Morning journal and courier., 1884-12-20
Saturday, December 20, 1884.
CIVIL SERVICE RULES.

l Civil Service Reform seems to be a real | thing in Massachusetts. A Civil Service act was passed by the last legislature, and the
 commissioners have prepared their rules, which have been approved by the governor | and council. These rules cover the ground | pretty thoroughly.
 Two divisions of the offices and places to l be filled under the rules are established. The l first includes all the official service of the ] State and of the cities; the second includes 1 all the labor service of the city of Boston, | the laborers employed by other cities not be- l ing within the scope of the act. The first 1 division is subdivided into two schedules, A 1 and B, the former including the clerical l service, and the second policemen, fremen, prison guards, watchmen, and so forth. l Schedule A comprises two classes distin- guished by the amount of their annual com pensation only. Those who receive less than eight hundred dollars compose the first class, and those who receive eight hundred dollars or
 more the second. Schedule B is classified in l four classes; the first including turkeys, watchmen and others performing services of like character in the prisons and certain other institutions of the State; the second, members of the fire department of Boston; the third, the district police and all members of the regular police of the several cities ex- cept Boston; the fourth, the regular police of
 Boston.
 Examinations for admission to the first division of the service are limited to the fol- lowing subjects: 1st Orthography, enman- ship and copying. 2d Arithmetic -funda- mental rules, fractions and percentage. 3d. Interest, discount and elements of bookkeep- ing and of accounts 4th Elements of the English language, letter writing and the proper construction of sentences. 9th. Ele- ments of the geography, history and govern ment of the United States, the common wealth of Massachusetts, or the city in which service is sought 9th. The special duties of the office. No one shall be admitted to the higher grade of clerical service whose standing, as the result of the general ex- animation, shall be less than 65 per cent. of complete proficiency in the first three sub iects, but for places in which lower grade of education is sufficient the examinations may be limited to any of the subjects, as the commissioners may direct. Examinations of
 
 special or technical character may be order ei as necessary, and may be competitive or not. Character, experience, physical condi- tion and natural aptitude for the service will be taken into account, as well as the answers to questions. When an officer or board hay ing the power of appointment shall request, the commissioners shall certify the names of the three most eligible persons on the regis ter, and from the names certified the ap- pointments shall be made, provided that honorably discharged soldiers and sailors shall be preferred over other persons having equal qualifications. Provisions are made for cases requiring proficiency in special sub jects. Transfers may be made from one de- partment to another in the same class with out examination.
 Appointments under these rules are for the period of six months only, and if, at the end of that time of probation, the person ap- pointed is found satisfactory he shall be ab- solutely appointed or employed, otherwise shall be considered out of the service In general promotions are not subject to these rules, but in case the person appointed has never passed an examination which entities him to be placed on an eligible list for the position to which he is promoted he shall pass non-competitive examination. Laborers in the city departments of Boston must give ev- idenee of their capacity for labor and their habits as to sobriety and industry, and may
 then be registered in the order of their appli ! cation. When the services of laborers are required the commi -sioners upon being noti- fled shall give the names of twice the number of men needed, making an impartial selec ton from the registry by lot otherwise,
 giving preference, however, to discharged soldiers and sailors; and the men to be em- ployed shall be selected from the list so fur
 nished. Temporary employments in emer- l gencies are suitably provided for.
 It seems as if these rules would work well. Perhaps Connecticut will sometime have Mil ,-1,1ae