New-York tribune., 1873-03-20

In the month OF june 1872 tho members OF the Board
visited the City OF NewYork under instructions from
the Acting Secretary of the Treasury for the purpose OF
preparing in conjunction with the officers Of the Customs
service and OF the subteasury in that city, plan Tor
the anpcaton of the rules and regulations for the civil
service their offices. Toe Collector and the surveyor
of Customs the Naval officer the Appraiser OF Metchan
disc and the Assistant Treasurer. each appointed
representative 10 meet the members OF tne boau, anu
TO aid them IN the preparation Vi Se'o io6""'o'
applicable to their offices. ,,..,
meeting OF the officers mentioned above by whom they
unanimously approved Lney WeIe ndd
approved by the chairman OF the AuVsOly bOatu anu
were promulgated by the ActnS oecIeIlfy ol tuo
Treasury on the 9TH of August Their provisions are
substantially the those OF the regulations gov
ernng admission to the departments ana examinations
for promotion. The examinations are co4uuo,eu Tl w
board in each OF the offices (th0se OF te CoectOr anu
the Surveyor being considered as one nominated ny the
head of tie office and appointed by the Department
Board with the approval or tne AuNIsorE bOdTu iho
and Inneal consisting of their chalrmen This super
yisory board deemed essential III orer 10 segue as
far M practicable uniform methods OF action ana oil eA
ANIMATION among the subordinate boards Ihe chalfmen
Of the board. sas W. Burt esd specal depn.y naSa
ton of the system in Newlork CITY, winch Is puDSheu
in the appendix 10 this report. , , 81.
The Board desires TO place on record an expression oI
its approcation OF the zeal and judgment which tho
members OF the several Boards in New-fork have
seienous fidelity with which they have adhered TO both
the letter and the spirit of the rules 70 the CHAIRMAN
OF the Beard OF Revision and Appeal whose duties nave
been OF the most exacting and delicate nature, tne
friends of reform are largely indebted Sr the success
The oices mentioned are tho only connected
with the Treasury Department outside OF this city 10
which the rules have been applied The Board has been
prepared TO extend them 10 Othef cltles ana otner
branches of the service for several months anu on nc
10Th of October 1872 IL notified the Secretary IN wrng,
at The rnes were in operation in NewYOrk and OF the
readiness the Board to extend them TO other places
bnf the Secretary deemed prudent TO test the system
thoroughly at NewYork before extending II elsewhere
SUMMARY OF STATISTICS.
Interesting statistical tables printed In the appendix
show that 7O6 applications have been received Tor clerk
ships of class one and 235 for the position OF female
clerk at 5000 year or the whole number 32 were re-
i.ctod because the applicants were manifestly not
ouaaed and s7 for incOmpletcness OF the latter 800
were subsequently, completed To the date Oh thls
report Board has held % eXaminatlons-3eyen Tor
admission and n for prOmoionhas examined 63 can
didaes aud has filed 40 vacancies Inc standing OF
candidates from "a TO 30 years OF age the highest ana
tne pr0porton of the candidates at that appointed
is considerably the largest. Oi bl persons apPOihtcu
only seven than IS years OF age ana only -
more than &c. The average standing OF men Is little
hi cher that Of women as Is also the proportion Oh
we're as foows Clerks, AZ; mercantile, teachers
bookkeepers 2; students ~ ana d1nesuc gutle5' l;
these occupations as follows: Mefcantle ojO5 per
cent; boOkkeepers. % per cent clerks 249 per cent
teachers, If2g per cent; students, 10 per cent ana
domestic duties, 1863 per cent Inc education OF 10
appointees cOlegiate OF 90 academic aud oI 25 COM
mon school. -
1t is believed that. in large majority Of instances,
the results of the examinations for promotions have
been beneficial to the service and satisfactory TO tue
officers and employees OF the Department Notwith-
standing the natural feeling the part Of heads of
Bureaus that the nominations OF persons for promotion
is their prerOgatve, sanctioned by long practice not
by law they have, IN nearly every instance gwen the
pressed their qualification with the results. In or
the larger Offices especially gratifying coincidence has
occurred between the standing of clerks IN the eNtn-
and their efficiency as marBed by the hoau vi INC
Bureau.
