Show XII xu WHY GOOD MEN QUIT I Go toda today Into tato the Treasury department depart I ment the Department of ot Agriculture the Department of ot Commerce or Into any luny other establishment of the government govern govern- met ment doing Important technical work nul they will tell you OU that their chief difficult difficulty Is to retain competent em employees employees In the supervisory and technical technical technical tech tech- positions Their turnover Is abnor abnormally abnormally ab ab- ab- ab nor normally high In n these positions Every day men leave leme the service to accept private employment at materIally materially ma ma- increased salaries so that th the departments are continuously going through a process of selecting and training executives and technical employees employees employees em em- only to lose them as ns they become become be be- come cone really valuable on account o o. o the Ina inadequacy of their compensation I- I The second factor which contributes contributes contributes contrib contrib- utes to the present Ineffectiveness of the government go as a business li Is found In the Improper or vr- organization of the executive branch of the government for effective e service You lou are familiar at least In a lencl al alway way with the defects of the present n administrative machinery You know for tor example that the Interior Interior Interior In In- department now has Jurisdiction over o a great number of ot bureaus of a n miscellaneous character that have ha nothing to do with each other or with the functions which the Interior department department de lIt was o originally established to perform You know that many agencies have ha been located locate In the Treasury department depart depart- department ment the great eat fiscal department of the government which are arc purely non non- fiscal in character such as the coast coastguard coastguard guar guard the public health service the supervising architects architect's office and the bureau of ot war risk Insurance You know that the great bulk of the civil public works of ot the government government govern govern- ment meat are executed under the supervision supervision super super- vision islon of ot the tue War department although the bureau of public roa roads s Is located locate In the Department of ot Agriculture and anil the he reclamation l service Ice In the Department Department Department Depart Depart- ment of the Interior You know furthermore of tl tb Independent Independent independent In In- dependent existence outside the tle jurisdiction inns juris diction of any of the treat great reat executive li 1 departments of some o 40 odd 40 boards commissions offices an and bureaus t These Thes e are rire merely examples of a condition condition con con- J that would require volumes to describe fully but It Is generally known th-t th t tre e executive branch of the government is at the present time illogically II II- l logically and uneconomically uneconomic organIzed organized organ organ- In many important particulars It should lI be remembered however that even en with an Ideal personnel and anda andI I a perfect organization it Is doubtful if It the high degree of omy und and efficiency y that characterizes private ate business can ever be attained In lu the government offices This Is so because economies made by government go officials dials ure are not nut transformed Into dividends dividends divi divi- lends for themselves as they ur are arc In private business There Is an nn Impression slon In congress on less and throughout the country that met men of ot great ability are not found fOUlI in government government gov gov- government service Ice that the tho salaries are uro not sufficient to attract and nud hold them On the contrary there thele are ere a great grent mall many II people of distinguished ability in the government service One kte ie Ismore is ismore ismore more and more inure Impressed b. b by that fact t specially since the war sent to Washington Wash Nash ington so mun many men of ot large lurge means und and famous names with whom tl the go government nt employees could b be com com- pared The comparison was time and again to the advantage nd of the government govern gu meat ment employee But the salaries ur are ure not nol the attraction It Is the work lt- lt H self Belt This is well understood by tome some eminent ob observers ers er of public life Se See Sec of ot State Hughes declared himself him bier self as as follows before the ad advisory committees of the war risk insurance bureau It has hall been my experience that with the higher officers the officers of or greater greatt Institutions where efficiency la le rewarded by public representation while representation while the field Is IB a limited one because of or the great oi opportunity opportunity op- op to men of ot ability It Is still en entirely entirely en en- to draw to the public service ice men of ot great real ability and distinction because ot of the desire to render public service servile and the number of or men who are aro available for Cor that purpose while relatively relatively rela rela- small is still sun sufficient It II the appointing ap ape pointing pointing- officer wants men of ot that class clas In order to obtain th them m however Vever 1 he must Dust give e a a. free Cree field neld lie He must not In Interfere In iii- as to political action to lo control administration tendencies and must permit permit permit per per- mit them to be given the reward which a a. well-conducted well office of oC importance will give to Ha its incumbent In the public pubic esti esti- mation Now Z the difficulty Increases when you pass flass tho those e h heads that get gel the credit and come to the technical expert who has bas got to do the work and upon whose efficiency the operation of oC the department department de de- de finally depends These men are little known The public hasn't time evento evento even evento to learn their names They are Interested In work to a degree of oC being wining willing to tomake tomake tomake make sacrifices There Is If active competition for men of oC off brains bruins and great ability of ot that sort and the government will never be served nerved unless unless un un- less it pays pas the price for Cor those men Now 1 think that Is a a. plain situation You may be able to get a director in to the bureau bureau bureau bu bu- bu- bu reau of oC war risk Insurance for Cor a year or for nothing at all but you jou OU cannot cannot can can- not nOI get an actuary Y You u cannot get insurance In In- men You cannot get gd euper erin ia That would be my Judgment |