New-York tribune., 1896-12-27
CIVIL SERVICE QUESTIONS.
JAMES A. CONNELL SAYS THAT THEY ARE
FAIR-MR JOHNsON'S EXAMPLE AND
HIS aNSWERc


! The talk with Elmer E. Johnson. formerly assist
ant secretary Of the Brooklyn Civil Service Com
! mission published in The Tribune yesterday morn
! ing has attracted considerable attention among
! the friends Of the Civil Service system. In his 'aik
MIR Johnson pointed TO several features OF the
present system which he considers eTective Many
OF the examina tions according TO Mr.. Johnson. are
by no means fair to the applicants for places De-
cause they call for a knowledge not necessary in
| the lines Of work which the applicants intend 70
take up or for other reasons. Mr.. Johnson cited
| one instance Of this in sentence which read rs
| follows
"In the late examination for machiniss' out OF
forty competitors. twenty-five failed. among whom
was man forty-four years old with twenty-five
years experience in such works the +. W Bliss
| Compa1v for ten years. the Navy Yard five years.
the other ten years being divided among four we'll
| known shops his last engagement having Deen IN
the Department Of City Works. whore he was 90
I'M, the work for which the examination was held
This statement was read yesterday by james A
Conncll who Is one Of the expert examiners OF the
| Rrooklyn Civil Service Board. and who gave the
examination referred to Mr.. Connell IS chief en-
eineer OF the New-York Produce Exchange. and
his services as examiner are highly valued py
the Brooklyn Commissioners. Mr. Connell opj'cls
to the inference contained in Mr.. Johnsons state
ment and he carefully investigated yesterday the
case mentioned with the object OF disprovlng the
implied suggestion that the man failed to pass be-
cause Of unfarness In the method OF giving the
examination.
BY referring TO the list of papers OIL file handed
in by those examined at the time under considefA-
ton. Mr. Connell easily found the paper OF the
man whose mentioned because the man
happened 10 be the only applicant who said In his
paper that he had worked for the Bliss Company.
The is known TO Mr Connell only by the
numbe. OF his application. which happened be
No 10. No. 10 had attained only twenty points
out Of a possible forty I'm his written examination.
whereas twenty-eght points constitutes fhc pass
Ing mark Had ne attained twenty-five ne would
have had chance TO take the oral examination.
IN which be might possibly have scored a mark
high enough to put him above the passing mark.
But his record poor in the written eXami-
nation that he was deprived Of a chance TO take
the oral examination.
Mr.. Connell showed TO the Tribune reporter the
following questions submitted to the applicants in
the examination and the answers given by No. l0.
Mr.. Connell thinks that all expert machinists Will
agree with him that the questions are eminenily
fair. and only such should be answered easily
by man who processes to know the elements OF
machinery. He also considers that a novice could
detect the lack OF knowledge displayed by No. 10
in his answers The following questions and an
swers are taken word for word from the examina-
ton:
What is cast iron?
Cast iron is A metal. consists OF iron orc. cast
and melted into pg-NOn. lnen IL IL uSelul lot
light machinery.
What is wrought iron?
Wrought iron Is heated In biilets heated In A
heating furnace. then hammered and rolled into
merchant iron.
How would the temperng OF a cutting tool differ
from that OF a spring?
II Is harder cutter.
How do you temper brass spring?
Rrass springs always tempered
Des srribe an engine lathe.
Lathe is a tool for different work. such as screw
cutting etc.
Should the lathe faster slower turn
piece Of metal two inches In diameter than In
turning piece inch? Why?
II depends the kind Of metal
Describe an iron planning machine
Paner is machine for planning long work OF
different kinds.
How would you true and fasten cylinder the
bed plate in order 10 plane the valve-seat9
True II by the hanges on cylinder. fasten II TO
carriage on lathe.
What tools would you 10 do ito
Use boring bar. with boring thread and cutters