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Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. I ) E P ~ B T O~F TTB E INTERIOR, OFFICOEF INDIAh Nu m , Washkgtm, Noumber 1,1910. SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith the Seventy-ninth h u a l Report of the Office of Indian Affairs covering the period July 1,1909, to June 30,1910. EMPLOYEES. Several changes in the policy of the service have been made with a view to improving the personnel and increasing the efficiency of its employees. The constant shifting of employees from one school or agency to another has in the past been the bane of the Indian Service personnel. For various reasons, either through the importunities of the employees or their friends or on account of some dissatisfaction, the pressure to make these changes has been exceedingly great. The evil has been largely eliminated by prohibiting transfers at indis-criminate times during the fiscal year. This rule has been closely adhered to with reference to the schools, with the consequence that now these changes, with few exceptions, are limited to vacation periods. The beneficial effects of this policy are far-reaching in that it has eliminated from the minds of the employees ideas resulting from a constant desire to change and has relieved the officers in charge from the necessity of breaking in new people at any and all times. As a corollary of this plan the old system of granting promotions at the beginning of each fiscal year has been done away with, and now promotion is made whenever it is clearly shown that employees are deserving of promotion. This idea is being carefully impressed on the field service, and when thoroughly appreciated it undoubtedly will have the effect of improving the personnel by inculcating greater interest in the work. There has been marked improvement in the method of handling the employee personnel. Heretofore the record of employees has been kept in large and cumbersome record books. These books have been entirely eliminated and a complete card system installed. This has meant an immense saving of clerical labor and will make the records much more accessible. It also does away with the aruiual transfer of the entire employee force from one book to another at the beginning of each fiscal year. 8 |