8
Report of Interim Committee
To the Honorable Earl Snell
Governor of the State of Oregon.
GR .ETINGS:
The Interim Committee appo'nted
by the 42nd Legislative Assembly of
the State of Oregon, to study and re
port for you their recommendations
concerning a merit system of Civil
Service for State employees, respectful
ly submit the following:
H ow the Committee W ent
A bout Its Work:
The Interim Committee members
are: Representatives, Leo Sm’th, Chair
man, Earl Hill, and W. W. Chadwick;
and Senators, J. N . Jones and Lew W al
lace. It met three times— August 30,
1943, November 8, 1943, and October
16, 1944. All meetings were held in
the Multnomah County Court House,
Portland, Oregon, and each member,
together with Mr. George Aiken, Bud
get Director, attended each meeting.
The Budget Director submitted a
complete outline of the total number,
classification, and salaries of all em
ployees in each State department, and
this, together with voluminous litera
ture on merit service, was sent to each
committee member for study.
Invitations, general and specific,
were directed to all known parties in
terested in promoting or opposing a
merit system. Appearing on Novem
ber 8, 1943 and advocating the adop
tion of a merit system were:
1. Dr. William C. Jones, Professor
at University of Oregon, State Public
Welfare Commission.
2. I. A. De France, Secretary of Ore
gon State Employees Association.
3. Chester W. Pecore, member of
Board of Examiners for State Unem
ployment Compensation Commission.
4. James M. Brost, Committee of In
dustrial Organization.
5. Paul S. W right, Committeeman,
City Club of Portland.
6. Mrs. W. H . Copeland, National
League of Women Voters.
7. Dr. Wm. G riffith, Professor at
Reed College and Supervisor for the
Board of Examiners of the Unemploy
ment Compensation Commission.
8. Dr.. Sears, State Board of Health
Merit System Administrator.
9. Mrs. Doris Hopkins, the Oregon
Chapter of the American Association
of Social Workers.
10. Allan Bynon, Legislative Coun
selor.
The Executive Committee of the
American Legion, Department of Ore
gon, objected to the adoption of a
law which would prevent members in
the armed services from having the
same opportunity as others in securing
employment.
* * * * *
Although it does not directly con
cern our recommendation, it is very
well to note what this Committee
found and recommended regarding
four agencies of the State of Oregon:
S t a t e Unemployment Compensation
Commission, Public Welfare Commis
sion, State Board of Health, and the
Crippled Children Division of the Uni
versity of Oregon Medical School.
The Federal Government has requir
ed, as a condition precedent to the re
ceiving of Federal aid, that these agen
cies select their employees by a merit
system. Oregon was the only state in
the Union which had four separate
merit systems— one for each State
agency. On November 8, 1943, we un
animously requested the Governor to
use his influence to effect a consolida
tion so that all four agencies would be
under one merit system. Thus, a work
applicant could qualify for a vacancy
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