Evening star., 1895-06-13
UNDER fHE RULES
The Printing Office Classification
Goes to the President.
His APPROVAL TIRE LAST step
Twenty-F i've; Hundred Employees
Embraced in the Order.
KNOTTY QUESTIONS SETTLED

KNOTTY QUESTIONS SETTLED
By appointment. the civil service commits
sion and the public printer will this after
noon at > o'clock meet the President and
lay before him the order placing the gov
ernment printing office under the classi-
fed civil service rules.
1t is taken for granted by the employees
of The office that the President will listen
to the request which now. through the
commission and their bureau chief, Is laid
: before him, and that his assent will be
given to the proposition. This is probable;
yet there are O. great many details that
may. in the course of the careful consid-
Grafton which the President is likely to
give the matter, bring about delay or an
entire rearrangement of the classification
as now agreed upon by the employees, the
public printer and the civil service COM
mission.
The greatest difficulty in the matter so
far has been to fix upon a scheme of re-
quirements in the various trades employ
ed at the printing office so as to protect
those who are employed and not leave
loophole for unjust and arbitrary removals
for political purposes.
Twenty-One Hundred Employees.
There are over $500 employees affected
by this action. and they are not only type
settlers, but pressmen, engineers, bookbnd-
ers. folders, proof readers, clerks, book
keepers, mechanics. and various other
workingmen.
The bookbinders have from the start held
out against the proposition Their COM
mittee met the civil service commission
Tuesday last and had a full discussion of
the whole matter in every aspect affecting
their interests. When it was concluded
they said that if the bookbinders at their
recent meeting protesting against the civil
service order had been as well informed
of the whole intent of the commission as
the committee then were. no opposition
would nave been made.
The Apprentice Question.
The order, as formulated, has been made
to cover the matter of apprenticeship so
that any candidate for the position OF COM
positor or pressman must have served four
years as an apprentice and one as jour-
neyman before he can be eligible for eX
animation for probationary appointment
to the force. Similar rules will be put in
force in the bookhindng department and
press rooms.
1t is understood that there will also be
provision in the order for emergenci les,
when suddenly stress of work falls upon
the Office and large increase of employees
is needed So, too, precautions have been
considered to prevent a hindrance of pub
lie work in case Of strikes in any branch of
the office. ~
.... How 1t Began.
The movement for the classification of
the government printing office under the
civil service rules originated with the trade
workers themselves. 1T began with peti-
tions of the pressrheft's union, followed by
petitions of other trades unions of the gov
rin he
then asked an andiencei with the civil ser
vice commission for the purpose of present.
ing a committee representing majority
OF the trades branches in the government
printing office Several conferences fol-
lowed between the representatives of the
various unions, the-puhlic printer and the
civil service commission -. .f.-
The effect of the application of the civil
service rules to The government printing
Office was MT at first fully understood by
Some of the unions. They feared that the
effect of the rules would be to diminish
the membership of the labor organizations,
and that the same opportunities would eX-
ist for improper removals.
The Arguments Against 1t.
1t was said that the unions could deter
mine the qualities of a man for appoint
ment; that it was unjust to have an edu-
cational or theoretical examination, as few
of the members of the unions have ever
that such an education would not material
ly. improve a mans ability in his specific
trade. The commission, however. explain
ed to the workmen that if the rules were
applied to the printing office the practical
examination for admission to the service
would be little more stringent than the
tests required by the unions themselves
that no application for examination would
be received for a place belonging to one of
the recognized mechanical trades from a
person who had not served five years in
the trade to which he belonged one year
of which service should have been rendered
as Il journeyman. This would require four
years of apprenticeship and one year as
Journeyman. The commission also explain
ed that ii would make searching inquiry
into the truth of the applicants state
ments of the extent of his experience in
his trade There would be personal ques-
tons covering mans entire history in his
trade.
1t Covers All Now in the Office
1t was further explained that the classi-
fication would cover, without examination,
all persons who are now in the service.
examination being required only of per-
sons hereafter to be appointed If by re-
duction of force workmen should be dis
missed they would be entitled to reappoint-
ment without examination at any time
within one year, applying the same rule
as applies in other branches of the service
The examinations are intended to be prac-
tical tests, with very simple test in the
subjects of a common school education
In respect to the unions, the commission
explained that the unions would have the
same relation with the public printer and
the same influence with him that they now
have. and that the rules would not affect
the membership Of their unions in any
way. Every privilege and opportunity
which they now have members of the
unions they would continue to have under
the civil service rules. The rules simply
would not affect the unions in any way
AT present person may be appointed in
the government printing Office who is not
a member of a union
The practical effect of what the opera
ton of the rules weuld be was explained
to the representatives of the trades, and
they all agreed that if all the members of
their organizations understood tie facts
they would .be unanimous in favor of hav-
ing the rules applied to the government
printing Office. They also agreed that some
kind of scholastic test should be had for
the filling of every position.
The order will doubtless go into effect