The Portland daily press., 1873-02-11
Washington Matters.
FHE PATENT COMMISSIONERS kEfohi
GOOD RESULTS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE
RULES.

FHE PATENT COMMISSIONERS REPohI-
GOOD RESULTS OF THE CIVIL SERVICE
RULES.
Commissioner Leggett of the patent office
reports the receipts Of his bureau during the
calendar wear as 5000, ,726; expenditures,
S665 .595: and the balance now in the treas
ury to the credit of the office, S794. III
Eighteen thousand two hundred and forty
six applications have been filed, and IL. $40
patents issued during the past year; the num-
Der OF Applications being fewer and of patents
larger than the previous year-the commits
sioner says IN consequence of more thor
ougn diffuslon of patent Office intelligence and
regulations, which has made applications.
though less in number, much better in quail
". Inc proportion of patents to population
ranges from one in every S29 persons in Con-
nectlcut to one in 45, ,935 in New Mexico.
Inc commissioner speaks favorably of the
new official publication of his office, the
Weekly Gazette, which is in steadily increas-
ing demand, and in the highest terms of the
practical operation of the civil service reform.
His remarks upon the latter subject are as fol-
lows:
''The new rules for the civil service went into
operation in this bureau in May last I was
not sanguine as to the wisdom of their adop-
ton, but determined they should have a fair
and impartial test in the patent Office. In the
examinations have in no way interfered and
have expressed no preferences for candidates.
believe the examination board have conscien-
tiously framed their questions and conducted
their examinations with a single view of Sc
curing the best men for the vacant positions,
and the result has greatly transcended my ex
pectations. 1t has stimulated to study and
efficiency former employees, and has brought
into the Office class of intelligent, vigorous
and enterprising young men whom it would
have been impossible to obtain by any other
system. For this bureau the examiners have
endeavored to test the applicants special fitness
for the vacant positions, and the questions
have been thoroughly practical. One hundred
and ninety-two'persons have been examined for
promotion, seventy-four of whom have passed
above the minimum standard and forty-nine
have been promoted. Fifty-twO have been ex-
amined for original appointment, twenty-five
Of whom passed above the minimum and nine
have been appointed. The operation of
the cvil-service rules has certainly very great
ly improved the efficiency of the working force
in the patent office The civil service is
clogged and impeded, however, by obstacles
not provided against in the new rnles. If ten
men are appointed to positions to-day, nine of
whom prove to be well qualified, active, intel
ligent and efficient, and one barely above the
minimum in these requisites, it will be found
that nine will develop into men of too much
spirit and enterprise to remain in clerical posi-
tions and will enter business pursuits of pr-
vate life, whilst the tenth man probably goes
plodding along in the Office, of less value prob
ably than when first appointed, yet willing to
stay without advancement as long as the ap-
pointing power under pressure of outside in
huences can be induced to retain him. BY this
process comparatively worthless sediment ac-
cumulates in the bureaus, depressing it's char
acter and increasing the expense of the civil
service. IF the civil service commission can
invent broom that will effectually sweep out
this sediment 1 shall deem it worthy of
patent"
APPROPRIATIONS.
The last but one, and one of the largest of
the regular appropriation bills,-the sundry
civil or omnibus-was reported to the House
Monday, having been substantially completed
by the committee Saturday. Its aggregate will
be above twenty millions, s,-severa millions
less than the estimates, and among the most
important items will be all those for public
buildings throughout the country. A hum
dred thousand dollars was inserted SATURDAY.
through the influence of Mr.. Hale, for life
saving stations along the coast of Maine,
New Hampshire, Massachusetts and North
and South Carolina, S15O,000 for the Boston
and $93 500 for the Portsmouth navy-yards.
The committee denied appropriations to sew
eral Of the local charitable institutions whioh
have become dependent on the general gov
erninent, and otherwise kept the total O, the
bill as low as possible. The river and harbor
appropriation bill is also all completed and
would have been reported Saturday had the
committees on commerce and appropriations
been able to settle their old controversy as to
which should have charge of it in the House.
The former, having proposed and matured
the bill, is unwilling to let it go out of its
hands, while General Garfield, as chairman
OF the appropriations committee, insists that
his committee should at least know some
o1, How, - TO-
in the grand aggr egate of expenditures. After
half an hours discussion of the point Satur-
day, Mr.. Sawyer of the commerce committee
withdrew the bill. Some of the most i'm
portant items, as agreed on by the commerce
committee, are as follows:
Maine st. Croix river at the ledge. $40. 900:
Machias river, $12, 600; Camden river, $1,000;
Penobscot river, 0000; Kennebec river, $12-
900; Portland harbor, $4,000; Richmond
Island, 100000.
THE UTAH BILL.
Ex-Representative Fitch of Nevada has pre-
pared long argument which will be submit
ted to the House judiciary committee Tues
day, against the Merritt bill, which makes
important changes in the federal statutes rel
atlVe to Utah Territory, and which will be
considered by the committee that day. Mr.
Fitch replies directly to the allegations of the
Salt Lake lawyers in their memorial lately
submitted to the House, claiming that the
laws which they cite in support of their po-
sition have never existed, or have been re-
pealed; that the civil practice, &C., of 1870
refutes the charge that the Utah legislature
has neglected to establish wholesome gem
eral system of law; that the municipal char
tiers are like those of all other American to Yns
and cities; that in every case the right of ap,
peal to the federal courts exists, and that in
no instance is there clashing of jurisdiction.