The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-11-22
FEES CHARGED TO
APPLICANTS
Chief Engineer F. NJ. Kig-
gins Recommends This
Change in Civil Service
Rules.
WANTS BETTER PAY TOO
MANY. MORE PASS THE ExAMIN-
ATIONs THAN ARE PASSED
APPLICATIONS CANCELLED.

APPLICATIONS CANCELLED.
| WASHINGTON. Nov. %, 19o5.-A
fee from applicants for examination by
/ tile Civil Service Commission will be
charged in the future if the recommen-
/ dations of Chief Examiner f. NJ. Kig-
gins, of the comm ss.on. is adopted.
/ The suggestion is made in Mr.. Kig-
/ gins's annual report which was submit
! ted to the commission to-day. Examin-
atoms are now given by the commission
/ without cost to applicants, but the chief
| examiner calls attention to the great ex-
pense in the preparation and rating of
papers, correspondence, recording, print
| ing, photo-lithographing ETC.. and rec
ommends that each applicant beb requir-
| ed to pay for the privilege. He suggests
! fees ranging from fifty cents to two dol
lars or more, according to the impor-
tance of the position for which the ap-
| plicant is examined. He calls attention
| to the self-sustaining systems in other
/ government bureaus through fee eollec-
tions.
| It is proposed to give applicants much
! fuller information concerning the scope
! of examinations so that intelligent men
and women may not be put to unneces-
| sary expense in preliminary preparation.
| 1t is understood that several hundred
1 thousand dollars a year are spent by ap-
pleants in preparing by private instruc-
tion. by personal attendance at some
! school. or by taking correspondence
1 course The chief examiner remarks:
The charging Of fee would be ad-
vantageous in several ways: First. in re-
dncing the expense TO many applicants
who. probably, on account Of insufficient
| information covering the scope and char
acter of the examinations and of the
method of rating papers. are persuaded
into making expensive preparation there
for: second, in reducing the expenses of
the commission; third. in tending to keep
out that class of applicants who have no
special desire for government employ
ment; fourth, in restricting the number
of le- examinations of inefficient persons
who are not regarded as suitable for the
service
Over C50 different kinds of examina-
tions We're given during the year. of
which 231 were educational and 4f9 nom
educational tess.
For all branches of the service 14s.Ta0
/ persons were examined, 116.019 passed
and 80 AT were appointed The number
examined shows gain Of 1861 over
the preceding year, and was the largest
in any one year in the history of the
commission.
The principal increases were due to
the holding Of certain examinations dur
| ing the year which were not held in the
preceding year Technical examinations
We're held for the Isthmian canal SER
vice, in which nearly 5000 persons COM
peted.
While there was an increase in the
+ number examined there was a decrease
/ Of 9,S67 in the number appointed. This
! decrease was largely confined to the ru-
/ raj carrier and navy yard service.
Mr.. Higgins advocates better pay for
government service. He says:
"The positions under the government
are considered desirable. and it is gener-
! ally supposed that the commission ras
little difficulty in filing vacancies as they
occur This. however. is not always the
case. While sufficient applicants enter
tie general examinations, there are nu-
naerous ieclinations Of appointments
when rendered especially to positions in
bles on the registers. decline appointment
on account Of the low salaries offered
which frequently do not equal the salar-
les received BY them in,prvate employ
ment The prosperous times
l