The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-20
CIVIL SERVICE QUIZ FUTILE.
STATE BOARD WONDERING WHY
1T WAS CALLED HERE.
Finds Out Some Interesting Things, How
ever. About the Eligible Lists tnder
Low-Bird Callers Say Erecti'e--one
Park Inspectors Hard Days WORK.

AON-bTu SpitE soy
Park Inspectors Hard Days work.
The State Civil Service Commission
spent several more hours Yesterday at the
headquarters of the local board trying 10
find out why it had been summoned to
New York Charges of various KINDS, II
seems were made by the ClFil Service
Reform Association against the munlcipal
commission. but az far as could be judged
by the evidence not a single one of them
has been substantated, Commissioner
Tally has been conducting the investigation
for the local board and so well has he done
his work that President Nflliken Of the
State commission was moved to remark
at the close of the hearing Yesterday
"If the secretary of the State Civil Service
Commission had examined the charges az
presented in the first instance there wouldn't
have been any investigation at all
Some interesting testimony was given con-
corning requests made for eligible lists under
speoial titles during the administration OF
Mavor Low when Col. Willis l.. Ogden was
president of the commission. One Of the
charges pending is to the effect that many
applicants had been jumped over the heads
Of others through these requests. As
matter Of fact it was shown that the system
was abolished by the present commission
Frank S. Spencer, the labor clerk Of the
commission, read of some Of the requests
that had teen received during the Low
administration. One was for twenty-five
laborers with knowledge OF tree climb
ing. This came from the Park Department
In the Borough of The Bronx Another was
for laborer with knowledge Of trapping
moles" Still another was for carpenters
helper who knew how to lay brick. Mr..
Spencer also produced a letter from Clinton
b. Smith then secretary of the Park Board
asking for three assistant gardeners and two
mowers.
What was the date of this letter." asked
Commissioner Tally solemnly.
Jan. 20, 1903" replied the witness.
THE dead Of winter. eh?' said Mr.. Tally.
Then he turned to the State Commissioners
and said: you gentlemen from the coun-
try probably know better than we what use
there was at that season Of the year for
gardeners and mowers
Along toward O'Clock in the afternoon
Lawyer McCook, who conducted the ex-
animation for the Reform Association,
announced that he would not call the forty
or fifty laborers and foremen in the various
departments that had been subpa naed
Most of them had been waiting all day to he
called. Mr.. Tally insisted that they be
summoned to the examination room O ID
they marched in two by two. 1T was n
shown that most of them We're raid by The
day and would consequently lose their
wages for the time spent at the investiga-
ton. State Commissioner Brown sug-
gested that Mr.. Tally was playing to the
gallery
thess men have families to support. and it
Is an outrage to bring them down here on
FOOLS Grand
One Of the charges was that the issuing of
eli gble lists was unduly delayed. The law
Says that these lists shall be issued within
two months of the time the request for
them is made Assistant Chief Examiner
instances 1t was d physical impossibility
to comply with the law cited the case
= the examination for inspectors In the
License Department. Sixteen hundred per-
sary to hire the Grand Central Palace for
the occasion. and each applicant wrote
on an average 500 words.
After that examination said Mr.. Con-
way, Il read 400 900 words in seven weeks
or an average of three times as much as
copy editor on newspaper does in the
same time
How can you expect the examiners to
do what is physically impossible?" asked
Commissioner Kraft.
well, it's the law responded Secretary
Goodwin.
Mr.. Conway was questioned concerning
the appointment Of Emanuel f. keyser
as monitor. kevser was twenty-sixth on
the list. Mr.. Conway said that he had
told Chief Examiner Ireland to assign
keyser as monitor upon the order of Bird
S. Coler. then president of the municipal
commission. keyser admitted that he
was an enrolled Democrat of the Fifteenth
election district of the Thirty-fifth Assembly
district
Theodore Colombo. inspector in the Park
Department. was asked what he did for
the city on Thursday.
Il inspected the macadam roads in Madi-
son Square Park, he answered promptly.
And what did you do them
at was 5 o'clock and I went home
James Redding testified that he had
applied for a job as laborer, but had not
been appointed. The records show that
some one is holding the Job under his name