544 PARKS 



From the viewpoint of the employee civil service has the advantage 

 of: (i) Providing him a reasonable security in tenure of employment. This 

 often is more theoretical than real, since an employee or a group of employees 

 can be dropped by the governing authority abolishing the position. (2) 

 Freeing him from the necessity of playing politics in order to hold his posi- 

 tion. Most civil service laws specifically order that employees shall not 

 participate in political activities, or be assessed or make contributions 

 toward the support of any political organization or campaign. (3) Secur- 

 ing promotion by an orderly process where through his own efforts at study 

 or keen observation and practical experience he fits himself for a higher 

 and larger field of work. (4) Providing him with a means of securing an 

 impartial hearing in case the employing officer for an unjust reason attempts 

 to discharge him. 



In order to get the best results from the civil service method of employ- 

 ment in filling positions requiring technical training and experience of the 

 employees, it is highly desirable that competition be open to applicants from 

 a far wider radius than the local community. The smallest possible unit 

 should be the state, and it would be better if competition was open to appli- 

 cants from the entire country. The highest welfare of the service is often 

 defeated if only citizens of the local community are allowed to become 

 applicants. In making promotions the rule of seniority should not be too 

 strictly adhered to. A subordinate who, by diligent study, close application 

 to his work, exercise of his powers of observation and accumulation of prac- 

 tical experiences, fits himself for a larger responsibility, should not be denied 

 the chance to assume this responsibility over a senior if the senior has 

 merely been a time server and made no special effort to increase his effi- 

 ciency. 



Services requiring very high technical qualifications, whether of a purely 

 temporary or permanent nature, in an advisory capacity, such as may be 

 rendered by a landscape architect in planning a park and recreation 

 system and designing of properties, or a building architect in designing impor- 

 tant structures, or an engineer in designing important construction projects, 

 or an organized recreation expert in setting up an organized recreation 

 system, should not, as a rule, be subject to civil service. The governing 

 authority and the superintendent should have perfect freedom to go any- 

 where to get the best possible assistance available. 



Because of the seasonal or periodic nature of park service, it will always 

 be necessary in practically every park system to employ various types of 

 workers on a plan other than a per annum basis. This is especially true in 

 organized recreation, horticultural, policing and general maintenance serv- 

 ices. In periodic construction work also this will be true. A civil service 



