The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-20
A FARCE In RED TAPE
CITY cIyIL-sERvIcE RULES BRING
ABOUT A RIDICULOUS AFFAIR.
Mud Remains I'm the Cutters Awaiting
Qualified shoveIers-Letter Anenf
Carriage.

The city ciyil-service rules, in at least
one of their features, were the laughing
stock OF the courthouse yesterday. The
street commissioner cannot employ laborer
al N.4O day without applying to the sec
rotary or the civil-service board for the
names OF those first on the list. Last Mon
day two laborers and four transfers were
needed by the street commissioner. He first
secured an order from the Board of Works
TO employ the number of men required 1t
was then necessary to write a formal letter
to the secretary of the civil-service board
asking for the names of persons that could
be employed. Another letter was necessary
Tor the secretary to send the names to the
commissioner Then six postal cards We're
sent out TO the six persons, notifying them
tnat through due process of the civiI-service
req tape their names had finally reached
the street commissioner as persons eligible
Tor employment. These cards were sent out
last Tuesday. Great piles of dirt were living
IN the streets in various places awaiting
wagons to haul 1t away and Mr.. Fisher.
patiently waited for teamsters to appear.
Ihere Is nothing in the rules authorizing
the secretary to certify more names i'm
case those first selected do not appear with
In reasonable time.
The civi-service board was confronted
with puzzle. It's own rules seemed to be
getting it into trouble. The street depart
ment was scraping more dirt out of the
cutters than it had teams to haul away.
ana the office of the Board of Works was
being flooded with complaints about leaving
me NTH IN great piles to send up its fearful
doors during these warm afternoons
Mr.. Fisher waited patiently for the men
TO appear and was finally rewarded by one
man inquiring at the office what was wanted
s wi,n MN I'M When he gave his name it was
t ,' tnat ne vas one of the laborers who
him. When told the object of the call he
surprised Mr.. Fisher by informing him that
ne : n mao been IN the employ of the city for
Yesterday ahappy thought flashed through
the mind of some member of the commits
ff9n IN th w gx one VIII never be known
ton Of means for escaping the awful con-
SEQUENCES of rule which requires the
may now he living in San Francisco, the
author OF the suggestion was entirely over
looked. A meeting of the civil-service board
was hastily called Messengers were sent
hlther and thither, calling in the members
and at o'clock yesterday afternoon a
meeting was held in the office of the Board
or Safety The remedy was applied. 1t was
simply that. all names registered prior to
Jan. ! should be dropped and that in the
registered list after the beginning of any
nscal year. A sigh of relief was heard as
the momentous question was finally dis
office with happy smile ON his face that
seemed to indicate that little diplomacy
would overcome the largest obstacles.
The red tape was once more applied and
two letters were written. one by the street
commissioners clerk asking for the names
of two laborers and four teamsters, and
another by the civil-service boards secre-
tary furnishing the required names. Postal
cards were then addressed to the men and
the street commissioner sat down to wait
for their appearance.
The mud is still in the cutters.