36 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1922. 



Desmond was separated from the service of the Museum as lieutenant 

 of the watch on March 23, 1922, under the civil service retirement act. 



President Harding authorized the Bureau of Efficiency, on October 

 24, 1921, to prescribe for all Government departments a uniform 

 system of efficiency ratings of employees and directed the heads of 

 the departments to put the system into effect. Ratings were first 

 to be established for employees engaged in clerical or routine work, 

 such as clerks, stenographers, bookkeepers, messengers, and skilled 

 laborers, and afterwards to be extended to employees engaged in pro- 

 fessional, scientific, technical, administrative, or executive work, or 

 any other work involving for the most part original or constructive 

 effort. 



The system was inaugurated by a survey of all the positions 

 existing in the Museum on November 15, 1921, carefully prepared 

 and submitted to the Bureau of Efficiency. An initial report on 

 the efficiency of each Museum employee was made, dating May 15, 

 1922, and similar reports are to be submitted every six months here- 

 after. 



By act of Congress approved June 17, 1922, the provisions of the 

 retirement act of May 22, 1920, were extended to charwomen, laborers, 

 and other employees on a regular annual basis, both classified and 

 unclassified, with basic salary less than $600 per annum. By Execu- 

 tive order of June 7, 1922, President Harding also covered within 

 this retirement act, effective September 1, 1922, all unclassified em- 

 ployees receiving $600 or more a year. 



The Museum staff lost during the year, by death, Mr. Joseph B. 

 Leavy, philatelist; Mr. Thomas F. Haney, preparator; Mr. A. L. 

 Fant, lieutenant of the watch. 



Mr. Joseph B. Leavy, in charge of the collection of postage 

 stamps in the Museum from 1913, died in Georgetown University 

 Hospital, on July 25, 1921, after a lingering illness. 



Mr. Leavy, who was born March 7, 1872, was educated at Columbia 

 University, and during his undergraduate years was much interested 

 in athletics, especially rowing. After leaving college he entered into 

 business, in which he continued for several years. He served in 

 the United States Army during the Spanish-American War. As a 

 boy he devoted his time to the collection of postage stamps and be- 

 came an acknowledged authority on philately. When it became nec- 

 essary to put the collection of the United States National Museum 

 in proper order, he was called to undertake that work with the title 

 of philatelist. To him credit must be given for the very satisfactory 

 installation of the Government collection, which includes specimens 

 of all new issues sent to the Post Office Department from various 

 foreign Governments, 



