New-York tribune., 1902-08-31
CIVIL SERVICE REPORT.
ABOUT STXTY-NINE PER CENT OF THE
APPLICANTS PASS EXAMINATIONS.

washington. Aug. So.-Among the government
publications that Will be ready for public dis
frfbution ehe eighteenth report the Civil
vice Commission, covering the period from July /.
1900. June 80 1901.
The report proper Cas distinguished from the ap
pendixl is largely statistical It opens with the
statement that 47o75 persons examined during
the wear, of whom 21.0S examined for the
departmental service. This service does not in
clude merely the departments Washington. but
all the federal classified services outside Of Wash
ington, with the exception OF the postal. customs.
internal revenue and government printing services
Thus the railway mail and Indian services are d.
visions OF the departmental service. Nearly 2l0oo
persons were examined for the postofice service.
or a little a thousand less than the number
examined for the departmental service About So
per cent or SO. 7Ss of those taking examinations
passed. and 1859 failed Compared with the year
previous this represented increase Of 2,112 in
the number Of persons examined. decrease OF
l2eS in the number VINO passed, and an increase OF
$40 in the number who failed
The total number of persons receiving appoint
rnent. excluding the Philippine service asd the
nicipa service of the District Of Columbia. neither
OF which is subject to the provisions OF the Civil
Service act. $50. distributed as follows: De-
partnental service Excluding the railway mail
and Indian services). $685. railway mail service.
SIS Indian service. 26: postofce service. 4ss;
tom house service. 302; government printing SER
vice. I72; internal service. IS. Two-thirds
Of the appointments in the departmental service
proper and nearly one-half of the appointments in
the Indian service Of persons who had passed
non-educational examinations These exanlina-
tions which sometimes termed registration or
experience examinations, mainly based upon
consideration of the length and quality of the ex-
perience and the physical fitness OF applicants.
They usually held for positions requiring a
knowledge of one of the mechanical trades
skilled manual occupations. Inquiry is made by
means of certificates from employers and fellow
workmen concerning qualifications prescribed
period Of service at a trade is usually require
TsAe afr1fra or
men, etc, in the Government Printing Office are
included in this class since in these scholastic
tests are essential. The commission states in the
report that il has been unable to make the regis
tration system for workmen thorough as is de-
sirabie for lack Of sufficient clerical force.
PREFERENCE GIVEN TO VETERANS
Concerning the preference given to United States
soldiers and sailors honorably discharged for dis
ability incurred in line OF duty the report says:
with a view TO securing those honorably dis
charged from the military naval service by
reason OF disability incurred in line of duty the
benefits granted by Section LI5i Of the Revised
Statutes. the Civil Service rules give preference
fossuch persons in examinations by requiring them
TO obtain an average of only 65 in order TO pass.
in certication by placing their names at the head
of the register before all others veterans and
IN exempttng them from ali age limitations. The
preference thus conferred extends TO all who have
at any time been discharged from the military or
naval service by reason Of disability incurred in
the line Of duty and confined TO those who
have served during war
4 table accompanying shows that forty-five ap-
irointments OF preference claimants were made
during the year, most Of these being to positions
tsn the oepartments at Washington The average
tese OF these preference claimants was less than
kfry years In the appendix to the report the pref
kerenca given to honorably discharged veterans Of
the War OF the Rebellion and the Spanish American
sWar in the matter Of reinstatement to the CIVIL
Service is mentioned. Such veterans their WIDOWS
ssnd army nurses Of either of these wars may De
'resnsaated without regard to the length Of time
they have been separated from the Civil service vice
Thet this is q substantial benefit appears from
te Icf m c6 nrsons were renstated or over Is
per cent of the entire number Of reinstatements'
TRANSFERS. TEMPORARY APPOINTMENTS
ETC.
The commission regards the number of transfers
effected during the year (55O excessively large.
.nd ,n tha interest Of the individual rather than
the public service. and attention is called TO the
fact that the transfer rule has since been aenoeo
TO restrict transfers within the same lines OF work
At the end OF the statistical portion Of the report
proper are presented the results of a comparison
OF the number of persons examined, appointed
transferred etc, during the fiscal year ended June
80 1901. with the corresponding figures Tor the
previous fiscal year From this II appears that
.tere was an increase OF 1853 in the number OF
persons who took competitive examinations, and
increase Of sos in the number who RECEIVED @ sPa
iumber Of appoin ntments from non-edueationsai ex-
arninations. The increase in the number or tenn
porary appointments was large, being 44S over the
PPraZi3us Year II NAV be stated, In this connec-
ments has since been amended. with a view to
conining them more strictly TO persons VINO @ nars
p1 Increase in the number of OF 1OS and
a decrease in the number of reinstatenents OF 100
EXTENT OF THE CLASSIFIED SERVICE.
A brief statement Of the extent Of the service
l,biect to the Civil Service act and rules is feat
,r of the report From this it appears that in the
entire executive service Of the government there
are in round numbers. 25oo9 places Of which IN num-
ber about 12l 900 classified OF the ll4Wo re-
manning unclassiie. 72 those OF Iourtn class
posmasers The annual Iyice is stated TO be
about S130o00coo and of this, ssoovtoo or near
tWo-thirs goes to salaries Tor poSloils suo1eI "
the Civil Service rules
WHAT POSITIONS SHOULD BE CLASSIFIED.
The view of the commission as to what positions
should properly classified appears in the follow
ingquotation from the report:
..Substantiay all of the positions in the execu-
tive Civil Service with the exception Of those re-
curing administrative ability. those of confden
tiaI nature and those of mere laborers. can be
properly made subject 10 practical tests Of fitness
by this commission The positions requiring ad-
mnistrative ability supervisory capacity should.
as a rule be filled by promotion transfer. and.
as of fact, the positions of a confidential
nature those which Of fduciary charac-
ter could also be better filed in by the
transfer promotion of qualified persons already
IN the service The number of positions which can
ject to competitive examination in some form is
very small and is confined to that limited class of
originate action involving the general policy Of the
administration"
OPPORTUNITIES FOR APPOINTMENT.
Probably the most interesting portion of the
part the general public will be that part of IL
headed Opportunities for Appointment in the
as follows: For men. the best opportunities
offered through the stenography and typewritng