Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-23

ornithology, pomology climatology. hortf-
Culture. astronomy. architecture, civil en-
cheering and many other branches.
The applicants for the scientific places
are not many, and 1t happens sometimes,
even, that the commission has to skirmish
to find some one to take the scientific ex-
animation. The reason for this Is that
the government does not pay very much
to its scientific specialists. In the fish COM
mission last year three persons passed
the examination for superintendent Of sta
tions and two of these received appoint
ments, while both the applicants who pass
ed the examination for fish culturist were
appointed. There used to be great de-
mand for typewriters and stenographers In
the service few years ago, and the COM
mission had hard time finding enough
material to fill the vacancies. Last year.
however, only twenty-eight men and hve
women were appointed typewriters and
stenographers, while there were eighty
seven applicants on the eligible list.
The Age Limit.
The law establishes certain age limita-
lions in civil service appointments. In the
departments pages must be fourteen to
eighteen years old at the time Of their
appointment; printers assistants, eighteen
to thirty-1ve years; messengers at least
eighteen years and clerks at least twenty
years. In the railway mail service the ap-
pointee must be eighteen to thirty-hve years
cid. In the Indian service the ages range
from twenty to twenty-five years mini
mum, and from forty-five to f1fty-flve maxi
mum. Then an applicant for appointment
must be physically qualified for service,
must not be a habitual user of intoxicants
and must be a citizen Of the United States.
But these are not the only conditions on
which an appointment may hinge. The
law requires that appointments be appor-
toned among the states and territories
and the District of Columbia according to
population. Sometimes special conditions
increase the number of appointments cred
tied to one state. For example, recently
Carroll ID. Wright, the commissioner OF
labor, applied for the best mathematicians
to be found on the clerk-copyist list, and
the three names sent him happened to be
the names of three Missourians. Another
cause Of the inequality of distribution of
appointments lies in the conditions exist
ing when some branches of the service
were brought within the jurisdiction of the
civil service commission. Most of the old
clerks, who were in the service long before
the civil service law was enacted, have
residences in the District of Columbia or
Maryland or Virginia. Owing to the quota
being reached no applicants for examina-
ton are to be received this spring from
Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, the District of
Columbia, Maryland, Montana, Nevada and
Wyoming There is also an excess credited
to Colorado. Florida, Georgia, Illinois. In
diana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New
Hampshire. New York, Ohio, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island. Vermont, Vir-
ginia, Washington and West Virginia. Ex-
amiDations will be given to residents of
these states, but there is little, If any,
chance that they will receive appoint
mentS.
There are several establishments making
quite a large income sending to people
who desire to take the civil service ex-
animation copies of examination papers
which are supposed to have been obtained
from the commission in surreptitious
way. There Is no secrecy about these pa
pers. In it's annual report the commits
sion prints sample questions for all exam
nations, and 1t prints each year a special
pamphlet of instructions to those who de-
sire to take the examinations, giving
minute Instructions and samples Of the
questions asked in the different branches.
GEORGE GRANTHAM Balm.