5
ployees and has some 2000 retired ceptance of the merit principal as
standard procedure in civil service sys
members.
Monday afternoon there were six tems. H e discussed also the point sys
panel discussions. I attended two. The tem of job evaluation, employee or
fcrst relative to classification: There ganizations and their relations with
was discussion of (1) centralization employers, decentralization of public
and decentralization: Uniform ity is administration functions and predicted
better obtained by centralization but successful decentralization in Federal
but not local systems.
often at the cost of long delays. (2)
Tuesday morning at a breakfast
Seeking the assistance of employee spe
cialists and of employee groups, recog round table discussion, Earl Farrar de
nizing that violation of job prestige re scribed the official Los Angeles survey
sults in employee objections. (3) Com of current salary and wage schedules
parison of old pattern system and new made regularly as a basis for adjusting
point system of classification; use of public service wage structure. All in
each to supplement each other: N avy dustries and all government jurisdic
checks one against the other. (4) Jus tions are included; samples used are
tification for the classification of the authentic and only comparable jobs
employee rather than the position in are considered. Samples are weighted
the case of certain top jobs. (5 ) Classi to reflect correct proportions. Farrar
fications responsibility to call manage reported roughly 18% difference found
ments attention to errors in organiza between construction wages and main
tenance and operation wages.
tion when found.
"The Question Box” was a general
L The second panel Monday afternoon
^discussed Selling Sound Personnel Ad conference meeting held Tuesday A.M.
ministration. This discussion centered Among various topics discussed were:
Social Security Coverage for public
around the development of public ap
preciation of efficient public adminis employees was discussed; Deductions
tration, its achievements and prob are now 1 % but may be increased to
lems. Also the development of the 2 or 3% which in public service would
same appreciation among public em endanger sound retirement plans. Dis
ployees. An employee union representa tress relief is desirable but public em
tive closed this discussion by telling ployee coverage should not upset sound
how in one particular jurisdiction the local retirement plans.
Disabled "Veterans are not showing
employees really appreciated their civil
service but had some difficulty getting up yet. Seriously disabled are in hospi
Public Administration and Public of tals, others in schools.
Tuesday noon R. M. Gillis, Con
ficials to comply as wholeheartedly.
Monday evening we listened to an struction Engineer, California State
address by James M. Mitchell, Direc Division of Highways, addressed the
tor of the Civil Service Assembly’s group on California’s post war high
headquarters office in Chicago on the way program .. Told of Divisions need
^subject "Post W ar Trends in Public for 300 engineers. Gillis was located
9Personnel Administration.” H e fore at Vancouver, Washington a few years
cast (1) the rapid extension of Civil ago and is well remembered in Oregon.
Tuesday after luncheon I attended a
Service to uncovered agencies, (2) the
payment of more attention to efficient panel discussion. "Post W ar Problems
Public Administration, (3) the expan from the Commissioners Viewpoint,”
In Broadening the Base of Support
sion of in-service training because it
(Continued on page 20)
pays dividends, and (4) greater ac