38 UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES 
Mr. Green. That is the director and the employees in the depart- 
ment. 
Mr. Bacuamann. Tt is all employees under that bureau, wherever 
they may be. 
Mr. GREEN. Yes. 
Mr. BacamaNN. They are to be selected under the civil service 
law. 
Mr. Green. Yes. 
Mr. Bacumann. I do not know whether you have given any 
study to that particular feature of it, or not, but it occurs to me the 
purpose of this bill is to help labor and to help the laboring man and, 
from my experience in some of these matters, putting these employees 
under the civil service law has a tendency to restrict the employment 
of men who really ought to be employed in certain of these positions. 
[ direct your attention, when they put the prohibition agents under 
the civil service law, we had men who had served as sheriffs and 
deputy sheriffs. They did not have an education, but were very 
well qualified to perform the duties ; but, because some other men 
had a little better education than they did, they were selected; 
when, as a matter of fact, from practical experience, they did not 
know nearly as much about it as the men who served in those offices 
formerly. Or some of the men may have been just a little over age. 
Now are not we, by putting in here this direct provision, restricting 
the very purpose you are trying to accomplish, in a measure, by this 
legislation? Ought not it to be free and open so that men, regardless 
of age, who may be well qualified, but who may not have the education 
that some other men have, would have an advantage? As I under- 
stand this bill, there would be a lot of employees selected in this 
bureau. 
Mr. Green. Congressman, that is an administrative matter which 
we thought we had met in the most practical and successful way. 
You must bear in mind that a number of these people employed in 
these employment agencies must be technical people—men equipped 
with knowledge of the social and economic problems with which they 
will be called upon to deal, and then we want to take out of it the 
political log rolling that might occur if it was left open. We feel it 
is on about as good a basis as you could put it, because I take it for 
granted that the civil-service examination will be reasonable—will 
not exclude and will not be of such a character as to exclude those 
who are really fitted to serve in these administrative positions. 
Mr. Bacamann. I am merely directing attention to that matter; 
because, if this provision contained in this bill is going to restrict in 
the beginning, it ought to be given some study before 1t is enacted. 
Mr. MonTacue. Well, the Civil Service Commission is required to 
give some proportionate value to experience, 
Mr. GREEN. I think that is the law. 
Mr. Montague. If not, that ought to be the law. They give 
value to experience as part of the education. 
Mr. GREEN. Oh, yes. 
Mr. Montague. I think my friend misconstrues the word “educa- 
tion.” A man can be highly educated for certain work and yet have 
very little book knowledge. 
Mr. Green. That is the reason I made the observation.