New-York tribune., 1884-02-03
THE PIONEER or CIyIL SERvICE.

REFORMS IN THE GOVERNMENT BUREAUS ANTfcI-
PATED IN THE RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE
Many OF the reforms IN the Civil Service which
have been recently put In operation In the department,
OF the Governmental service were IN use years ago In
the Second Division Of the Railway Mall Service Of which
superintendent Jackson IL the head. Mr Jackson has
records extending back TO 1871 showing the beginning
Of tho system which has since been continued The
register kept by the Superintendent contains the state
ments made BY each clerk he the service in
reference 10 his name age residence and condition Then
hafpage is left In which entries are made OF any COM
plants against the clerk The registers are indeed
80 that the record Of any clerk may be seen
at glance. Tho results CT the different
examinations made by the Department are also
placed the record Of each clerk The first record con.
tanned the registers IL that Of Charles Lyon Supern
tendent Jacksons present chief clerk OF the re-
cords show that several complaints often found
against clerk before he ts dismissed. memoran-
DUN Is made OF each offence and Of the punishment in
ncted as, for instance, that mail bag was lett IN.
delivered The clerk says that the fault lay with tho
station master The matter il Investigated, and IL tho
clerks found to be at fault suspension with los. Of
pay may be inflicted.
The examinations are thorough. and are confined TO
matters relating the duties which the clerks arc 10
perform. The appointments made nc Washington,
and the clerks often unknown at the Office In New
York until their arrival for duty They put
on probation The examinations, which governed by
detailed instructions given by Superintendent
Jackson begin about two weeks after the cork has
tered hs probationary service. The first examination
upon the instructions issued by the Department
govern railway postal clerks in the performance their
duties. and upon the facility in reading addresses and
distributing matter for delivery along the ne of The road
which the clerk Is employed The examinations
conducted under the direction OF clerks detailed
purpose In the reading test 100 addrcssc envelopes
are furnished by the department Each clerk is asked TO
abbre yiaons must be read In full The examiner super
vses the reading and notes made by the clerk
He also notices whether there Is any weakness In tho
vision OF the clerk lie notes the time taken and tho
degree OF correctness and makes return TO the super
intcndent clerk sometimes reads the 100 en-
yelOpes correctly In six minutes. es.,
All the other examinations except that In regard to tho
instructions issued by the Post Office Department consist
in distributing cards Into pigeon marked with tho
frames for use In these distributions stand in tie room
occupied by p p. Warng the chief examiner the top
use in the first examination of prObatOncrs IL has 100
pge1nhole each Of which is the Of OF tho
100 counties OF Virginia State which has larger
ber of counties than any other In the Second Division
II the examination Is IN the counties OF Ne-I9rk New
gna slips inserted TO indicate the counties or one of
those states large number OF cards with the names OF
expected to put each card In the box OF the county in
SGn Sns SS cSSy the F
is considered sufficiently expert The clerk Is also re-
ourcd give the boundaries OF the counties Of the State
| and their relative position In the state.
Another examination consists in distributing cards
bearing tho names of the postotices Of tho state
| into boxes which marked with the designations
OF the mail The used for the mail routes in
the railway mail service not the railroad names, but
those that indicate the terminal points. For Instance in
stead of tho NewYork Central and Harlem River Rail-
road there the routes New York and Albany and
Albany aud Buffalo,"
visit of TRIBUNE reporter to the room or
Chief Examiner Waring middle-aged man engaged
in distributing cards for the mail routes Of NewYork
There nearly $50 pgeonhoes In the frame, and IN
box beside the clerk 100 cards each bearing tho
name Of Of the NewY0rk pOstOces The clerk took
up twenty thirty cards at time and distributed them
rather slowly into the pgeOnhoes Many Of the cards
bearing names of insignificant posoccs were placed
aside unknown the clerk The State OF Pennsylya
mia about 5000 post-oices, aud the examination
the mail Of that State or OF Is regarded
as especially severe. Few clerks able 10
distribute correctly all the post-olices OF
state but most OF them become proficient In distributing
for the pOstOces along the which they work,
and the principal points In other parts OF the State Ex
amnacns are also had in the distribution for the postal
stations IN the city OF NewYOrk. Mail matter for this
city Ia now distributed many OF the mail carts running
IN this city, that instead OF SEEDING all the leters 10
the main office distribution, the carriers take them To
the proper stations immediate delivery When clerk
has been probation for six months. and has shown
fair degree OF expertness he Is placed the regular
force II IA found that young and those accustomed
TO exercise OF their memories in study attain the re-
Quired facility n distribution the most quickly.