committee on governmental reorganiza-
ton, there is good prospect that at least
some of his interesting proposals for re-
form will be Incorporated into the COM
mittee's findings and recommendations
Certainly the suggestions which Mr. Flem-
ming made in his swan song" address
should not go unheeded. For he has given
his frank advice as an understanding and
constructive critic of a service which he
has done much to improve and which will
be the loser by reason of his departure