New-York tribune., 1905-11-11
NEW CONSULAR RULES.
gERT ECE ON MERIT BASIS.
President Orders appointments ON
Record or Examinations.

washington Nov. 1O.-with the double pur-
nos. OF offering permanent career in the dip
io-,s-ic and consular service TO competent
o,nr men and of improving those branches
=. .he government service to make them
ro,a valuable than they to the busi-
-e.s interests of the country, the President at
.he instance of Secretary Root to-day an
nounced two new rules. The first of these mas
-. vet taken concrete form. but its substance
&C made public. was that hereafter any appll-
cant for appointment as secretary of embassy
~ legation must possess a knowledge OF at
,.ast one other language than English, ana
,,s, he otherwise examined to his compe-
tency.
,-,ie -1,Ie IS closely in line with the English
r-actice. and in it's development will involve the
nrornotion of the bright young men in the dip
,on,a.ic service in the degree that they JUSTIFY
!, nv hard study fitting them for new posts
The order as TO the consular service amends
the existing rule. which requires the examlha-
tim Of such consular officers as are limited IN
oor,nensation to the maximum OF SZ,oo
year and a minimum of $1,000. In PRESIDENT
C,eveIand's administration an effort was maze
10 examine all applicants for consular places
h,,, this was soon abandoned. and the limitation
noyV IN vogue was adopted. The purpose OF the
President and Secretary Root is to take the
and 10 make promotion IS well as appointment
5enendent on absolute merit These things are
aimed et in the following executive order;
v,-,.b view to further increasing the eff
cheney of the consular service by extending the
method now employed for ascertalnlne the qua
iHcations possessed by Candidates ior appoii'
rnent in that service:
II is hereby ordered that the executive order
of September 20. 1905, in regard TO exanlf1atlolis
for the consular service be ana IL is neaeus es
Tod 70
general commercial agencies and consul6I
agencies. the annual compensation or "hich rs rs
not less than $1,000. Said order, therefore, VIII
read as amended as follows:
II being of great Importance that the consular
officers of the United States shall possess the
proper qualifications for their respectise poS.
tions to be ascertained rather through q saus-
factory record of previous actual service unoer
the Department of State or through an appro-
pirate examination:
II is hereby ordered that any vacancy IN d
consulate general, consulate, commercial or con-
sular agency or hereafter existing the sal
ary Of which is not less than $1,000 or the com
nensation of which if derived from official fees,
exclusive Of notarial and other unofhclal re-
CENTS does not fall below $1,000 shall be filed
nv a transfer or promotion from some other po-
sition under the Department of State or char-
acter tending to qualify the incumbent for the
position to be filed: or by appointment of per-
son not under the Department of state Dut nav
inp nrey-oTsIv served Hereunder to it's satisfac-
ton in q capacity tending to qualify him for the
position TO be filled; or by the appointment OIL a
person VINO, having furnished Satisfactory eFi-
dence of character, responsibility and capaclty,
and being thereupon selected by the president
for examination, is found upon such examination
To be qualified for the position
For the purpose OF this order notarlal anu
unof1cial fees shall not be regarded but the
compensation of an office shall be ascertained, If
the Office is salaried, by reference to the last
presiding appropriation act, and If the offlce is
not saiarfed. by reference to the returns OF
official fees for the last preceding fiscal year
The examination herein before provided for
shall be by board of three persons, designated
by the Secretary of State, who shall also pre-
scribe the subjects to which such examinations
shall relate and the general mode of conducting
the same by the board
A vacancy in consulate will be filled at dis
cretion only when suitable appointment cannot
he made in any Of the modes indicated in the
second paragraph of this order
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
The White House. Nov. 10 1905.