Classification of Positions and Salaries in the Service of the State of Pennsylvania
| Date | 01 May 1924 |
| Published date | 01 May 1924 |
| DOI | 10.1177/000271622411300135 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
261
CLASSIFICATION
OF
POSITIONS
AND
SALARIES
IN
PENNSYLVANIA
IN
CONCLUSION
In
conclusion,
it
may
be
pointed
out
that
one
of
the
puzzling
problems
usu-
ally
encountered
in
developing
and
ad-
ministering
compensation
plans
is
the
ignorance
and
indifference
of
the
budget
and
other
financial
officers.
In
theory
they
should
be
intensely
inter-
ested
in
the
whole
subject
and
should
have
a
prominent
part
in
collecting
the
necessary
data,
in
developing
the
com-
pensation
plan,
in
getting
the
recom-
mended
rates
adopted
by
the
legisla-
tive
body,
and
in
getting
estimates
and
appropriations
that
embody
the
classi-
fication
titles
and
adopted
rates.
In
practice
they
have
shown
an
indiffer-
ence
toward
the
development
of
ra-
tional
compensation
plans,
which
is
discouraging
to
those
who
perceive
the
necessity
of
some
machinery
for
pro-
tecting
the
interests
of
employes
and
taxpayers.
All
too
frequently,
indeed,
they
have
opposed
the
working
out
of
any
plan
or,
even
worse,
the
adoption
of
a
plan
which
has
been
recommended
following
careful
investigations
or
the
proper
administration
of
a
plan
which
has
been
developed
and
adopted.
In
view
of
the
fact
that
normally
about
one
half
of
all
the
money
ex-
pended
in
any
jurisdiction,
other
than
that
set
aside
for
payment
of
interest
and
principal
on
the
public
debt,
goes
for
personal
services,
this
attitude
on
the
part
of
budget
and
other
financial
officers
is
hard
to
understand.
In
this,
as
in
a
good
many
other
matters
con-
cerning
personnel,
the
central
employ-
ment
agency
has
had
to
force
upon
unwilling
legislative,
executive,
finan-
cial,
and
administrative
officers
a
ra-
tional
method
of
handling
financial
as
well
as
strictly
employment
matters.
Classification
of
Positions
and
Salaries
in
the
Service
of
the
State
of
Pennsylvania
1
By
RICHARD
H.
LANSBURGH
Professor
of
Industry,
Wharton
School
of
Finance
and
Commerce,
University
of
Pennsylvania
UNDER
authority
granted
by
the
~J
Pennsylvania
legislature
in
Gov-
ernor
Pinchot’s
&dquo;Administrative
Code,&dquo;
passed
in
June,
19~~,
a
classification
of
the
employes
of
the
state
was
under-
taken,
in
order
that
salaries
for
similar
services
might
be
standard.
Prior
to
this
classification,
there
had
been
no
concerted
effort
to
study
positions
in
the
state
service,
or
to
pay
equally
for
equal
service,
either
as
between
the
several
departments,
or
within
one
de-
partment.
A
large
proportion
of
posi-
tions,
about
twenty-five
per
cent,
car-
ried
statutory
salaries,
which
had
been
fixed
or
changed
over
a
period
of
years
with
little
regard
for
the
work
per-
formed.
The
remainder
of
the
posi-
tions
carried
salaries
that
had
been
fixed
by
department
heads
as
occasion
arose,
and
as
the
demands
of
the
market
or
of
the
individual
employe
seemed
to
require.
These
methods
of
the
past,
combined
with
the
authority
vested
in
the
Execu-
tive
Board
of
the
state,2
made
a
fertile
field
for
a
detailed
study
of
the
per-
sonnel
and
positions
in
the
state
serv-
ice.
It
was
also
possible,
because
of
these
conditions,
to
develop
a
classifi-
cation
of
positions
based
on
the
best
1
Mr.
Lansburgh
was
in
responsible
charge
of
the
work
of
classification
done
in
Pennsylvania
for
the
Executive
Board.
2
The
Governor
and
four
cabinet
members
named
by
him.
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