Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-09-08

Of preference claimants were made
during the year, most of these being
to positions in the departments at
Washington. The average age of these
claimants was less than so years. The
preference given to honorably dis
charged veterans of the war of the
rebellion and the Spanish-American
war in the matter Of reinstatement to
the civil service is mentioned. Such
veterans, their widows, and army
nurses of either of these wars may be
reinstated without regard to the length
OF time they have been separated from
the civil service. During the fiscal
year 131 such persons were reinstated
or over Is per cent of the ent1re num-
Der of reinstatements.
Some 47,075 persons were examined
during the year, of whom 21,028 were
examined for the departmental serv-
ice. This service does not include
merely the departments at Washing
ton, but all the federal classified serv-
ices outside of Washington, with the
exception of the postal, customs, in
ternal-revenue and government print
ing services. Thus, the railway mail
and Indian services are divisions of
the departmental service. Nearly 21,-
900 persons were examined for the
postoffice service, or a little over a
thousand less than the number ex-
amined for the departmental service.
About SO per cent, or 1879, of those
taking examinations passed, and A.
$50 failed. Compared with the year
previous, this represented an increase
of Zip in the number of persons
examined, a decrease of 1928 in the
number who passed and an increase OF
3,410 in the number who failed.
The total number of persons receiv-
ing appointment excluding the Philip
pine service and the municipal service
Of the district of Columbia, neither of
which is subject to the provisions of
tributed as follows: Departmental
service Excluding the railway mail
and Indian services), 1888; railway
mail service, SIG; Indian service, 276;
postoff1ce service, 4,2S8; custom-house
service, 302; government printing
service, 49, internal revenue service,
SO Two-thirds of the appointments
in the departmental service proper
and nearly one-half of the appoint
ments in the Indian service were OF
persons who had passed non educa-
tional examinations. These eXamina-
vIyhia
registration or experience eXamina-
tons, are mainly based upon a con-
sideration of the length and quality
Of the experience and the physical
fitness of applicants. They are usually
held for positions requiring a knowl-
edge of one of the mechanical trades
or skilled manual occupations. In
qUiry is made by means of certificates
from employers and felloWworkmen
ccncernig qualifications. A prescribed
period of service at a trade is usually
a Requirement. The examinations for
ccmpositors, pressmen, etc., in the
government printing Office are not in
cluded in this class, since in these
scholastic tests are essential
In the entire executive service OF
the government there are in round
numbers, 235, 900 places, of which num-
Der about 121, 10000 are classified. OF
the $4,000 remaining unclassifed,
72,498 are those of fourth-class post
masters. The annual expenditure for
salaries for the entire executive serv-
ice is 100000, 900, and of this, $85,000,-
900, or nearly two-thirds, goes to sal
aries for positions subject to the civil
service rules.
Substantially all of the positions in
the executive civil service, with the
exception of those requiring admin
istrative ability, those of a confidential
nature, and those of mere laborers,
can be properly made subject to prac-
teal tests Of fitness by the commits
sion. The positions requiring admin
istrative ability or supervisory capac-
ity should, as a rule, be filled by pro-
motion or transfer, and, as a matter of
fact, the positions of a confidential
nature, or those which are of a
fiduciary character, could also be bet
ter filled in most cases by the trans
fer or promotion Of qualified persons
already in the service. The number
of positions which can not. with ad-
vantage to the service, be made sub.
ject to competitive examination in
some form is very small, and is con,
fined to that limited class of positions
the occupants of which. are required tC
originate action involving the general
policy of the administration.
SPOONER SPEAKS AT
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