There are in every branch of the service men APP
pointed without regard to general intelligence OF cuuc-
ttional acquirements VINO have obtained great
OF s
service 20 the Department. Many or them are SO
ignorant of everything not pertaining to the special
subject upon which they engaged as to be unable to
gain promotion under any system OF examination when
can be devised Even II the examination were limited
10 the very subjects in which they proficient they
would fail-in because their prOnceacy Is
merely mechanical, in others because OF their inability
70 mt what they know into ntelligble form Experts
i'm inc handling of money in the detection or counter
fets and in other matters requiring manual dexterty
mr. onckness of the senses often Of this class Such
persons are often pointed out as examples OF knd OF
illness which the system Of competitive examinations
would have prevented from entering the Departments
To this criticism 1T may be replied tha In almost every
edge after they entered the Departments and that 1t IS
not likely that they would have been slower IN acqnr
ing it had their general acquremehs 1eeh grealer On
the contrary if the present system had been earlier en-
forced the and q m1v po
sessing general intelligence, adaptaOy, ana uselui
ness hut If should be thought that technical knowl
edge should outweigh general intelligence in any par
tcuar case would not be difficult under the present
system to so arrange the examination and the scale OF
weights as TO give the former controlling influence over
the result of the examination =. T.. ..o..,
operaton seems TO bo winning its way in the Depart
ment. The number of competitors who present them
selves usually large enough 10 make the competitions
real one and includes the better portion Of those who
are eligible TO compete 1t Is believed that as the sys-
TEN progresses the acquescence IN VIII become gene
raj and that the better sentiment Of the Department
will be averse 10 q return 10 the old method
aminatons for admission TO the service The general
result of the inquiry is extremely gratyng 1t IS Ger
tain that favorable report could not have been made
concerning any equal number Of persons consecutyely
appointed under the former System Notwithstanding
Unauthorized and biased reports OF the failure OF tho
system in this regard the Board has no hesitation In
saying that the whole 1t has secured much higher
ment and has been sufficiently successful " prove its
utility and TO justify Its continuance ~,--,~-
Another good result OF the reform is the entire cessa
tiOn OF Oceseekng In the ordinary sense OF the term
Although as elsewhere mentioned the members of the
sons desiring be summoned for examination the old
fashioned strife for place so far the offices to which
Persons wishing enter the service have generally
ognized the poyeressness Of political or personal in.
uence and have confined their efforts 10 the methods
pointed out by the Civil Service rules.
A very important result OF the system OF open com
appointments During the nine months that the rules
have been IN operation only 6l frstclass clerks have
made " the 500 class Of fenae Clerks As IS Of the
appointed to cerkshps Of class one already
employed in the Department at 5000 year. the addi
ton TO the clerical force OF the Department has been but
46 persons This increase has been more than Offset by
resignations deaths and dlsmssas, and is smaller
than usual IL safe 10 that the saving in salaries
alone resulting from the operation OF the rules would
be
tin ~ The svstem 10 every branch Of the service to
saw nothing OF the saving due TO the prevention OF the
APPOINTMENT OF worthless persons
the irarked success OF the system OF
competitive examinations "a compared with the former
mode appointment, 1t must - that the char
acer of the applicants for admssic TO the
not been 80 high the Board expeote,. would be- IL
hoped despite the l0wness OF the sarles, that the
prospect OF promotion offered 20 merOrous persons by
the rules and OF tenure OF office permanent than
heretofore combined with the comparative OF .he
Government and the advantages OF Washington
place of residence, would induce OF high order
OF business professional talent 10 seek admission 10
the service. While not qualifying what has been said
concerning the capacity OF those who have been ap
pointed under the rules 10 must be admitted that this
nope has in some measure failed OF fulhllment.
Much OF the Government business Is badly done not