Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-16

law which gave veterans the preference
Along with the application blank the COM
mission sends a schedule of examinations.
There are 143 places in the United States where
those who want to be examined can 60 through
the mill, and each one can select the particular
place at which he or she would prefer to I'M
dergo the torture. Accompanying these doc
uments is detailed description of the mode of
certifying and appointing. No recommended
lions or certificate Is allowed other than those
on the application paper and no others would
De received There is no necessity for seeking
the AID OF any presumably influential person;
It doesn't do any good. The committee con-
Quoting an examination has no discretion what
whole action is a matter Of record. based upon
strict justice to all applicants alike.
HOW EXAMINATIONS ARE CONDUCTED.
In the examinations the applicants are known
only by number which is given them from
the commissions examination sheet" on
which the numbers run continuously from one
upward. The declaration sheet which dis
closes the candidates identity is filled out and
folded by the candidate and put into a sealed
envelope, on which the applicant writes his
examination number only. At the close of an
examination the papers are marked by the
central board of examiners-gentlemen per-
manently detailed from the various departments
for that purpose. The papers are marked
strictly in the order of the dates of the exami-
pieted the standing of each competitor is as
certained the envelopes containing the decla-
ration sheets are opened and for the first time
it is known to whom each set of examination
papers belongs. The papers of supplemental
examinations for places in the depart
ments which require some special informa-
ton or skill In addition to the ordinary
clerical qualifications-such as type writer's,
stenographers, law clerks, &c:-together with
those OF special examinations for places like
those OF assistant examiners in the patent
ONCE, examiners in the pension office, meteor
ologists, botanists, &C., are marked by special
boards OF examiners, consisting of gentlemen
In the departments who are most eminent in
the speciaties covered by the examinations.
THE REGISTER OF ELIaIBLEs
Those applicants who attain general aver
age OF 10 excepting veteran Union soldiers or
sailors, who need obtain but 65) are entered
upon the registers OF eligibles in the secre-
tarys division. Those who have taken the
clerical examinations have their names placed
upon the registers of the states in which they
have their legal residence, while those who
have taken the supplementary and special ex-
amlnatlons are recorded upon separate regis
tiers. When a vacancy occurs in the clerical
force of one of the departments the certiication
to I'LL 1t is made from those who have taken the
examination, which embraces nothing more
elaborate than can be met by any one who has
had good common school education. The
requlsltons from the departments are made on
blank FORMS in which the sex. salary or class
OF the clerk wanted are stated.
APPoRTIoNING THE APPOINTMENTS
The apportionment of appointments to the
various states and territories is matter that
causes great deal Of labor. The law requires
an apportionment according to population. To
bring about this appordonment the commits
sion assumes that 800 appointments will be
made. The first apportionmcnt made by the
commission was based upon congressional rep
resentation, and when that had been filled the
number was raised to 1000. In little while
that was too small and then it Was increased to
1000. charging the previous excess in the case
OF any states on the new apportionment. These
1000 appointments were divided 500 being of
women from the copyists' registers and 1,500
mixed appointments from other examinations.
In these 1.500 appointments New York, having
n little more than one-tenth of the population
of the country. based upon the last census.
would be entitled to Isl appointments; Ken
lucky to so, North Carolina to ~. and the
District of Columbia to g. or one appointment
to each $500 of population. As matter of
fact New York has az this time received rs APP
pointments; Kentucky, %, and North Carolina.
- The certihcation is invariably made from
the state which at the time has received the
smallest share of appointments. The names OF
the three persons standing highest. Of the sex
and grade given i'll the request of the depart
ment are entered upon certitcation blank
kept i'll stub book and are sent to the head OF
the department accompanied by the papers Of
the three eligiblcs. From the three namca
thus submitted the appointing officer makes
the selection.