Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-02-24
CSC Promises
To Hold Exams
For Super Jobs
May Also Consider
Setting Standards
For Schedule c
BY JOSEPH YOUNG

The Civil Service Commission
has promised Congress it will
hold competitive examinations
for the Governments super
grade jobs.
The csc also promised early
consideration of a proposal to
set minimum civil service qualifi-
cation standards for the so-called
political Schedule C Jobs which
are removed from civil service
because of their policy-making
or conf1dential-assistant type
character.
Super-grade ratings are allo-
Gated by csc for the top execu-
tive jobs in the Government ca
reer service. Examples of officials
who are likely to get such rat
ings are executive directors and
general counsels of agencies, and
administrative assistants to
agency heads. There are about
1900 super-grade jobs. author
lied several years ago to enable
the Government to get and keep
top-caliber employees for key
jobs.
Morale Seen Weakened
The CSC's statement of it's flu
ture plans was in a letter to
Chairman Murray of the House
Civil Service Committee. Mr..
Murray recently wrote to the
csc asking that competitive
exams be held for Federal super
grade jobs grades l6 to 10 pay
ing $4,000 to $4,000 a year, !.
and that minimum qualification
standards be set up for political
Schedule c jobs.
Mr.. Murray declared that the
present lack of competitive ex-
ans for the Governments top
career jobs and the failure to re-
qVire minimum civil service
standards for political Schedule
c jobs greatly weakened the
merit system and employe mo-
rale. The Tenneseean told the
csc that he would initiate legis-
lation in Congress to bring about
the proposed changes unless the
commission acted.
In reply. Mr.. Young wrote Mr..
Murray this week that the COM
mission would soon take action
on holding competitive exams
for super-grade jobs.
Current (CSCD staff think
ing. which has been developed
in consultation with agency rep
resentatives. tends to favor the
use Of individual competitive ex-
aminations for these (super-
grade) positions as they become
vacant or as new ones are es-
tablished." Mr.. Young wrote.
This approach would make it
possible to pin-point recruiting
and the development of specific
qualification standards and rat
ing methods to the particular
needs of the individual positions
involved.
Schedule { Jobs
Regarding political schedule c
Jobs which have been removed
from the merit system, Mr..
Young said:
Our staff is preparing peril
nent background material for
consideration by the Commits
sioners of the advisability of
recommending establishment of
a requirement that persons Sc
lected for appointment to sched-
ule c positions meet the qualifi-
cation standards established for
competitive positions which are
in the same classification grades
and series as the schedule c
positions involved"
Unlike holding exams for
supergrade jobs. which can be
ordered by csc action. setting
minimum Job standards for
Schedule c jobs could be done
only by presidential executive
order or by legislation. csc Of
ficials said.
One plan under consideration
would be an executive order
transferring these Jobs to Ex-
cepted Schedule 4. which is the
schedule in which nard-to-fill
jobs are placed because it is not
feasible to hold examinations for
them. This excepted schedule
does require minimum lob stand
ards set by the csc, end the
political-type anpOintmpnts could