AMERICAN CIVIL SERVICE

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20961, 15 September 1933, Page 9

AMERICAN CIVIL SERVICE

IMPORTANT CHANGE BLOW AT PATRONAGE SYSTEM .NEW YORK, August 10. By his decision to include all postmasters under the civil service rules and to make it compulsory for a 1! candidates for appointment to i:.i. j civil service examinations, lvlr Roosevelt lias, in the opinion of competent observers, done much to lift the standard of the postal service. The President's decision, announced in a letter to the Post-master-General, Mr James Farley, was a surprise to the whole country, and an unpleasant one to many Democrats, who had hoped to have their services to the party rewarded by appointments.

It is said that in the past the appointment of postmasters to important posts largely on their political records has resulted in inefficiency. The President's action is considered to be a blow at the whole patronage system. Mr Roosevelt, in his letter, asked Mr Farley to prepare legislation for the next session of Congress to cover the new system, by which large savings would, he said, be made. Many Affected. The order directly affects about 15,032 postmasters of the first, second, and third classes now appointed by the President. The fourth-class postmasters, 32,672 in number, are already under civil service regulations. Classifications of post offices are made according to the annual receipts, thus: First class, £IO,OOO and more; second class, £2OOO to £10,000; third class, £4OO to £2000; fourth class, less than £4OO. Mr Farley had announced in April that Republican postmasters would be continued until the end of their terms if they were giving satisfactory service. Among the jobs which the 15,000 postmasters of the first, second, and third classes distributed in the 1932 fiscal year were the following:— 13,200 clerks at third-class post offices. 22,510 contract employees, and 21,988 mail messengers, a total of 57,698. It is these appointments which have in the past made postmasterships such an important factor in the patronage system. iThe political importance of postmasterships has usually been emphasised by the appointment of successful national campaign managers as Postmaster-General. Mr Farley said in a statement that postmasters of the first, second, and third class had # never had to pass a written examination, though investigations of the status and abilitv of the applicants for positions had always been made. Since the election a very laree number of applications had been filed, and the of the claims of all the applicants would have been a long expensive process. TTnder the new sv«tem there will 'stjl] be some room for influence. though the examinations will be competitive, the Post-mastpr-Opneral will choose one of the first three in each examination for an appointment.