Morning journal and courier., 1885-01-10
Saturday, January 10, 1885.
A GOOD EXAMPLE,.

If Civil Service reform is a good thing for federal and State business it is also a good thing for municipal business. That it IS good thing for the latter is clearly shown by the first report of the Civil Service com mission of the city of Brooklyn, which is a notable document, and will attract much at tention.
 The Civil Service commission of Brooklyn consists of eleven members, who are also the examiners. The commissioners are not at present paid for their services, and the entire expense of the work has been but s1 400 for the year. The aver age total number of persons in the service of Brooklyn is 3,679. Of these $50 are laborers and day workmen, and 1, ,722 are teachers and employees under the board of education, who are exempt from examination, as are also 93 officers having places of special trust and executive responsibility. The total num- Der subject to competition is AIS, of which "A are in the police, 331 in the fire depart ment, 125 in the department of city works, 165 clerks, bookkeepers and copyists and the remainder of varied character.
 The value of competitive examinations in the care of clerks is plain. It has been proved to be equal in the Police and Fire departments of Brooklyn, and has also work ed well in the minor executive positions in the department of public works. The report of the commission says: "Our experience and observation bring us larger and larger assurance that an open free competition is the essential condition of the reform of the civil service; that where such competition is not practicable it is better to leave to the appointing officer an undivided and an un- limited responsibility and that such a com petition can be advantageously used for very many places to which it has not been sup l posed to be applicable, and, indeed, for near | ly all classes of the municipal servants" Tc illustrate what is meant by this the coI1mis
 sion says: ''The examination for foremen o street repair gangs was deemed an extreme l application of the competitive test, and it. result was awaited with much interest ant l no little anxiety" It was decisive success | Of course in the examination of candidates | for foremen on street repair gangs no ques | tions concerning Latin and Greek" wer' | asked The examination was directed to th'
 knowledge of street repairs and the capacity l to manage workmen. The experience of th'
 candidate in like work was given a weight O | 60 out of 250. The remaining 190 was giveI | to the candidates knowledge of practical de
 tails of work, necessary tools, use of mater
 ials, treatment of foundation, work whief 1 a payer should do, and measurements ant
 computations required in the work. It ii clear that these are precisely the points o1 | which, in some way, a private employer would try to inform himself before engaging 1 foreman. The result showed that the | same thing could be done for the city. 4 like success was obtained regards the in vestigation of character and physical qualif
 cations for policemen and watchmen.
 The result of this experiment in Brooklyn is very encouraging, and will help the great reform materially. We may yet see such z system set in operation in New Haven
 There is need enough of it.