The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1897-02-09
CIVIL
SERVICE FACTS
Interesting Points of the Commissioners
Annual Report.
REGARDING TENURE OF OFFICE
The Commission Declares That Under Bx-
listing Conditions Skilled Employees
Are Frequently Placed Under In
experienced and Incompet-
ent superfors.

1900 NNE1A VA NAA1 kANAA 30 NAA1 A0NAAAAAAo~
sion, covering the past fiscal year, has
been submitted to the president. Ii
shows the growth of the governments
civil service, the efforts Of the COM
mission to eradicate p~artisanship IN
federal offices, and important civil SER
vice reforms n extensions contem-
plated. During the year the commits
sion conducted Investigations into
charges Of political assessments, DO
htical or religious determinations, IL
legal appointments and removals, and
alleged fraud or unfairness in connec-
ton with examinations and appoint-
ments. In a number of cases of the
charges of political assessments it was
found that there had been no tech
nical violations Of the law. The pro-
mitigation of the law on this subject
and the commissions warning to enc
ployes during the campaign, that they
could not be forced to contribute to
political funds, the report says, had a
most salutary effect.
One Investigation, whose report Is
still under investigation, was made at
the Columbus, o., postofice over a
yea ago. IL developed the fact that
for years it was the practice of many
employees, without regard to their party
affiliations, to contribute to the cam
paign fund Of Whatever party was In
power.
In all cases where there was the
slightest evidence of fraud or unfair
ness the commission required the re-
examination of the competitors. The
most serious case of violation of the
ciYll service law, the report says. was
at Erie, Pa, where the secretary of the
postal board was found to have open-
ed a package containing the exami-
nation papers and furnished the oues-
tions to a competitor, an employee Of
the office, in advance Of examination.
Both were removed from the service
and are now held for trial. At Toledo.
o., %postoffice ar employee was shown
to have made approximations to injure
the prospects Of appointment of GER
ain other eligibles. Action in this
case is still pending.
During the last four years the re-
movals from competitive petitions In
the classified departmental service at
Washington have been less than 2 per
cent. a year for all causes, not in
Guiding such removals as resulted from
necessary reductions in the force. In
the unclassiied and excepted service
at Washington the removals are be-
ieved to nave aggregated in the four
years at least so per cent.
The conclusion drawn Is that either
the persons brought in through ex-
aminations are far more efficient than
the others, or the removals from the
unclassified positions have been made
for other causes than the good of the
service.
The total approximate number Of
positions in the civil branch of the
government is IT'S, III. OF these S7,1O7
are in the classified service and 91,6l0
unclassihed. OF those not yet classi-
fed SO, 725 are postmasters of the
fourth class. OF those remaining in
the classihable but unclassifed group
many will be transferred to the clas-
siied service by the action of the
rules.
he aggregate compensation paid in
the executive civil service Of the I'm
tied States during the last fiscal year
was, approximately, 500, 600, 600.
The new civil service rules, the re-
port says, give the commission suf-
hcient authority to regulate promo
lions, as well as to investigate cases
where discrimination is charged in
making removals or reductions. With
in a short time satisfactory regula-
tions are expected to be in operation
in all the departments, so that pro-
motions may be made wholly on merit
and removals and reductions be made
only for satisfactory causes, without
regard to personal, political or re-
ligious considerations.
The temptation to increase the num-
Der of employees ar to retain employees
when there is no work for them to 40,
which was such a characteristic fea-
fr1ra ne fha tEe,,I@tt r.-A.- -
tirely disappeared under the new
civil service system. The pressure for
Office having been removed decreases
of force have been made from time to
time In the classified service of the
departments during the last IA years,
as the work was completed. because
there was no object in keeping IN
employed persons on the payroila.
AS to tenure of Office, the report
says, our administrative system now
presents the anomaly Of filling certain
inferior positions by the test Of merit
and changing every four years the
higher positions, like collectors of cus-
toms and internal revenue, postmas-
ters and chiefs Of bureaus, in which
the largest capacity and longest ex-
perience are required, and thus fire.
quently subjecting -subordinates 10 in
experienced and incompetent SUI
periors, TO the Generalization Of the
public service.
The whole number Of persons ex-
amined for the five branches of the
classified service during the year end
ed June 80, 1896, was 1920, OF whom
2O,498 passed and 10,876 failed to pass.
This is a material decrease in failures.
The whole number of appointments
was 5,0S4, an increase Of 292 over the
previous year.
Special efforts have been made to
keep the examinations as practical as
possible, n radical innovations have
been made. For some Of the newly
classified positions, especially those in
cluded among the mechanical trades.
new elements in examination have
been introduced, such as experience.
character as a workman, age and
physical conditions. 1t is proposed to
have no eduction test. or n with a
very light weight where educational
qualifications are not required.
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