Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-19
THE LAW OBSERV ED
FEW VIOLATIONS OF THE CIVIL
SERVICE RULES.
Annual Report of the Commission
Urges That District Government
Positions Be Classified.

The United States civf1 service commits
sion in It's twenty-third annual report to
the President states that during the year
the civil service act has been made in
creasingly effective, and that need has
arisen for no further legislation beyond
what is required to meet the added ex-
pense of conducting the examining work of
the commission. This is due to the Increase
In the number of competitive positions dur
ing the past year from ,453 to 154, 093.
The number of persons examined was 1885,
O69, an increase of Is per cent over the
previous year, and the number appointed
was 50,S30, an increase Of 20 per cent.
The greatest increase was in the examna-
lions for rural carrier, stenographer and
typewriter and for the navy yard service.
Difficulty has been experienced in supply
ing the departments with SUFFICIENT num-
Der of male stenographers at the salaries
offered.
Admission Through Back Door.
Appointments to the classified service
through transfers. reinstatements, suspen-
sions of the rules and temporary appoint
ments, which have been called the back
doors Of the service, have been less numer-
Gus than in former years, showing an in
creased observance of the rules The num-
Der of temporary appointments continues
large, but this is said to be due to causes.
over which the commission has no control.
Only nine states have received less than
90 per cent of the full share of appoint
ments to which they are entitled. The per-
centage Of removals during the year, as
compared with the whole number of en-
plOyes, was 1.6, which was twice as great
as the percentage of deaths and less than
one-fourth as great as the number of res
ignations. The report says:
Few Violations of Rules.
1.-THE commission has been called upon
to investigate but small number of al
legged violations of the civil service act
and rules, and the facts disclosed have
failed In most cases to show violations
fragrant enough to merit severe penalties.
The excellent manner in which the law and
rules have been generally observed through
out the various branches of the govern
ment has CAUSED an almost entire cessa-
ton of complaints.
1.-The consolidation of the twelve hundred
and odd local boards of examiners into
thirteen districts, each in charge of secre-
tary, who assumes much of the business
previously transacted with great ,inconven-
fence from the office at Washington, has
greatly facilitated the work Of. the COM
mission.
Position of Rural Carriers.
ut is regretted that there has not been
carrier. The erroneous impression appears
still to prevail that political influence is a
requisite to appointment, and since the ap-
pllcants live almost entirely away from the
great centers of population and are unfa-
miiar with the aims and methods Of the
commission, it has been difficult to eradi
cate this prejudice.
1.-THE Indian service has been improved
by the transfer of additional agencies to
the control of bonded superintendent ap-
pointed under civil service rules.
In Insular Possessions.
There has been consistent improvement
in the operation of the existing civil service
law and rules in the Philippines, Porto Rico
and Hawaii. On November 1, 1904, fourteen
residents of Porto Rico and six residents
of Hawaii were occupying apportioned po-
sitions In the District Of Columbia. In the
Philippines the number of natives appoint
ed to positions in the insular service is
rapidly increasing. The commission
indorses the recommendation of the drec-
tor of the census that the bureau of the
census be authorized to prepare at periods
of two, four or six years bulletins Of statis-
tics concerning the personnel of the eXecu-
tive civil service; recommends that posi-
lions under the government of the District
of Columbia be included in the classified
service, and urges that to facilitate its in
vestigations, its agents be given the power
to administer oaths.'
More Appropriations Wanted.
An increase in its appropriations is asked
on account of. the steady growth of the
regular business and the additional work
imposed upon the commission by recent
executive orders directing it to assume the
supervision of a central board of labor en-
ployment and classifying the employees Of
the isthmian canal commission.
Suit Against Pilots.