Theodore R. McKeldin, Governor      355.

men, messengers—in fact, all outside the teaching staff—~
should not be selected under merit system rules like em-
ployees in other departments. One can readily understand
the perfectly human impatience of an appointing officer
with restrictions imposed upon him by a merit system.
Nevertheless, public opinion favors the civil service system
for other than academic employees. This system was not
established in our State and in other State and City govern-
ments idly, to harrass the appointing power, but because it
was deemed necessary to prevent patronage abuses for
political and other purposes unrelated to the public good.
Experience has shown that the civil service, with all its
faults, is preferable to the spoils system. Why should the
established practice be abandoned by the University, and
what reason shall we give to other departments who come
seeking similar immunity from restraint in the selection of
employees ?

3.  Why should the University, alone among State depart-
ments, be free to pay any amount it pleases in excess of
what the Standard Salary Board fixes for similar employ-
ment in other departments? There is no rational justifica-
tion for allowing the University to pay its non-academic
employees, chosen without regard to civil service, more
than people of the same qualifications and in the same
classification and performing identical duties in other State
offices.

If, as has been suggested, good reasons can be shown for
establishing a separate salary standard for employees living
in the College Park area, the Standard Salary Board has the
power under existing law, or such power can readily be con-
ferred, to authorize differentials. Such a matter should not
be determined by the University alone, for its action directly
affects broad policies of the State and the ultimate burden
of the taxpayer.

Little imagination is needed to foresee what it would do
to the morale of other State employees if the University
were given a free hand with respect to such salaries. Other
departments would seek similar autonomy and this would
lead to ultimate abandonment of the classification and
salary system of the State, which is designed to assure equal
pay for equal work. This change would not conduce to
sound public administration.

4.  The bill explicitly gives the University the right to
build schools wherever it wants. In defense, it has been
asserted that the University now has this right. If so, it
should not have it. The Princess Anne experience sup-