The Washington times., 1903-06-24
PORTO RICANS GOOD
PUBLIC SERVANTS
Many Appointments Made
Through Competitive Test.
CHIEFLY FROM MIDDLE CLASS
Women Not Tagging in the Rear in
Quest of Ofice-First Chance They
Ever Had in That Line.

Natives of Porto Rico are rapidly DEM
onstrating their fitness for positions in
the public service. Since the applica-
tion Of the civil service rules to the
Federal positions in the island last
March, seventy-six residents of Porto
Rico. many of whom are natives, have
received appointments. All of these ap-
pointments have been earned as a result
of open competitive examinations, in
which all citizens of the United States
were eligible to compete. The appoint
ments have not been confined to the
Federal positions on the island a num-
Der having been made in the depart
ments at Washington. The appointees
are distributed among the departments
as follows:
Treasury OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
| service; Buoy coiorists, 2; assistant
messenger, /. Public Health and Marine
Hospital service: Acting assistant sur
geons, 6; messenger boy, ]; attendants,
Il. Customs service: Deputy collector.
/; guardsman. 1; examiner of merchan-
disc, l. inspector. 1: clerk, 1; janitor, /
seaman (employed as engineer), I.
Lighthouse Service: Superintendents. e.
keepers, 3; assistant keeper, l; second
assistant keepers. 3; laborers, 3; lamp
list, 1. Total. 46.
In Other Departments.
War Department-Departm SER
vice: Clerk, 1. Quartermaster's depart
3; blacksmiths. 2: blacksmith's helper,
1; painter, 1; wheelwright, 3; farrier. l.
Total, Is.
Navy Department-Nayal stations:
Clerk, 1; special laborer. 1. Total 2.
Interior Department - Departmental
service: Copyists. 3; typewriter-copyist
!. Total. 4.
POstofice ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
service: Clerk /; clerk. 1.
Postofice service: Clerks, 5; subcarrier.
1. Total, S.
Government Printing omce-Composi-
tors, ?.
Civil Service Commission - Messen-
ger, /.
Competition of Recent Use.
It is only recently that the civil serv-
ice system has been applied to the Fed
eral positions in Porto Rico. During
the first three years of the American oc-
leuFetion of the island. no steps were
Il ken toward extending the civil service
rules to such positions. This inaction
was principally due to the important
questions that arose respecting the
rights of the natives to United States
citizenship. and TO the inadequacy of
the commissions appropriation for
travelling expenses In the spring OF
1902, however, a representative Of the
commission visited Porto Rico. procured
tie service records of the employees in
the Federal positions, organized local
beard OF examiners. and conducted an
initial series of examinations.
The applicants represented a.. types
OF citizenship, the humber classes pre-
dominating.
Senoritas Applied.
| In the main, those who presented
themselves for examination we're an or
derby, ell-behaved and intelligent SGT
OF young men. who apparently belonged
to the middle classes. An element o:
surprise in connection with the exami-
nations was the appearance Of five Porto
Rican senoritas as competitors for po-
/ sltlons in the pOstofnce service. The
idea OF native women aspiring to POSI-
items IN the public service had PROBABLY
never before occurred to the Porto
/ Ricans.
/ Since the initial series OF examina-
( tions was held In the spring OF 1902
/ examinations have been regularly held
/ in Porto Rico. as In other rarts OF the
/ United States. The examinations. ex-
cept those given for scientific and BRO.
! fessionaT positions in the United States
are given in either Spanish or English
~ opfFor, Of tho