Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-24
THEIR FITNESS SHOWN
PORTO RICANS APPOINTED TO
THE CIVIL SERVICE.
A Number of Selections Made for the
Departments in Washington-Re-
suit of Open Examinations.

Natives of Porto Rico are rapidly DEM
onstrating their fitness for positions in the
public service. Since the application 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
appointments have been earned a result
of open competitive examinations. in which
all citizens of the United States were elig-
ible to compete. The appointments have
not been confined to the federal positions
on the island. a number having been made
in the departments at Washington.
Porto Ricans in Departments.
The appointees are distributed among tho
departments as follows:
Treasury Department: departmental serv-
ice. Buoy colorists. 2; assistant messen-
ger. 1. Public health and marine hospital
service-acting assistant surgeons, 6; mes
senger boy /: attendants. a. Customs serv-
ice-deputy collector. L; guardsman. 1; ex-
aminer of merchandise. /: inspector. 1;
clerk. 1; janitor, /; seaman temployed
engineer). 1. Light house service-super-
intendents, 4; keepers. 3; assistant keeper
1: second assistant keepers. 3; laborers. 3;
lampist. !. Total. 46.
War Department: departmental service
clerk, /. Quartermaster's department at
large-interpreter, 1; watchmen, 3; black
smiths. q blacksmith's helper. 1; painter.
L; wheelwrights. 3: farrier. 1. Total. Is.
Navy Department: naval stations-clerk,
1; special laborer. 1. Total 9.
Interior Department: departmental serv-
ice-copyists, 3; typewriter-copyist, 1. To-
tai 4.
Post Office Department: departmental serv-
Observation-Disclosures. /: clerk l. Post
office service-clerks. 5: sub-carrier, l. To-
tai 8.
Government printing office: compositors,
Civil service commission-messenger, l.
First Examination in Porto Rico.
1t is only recently that the civil service
system has been applied to the federal no.
sftions in Porto Rico. During the first
three years of the American occupation of
the island no steps were taken toward ex-
tending the civil service rules to such posi-
tions. This inaction was principally due
to the important questions that arose re-
speeding the rights of the natives TO United
States citizenship and to the inadequacy
of the commissions appropriation for trav-
cling expenses. In the spring of 1902 how
ever. representative of the commission
visited Porto Rice. procured the service
records of the employees in the federal posi-
tons, organized a local board of examin-
ers and conducted an initial series of ex-
aminations. The applicants represented all
types of citizenship, the humber classes
predominating. In the main, those who
presented themselves for examination were
an orderly. weil-behaved and Intelligent set
or young men, who apparently belonged
to the middle classes. An element of sur
prise in connection with the examinations
was the appearance of five Porto Rican
senoritas competitors for positions in
the post Office service. The idea of native
women aspiring to positions in the public
service had probably never before occurred
to the Porto Ricans.
Since the initial series of examinations
vva q held N the .SpripP of 1902 examinations
have been regularly held in Porto Rico. as
in other parts of the United States. The
examinations, except those given for sc,en-
tifc and professional positions in the
United States, are give min both Spanish
and English, at the option of the COM
petitor.