Show washington digest civil service strives to keep politics out of defense work merit system increases efficiency of rearmament U S foreign policy awaits clarification in Roosevel ts inaugural address by BAUKHAGE national farm and home commentator men fRe released leased by western newspaper union i washington is a nervous and jittery place these days with winter running in and out so fast that the squirrels in the park hardly know whether to bury nuts eat them or just watch the ones that walk by part of the atmosphere of suspense is due to wondering what is going to come out of those notes which the president took with him when he sailed away from his fish ing and inspection trip and which he is still working on when he left men who usually know at least somei something hing of what the white house is think thinking ing about told us the president has closed his mind to any additional aid to britain now there will be no change in the present program we will try to send more supplies but there wont be any change in the nature of the help that weve been supplying most of us who observed mr roosevelt closely at his last conferences feren ces before he left thought we saw confirmation of this statement in the way he answered questions on the subject the tone of his voice his look his gestures some of the people clamoring for more active participation in british efforts went so far as to say hes walked out on us but hardly had the tuscaloosa weighed anchor than things began to happen which made us wonder there was the widely printed story that the united states was preparing to send american merchant men with supplies right through the war zone to england another that american warships would act as convoys at least part way discuss financial aid to britain then there was heated controversy concerning financial aid to britain after a meeting of departmental heads admittedly for the purpose of exploring the subject jesse jones federal loan adminis said that he considered britain a good risk senator johnson of california came right out and said he expected acrive a drive to repeal the johnson act which forbids loans to defaulting nations at the next session of congress he said he would fight it these were some of the signs W which seemed to point toward the consideration of new and drastic methods of helping help ng john bull but still the people who made their original predictions to the effect that the president planning action certainly none that might involve us in the war held their ground at this writing no one professes to know what form the notes in the presidents portfolio will take we can only wait for foi the inaugural address the budget message and the report to congress on the state of the nation when we know what these state papers contain it will be interesting to look back and see who was right the people who like senator johnson said we are edging into war or those who believed that the president had set the ship of oi state on a neutral course and then lashed the helm rearmament story has two sides there are a lot of stories circulating cu about inefficiency in rearmament work some tell of men who are employed in industries where they are pitifully inexperienced one side of the defense story that you hear a good deal about these days but it the only side I 1 heard the governments side of the defense hiring story the other day from arthur flemming one of the three member civil service commission the united states civil service com commission mission mr flemming said to me is faced with the heaviest load in its history today the civil service commission is the central civilian recruiting agency for the entire defense program as mr flemming described it and when I 1 had finished my interview with him I 1 took two of the most hopeful thoughts away with me that I 1 have been able to A i A 4 S JOHN nourish in the 25 years since I 1 began watching the failures faults and foibles as well as the achievements of the washington side show the first thought was this we have a fair chance of keeping politics scandal and disgrace out of the defense program such as we had in the last war if it is humanly possible to do it and second if I 1 this is done we may take the greatest step in our history toward cleaning up the rottenness of the patronage system that is the curse of democracies moc perhaps I 1 am over optimistic but here are the facts as I 1 learned them in the first place the civil service commission as recruited examined and certified workers between july 1 and november 23 of this year there were placements alone in the war and navy departments most of the workers of course were employed in navy yards and arsenals take water vliet for instance up in connecticut where they make the big guns that arsenal has a hard time keeping men busy normally now it employs the civil service commission staff has been enlarged tor for the emergency recruiting from 1800 members in june to today besides the force in washington there are 13 district offices and local secretaries one in every first and second class post office these secretaries who are usually postal employees have information on examinations ami nations and requirements of positions open here the th persons who want jobs can go and find out just how to apply for them red tape slashed to increase efficiency but there is a side of this recruiting work that does not show up in figures it is the spirit which is ev evident I 1 from the attitude of the commissioners ners themselves and the whole staff there is no clock watching here hours mean nothing red tape has been slashed there is one objective to get the best men and women available for uncle sam and ana to get them quickly the best example of the benefits of the system mr flemming explained pla ined is the skilled worker who has worked up through the service and who though he could easily secure higher wages in private business is loyal to the government and prefers to stay in the federal service one of the outstanding examples of these men is john C garand long before the national defense program got under way this man one of the key figures in 1 our defense was working inconspicuously in a drafting room in the armory in springfield mass now his name is known around the world as the inventor of the garand rifle john C garand mr flemming told me was born in canada and came to this country when he was 10 years old when the world war broke out he enlisted in the artillery and was assigned to the bureau of standards in washington to do ordnance work after the war garand took a civil service examination for draftsman and was sent to the armory in springfield he perfected a number of inventions and finally produced the garand rifle loyal to the civilian service of the united states as he had been to the armed forces he patriotically turned his patent over to the government his rewards are simply the promotions he has won he is now senior ordnance engineer find him at his desk today 0 A vigorous campa campaign ignis is going on on the part of educators to teach democracy an educational policies association for five years year s has been working for the improvement of democratic citizenship recently a wide study of 90 schools was made and the report is fascinating reading it reveals six entirely different ideas of what democratic education was not merely the teachers and pupils but people in the community were interviewed in preparing this important survey |