The San Francisco call., 1898-04-06
office of any member or members of the
 Board guilty of such neglect or refusal.
ARTICLE XIII.
CIVIL SERVICE.

shall appoint three persons, knOWn Dy him to be devoted to the principles of Civil Service reform, who shall consti- ute the Civil Service Commission, one for one year, one for two years, and one for three years. Each year thereafter the Mayor shall in like manner ap- point one person as the successor of the Commissioner whose term of office eX- pires in that year, to serve as such Commissioner for three years. All ap- pointments shall be so made that not more than one Commissioner shall at any time belong to the same political party. Each of such Commissioners shall receive an annual salary or twelve hundred dollars.
 Sec. 2. The Commissioners shall classify all the places of employment in or under the offices and departments of tion eleven of this Article, with refer ence to the examinations hereinafter provided for. The places so classified by the Commissioners shall constitute the classified civil service of the City and County, and no appointment to any such place shall be made except ac- cording to the rules hereinafter men toned.
 Sec S. The Commissioners shall make rules to carry out the purposes of this Article, and for examinations, appointments, promotions and re- movalS, and in accordance with its pro- visions may from time to time, make changes in the existing rules. All rules and all changes therein shall be forth with printed for distribution by the Commissioners.
 Sec. 4. All applicants for places in the classified civil service shall be sub jected to examination, which shall be public, competitive and free. Such eX- aminations shall be practical in their character, and shall relate to those matters only which will fairly test the relative capacity of the persons ex- amined to discharge the duties of the positions to which they seek to be ap pointed, and shall include, when ap propriate, tests of physical qualif1ca- tions, health, and of manual or pro- fessional skill.
 Sec. D. The selection of laborers shall be governed by priority of appli- cation only. No question in any ex- animation shall relate to political or re- ligious opinions or affiliations. The Commissioners shall control all eX aminationS, and may, whenever an eX- animation is to take place, designate suitable number of persons, either in or not in the official service of the City and County, to be examiners; and, if in the official service, 1t shall be part of their official duty, without extra compensation, to conduct such ex- aminations as the Commissioners may direct, and to make return and report thereof to the Commissioners. The Commissioners may substitute any other person, whether in or not in such service, in the place of any one so Se- lected, or may themselves act as such examiners.
 Sec 6. Notice of the time, place and general scope of every examination shall be given by the Commissioners by publication for two weeks preceding such examination in the official news paper, and such notice shall also be posted by the Commissioners in a con- spicuous place in their office for two weeks before such examination. Such further notice of examination shall be given as they may prescribe.
 Sec. [. From the returns Of the eX- aminers, or from the examinations made by the Commissioners, the Com missioners shall prepare a register for each grade or class of positions in the classified service of the City and County of the persons whose general average standing upon examination for such grade or class is not less than the minimum fixed by the rules of the Commissioners, and who are otherwise eligible. Such persons shall take rank upon the register as candidates In the order of their relative excellence, as determined by examination, without reference to priority of time of ex- animation.
 Sec. s. The Commissioners shall pro- vide for promotion in the classified ser vice on the basis of aScertalned merit and seniority in service and Standlng upon examination, and shall provide. in all cases where practicable that Vacan- cies shall be filled by promotion. All examinations for promotion shall be a the next lower rank established by the Commissioners for each department as desire to submit themselves to such eX- aminations. The Commissioners shall submit to the appointing power the names of not more than three appli- cants having the highest rating for each promotion. The method of exam ming, and the rules governing the same, and the method of certifying, shall be the same, as near as may be. as pro- vided for applicants for original ap- polntments.
 Sec. g. The head of the department or office, in which position classified under this Article is to be filled, shall notify the Commissioners of that fact, and the Commissioners shall then certi- fy to the appointing officer the name and address of one or more candidates, not exceeding three, standing highest upon the register for the class or grade to which the position belongs; but la- borers shall be taken according to their priority of application. In making such certification, sex shall be disregarded, except when some statute, the rules of the Commissioners, or the appointing power specifies sex.
 Sec. 10. The appointing officer shall notify the Commissioners of each posi- tion to be filled separately, and shall fill such place by the appointment of one of the persons certified to him by the Commissioners therefor. Such ap- pointment shall be on probation for a period to be fixed by the rules of the Commissioners; but such rules shall not fix such period at exceeding six months. The Commissioners may strike off names of candidates from the regis ter after they have remained thereon more than two years. At or before the expiration of the period of probation. the head of the department or office in which a candidate is employed, may, by and with the consent of the Com missioners, discharge him upon assign ing in writing his reason therefor to the Commissioners. If he is not then discharged, his appointment shall be deemed complete. To prevent the stop page of public business, or to meet ex- traordinary exigencies, the head of any department or office may, with the ap- of a mi iccinnprc 6A