Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-03
TESTING THE PRINTERS
Further Applications Likely to Be Called
For Soon
This Weeks Examinations VIII Not
Furnish an Adequate List
of Eligiblcs.

I
examination today at the civil service
| rooms for the positions of typesetters,
| p1 essmen and bookbinders in the goverl-
ment printing office. Six of them were
young women. Among the men were sew
eral who had evidently given up the use
of hair restorer in utter despair. Other
wise the examination room had very much
the appearance of a similar scene in some
college or high school,
In addition to the ordinary and simple
tests of efficiency in arithmetic, geography
and similar English branches, a very severe
test was given those who took the exanli-
| nation for positions as compositors in proof
| reading, grammar, syntax and Typography
Test pages were furnished each applicant
OF matter photolithographed, with every
| conceivable error possible in typesetting.
| These the candidate was expected to set
straight. These photolithographed tests
| consisted of about an octave page of. mat
| ter the lines wide spaced and every word
| numbered, so that the answers could also
| De numbered to correspond. There were
| singular subjects. with plural verbs ard
! vice versa, commas inverted, colons in the
wrong place, battered type, wrong font
| letters and great variety of ingenously
| erroneous writing. Another photolitho-
graphed page represented a sheet of proof
that had been to the proofreader and bore
uPoH the gins his COrrectlOnS, the SD
p!icant being expected to explain each and
all of them and show just where and how
the correction should be made
This is as far as the practical tests went
INTO today's examination. Those who
passed this preliminary examination will
go upon the list as eligbles. Whenever
any of these eligibles are certified to the
puti1c printer for appointment a second
ana final examination will be held at the
government printing office before a board
specially appointed by the civil service
commission. These final tests will involve
only practical efficiency in the class of
work for which the appointee is a candi-
date For the candidates for appoint
ment as ccmpositors and pressmen a board,
consisting Of Messrs. Harold Benedict,
George N. Pierce. A. P. Marston, George
r. McNier, E. A. Sardo, w. H. Collins and
r. b. Hastie. will act as examiners. For
those who apply for places in the book
Eindery al board consisting 1n;s Of Messrs T.
and j. L. Nuber, will act examiners.
Difficulty of Practical Tests.
The commission has given good deal of
time and study to this matter Of practical
tests. AMI has been greatly embarrassed
In arriving at feasible solution Of the
difficulties presented. The examinations
are open to candidates from all parts of
the United States, and precisely such tests
as have been made here in Washington
during tie past two or three days will be
held in the various cities where civil serv-
Ice examinations are appointed. But in
mere of these places except Washington
did the commission have at its command
the facilities essential to the practical tests
of efficiency necessary to be made. Not
even in New York, where the government
has quite an extensive printing office in the
pest office building. was there an oppor-
tunity for such practical tests as are neces-
sary to admit an applicant into the service
at the government printing cffice.
If 1t was simply mater of testing COM
poSitorS, tina. could be done in almost any
Of the large cities. bpt among the appli-
Cants are electrotypers, job printers press.
men, stereotyper5. EookbiGders and one or
two other classes of special mechanics
Only IN the government printing Office has
the government at its command the means
of finding out what those VINO want to en-.
ter the service can do in Their special lines
OF employment. The job printers were
tested today in the examinations at the
civil service building by means of printed
specimen jobs in which errors OF typog.
Iaphy and printar-ike taste were made
correct absolute errors and express his
opinion of what good taste in job work re-
quired.
The Probationary Examinations.
Under rule of the civil service rules to
apply to the government printing office it
is provided that any person VINO has pass
ed the preliminary examination and been
certified to the public printer for appoint
ment shall be given work for probational
period of six months, during which the
officer under hom the probatione- Is serv-
ing is expected to observe carefully and
report IN writing upon the character of the
work done and the qualifications OF the
p-obationer as to punctualty, industry
kabits ability and adaptability and the3a
reports are to be preserved on file in a:
manner prescribed by the civil service
commission. This is virtually an examina-
ton The appointee is also to be subjected
to practical test in which he or she must
attain an average Of 30 per cent on
maximum of 100 per cent or be rejected
The bookbind ar is given a book to gather
stitch and bind
The pressran will be given form to put
upon the press and make ready with
''underlays" and "overlays," and the COM
positor will receive a take which he must
go to case and set as well as he
can and as rapidly as possible, and the
electrotyper will be given page of type or
cut to mold and electrotype, or an electro
type Shell" already produced, to back"
with lead In this way the expert boards
which have been appointed will very quickly
be able to decide upon the efficiency of the
persons who have been certified for appoint
ment
More Examinations Soon.
Notwithstanding the publicity given to
the fact that these examinations were to
be held this week, and the large number of
candidates who presented themselves for
examination, it seems to be apparent that
the eligible list resulting will be wholly in
adequate to supply the government printing
office with the number of employees that
will be required in the next few months.
This means that those applicants who have
successfully passed these examinations are
very likely to be appointed without very
great delay. provided the quotas from the
states where they reside are not already full.
Until a sufficient eligible list is established
by the civil service commission the public
printer under the law and the precedents
that have been established will make ap-
pointments in the old way, upon recon-
mendation and such practical tests as have
been in vogue in the office for many years
1t is likely that the civil service commits
sion will at once announce another ex-
animation for bookbinders and pressmen,
as there were very few applicants for these
positions. and with the ordinary require
ments of the office the eligible list in these
two lines of employment would be very
quickly wiped out 1t is not improbable
that there will also be another examination
for compositors before long. A similar ne
cessity does not exist ip the matter of
skilled labor, where the applicants are
chiefly women.