Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-18
THOUSANDS APPLY
The Majority viii Be Dis
appointed.
THE PANAMA CANAL
MANY WANT OF 1cEs UNDER THE
COMMISSION.
About Five Thousand Applicants to
Take the Civil Service Examine
ton in Next Few Days.

thousand people who are anxious to put
their hands in Uncle Sans bag of gold
as quid pro quo for working on the 18th
mus of Panama will wrestle in various sec
lions Of the country with questions pro-
pounded by the civil service commission
in order that their names may be
placed on the eligible list. There are ap-
plications for every position within the gift
OF the Panama canal commission including
clerks. bookkeepers, timekeepers, surgeons.
physicians, pharmacists. hospital attend
ants. trained nurses, civil engineers. level
men, rodmen, assistant civil engineers,
transit men, chain men and laborers In
fact there are applications for more places
outside of the laboring class than could be
filled In many years.
At the census office building TODAY more
than hundred persons presented them
selves for the various examinations which
will last for several days.
1T Is an interesting result of the desire
of American people to hold Office under the
government anywhere on the face of the
globe to note the large number of appIt-
cations for positions ON the Isthmus of
Panama., said an official this morning
ut Is said to be a fact that there are few
If any, positions outside of the mechanical
class for which there is any need of men,
and that there Is not likely to be need Cor
others than those In this class Skilled Ia
borers can secure work upon passing the
necessary examination either in the United
States or in Panama"
1t Is interesting to note the large number
of applications received for the examna-
tions which began today.
Applicants of All Glasses.
For instance. there are I,198 who would
like the position of clerk, and 266 who
would gladly keep the books of the COM
mission: 1oa would keep the time of the
iaborers engaged on the work, and 173 who
would perform such surgical operations as
may be necessary; 2S5 medicos would at
tend to the bodily ills of those who are I'M
fortunate enough to become sick; IS would
put up the prescriptions of these medicos,
while 70 would be hospital interns and Is
trained nurses would care for the patients
sent to the hospitals by both physicians
and surgeons. IS "a
One thousand and forty-four would &C.
cept positions as civil engineers and do any,
thing from level or transit work to carrying
a chain or rod, while more than a thousand
would accept the position of foreman on
steam shovels or in other kinds of like
work. The total number of applications for
examination was Asp, of which 1911 were
thrown aside. - i
According to members of the isthmian
canal commission many of these applicants
are doomed to be disappointed, there are
few OF no positions outside. the purely me-
chanical ones to be filled.
The civil service commission made the
original suggestion for the classification or
canal employees and workmen. The matter
was taken up between the two commits
sions, interviews were held, and finally
practical agreement was reached as to what
positions should be classified. Certain eX-
ceptionsl We're nlade, and an order prepared
by the civil service and iSthmian canal COM
missions was signed by President Roosevelt
on November 10 last. That order classlned
the isthmian canal commission, applied TO
it the civil service act ana rules ana Ut
hot he thereafter appoint
ed employed promoted or transferred IN
the service of that commission without ex-
animation, unless specifically exempted.
e....,-. Excepted Places.
This order applies to all officers and en-
ployes except persons employed merely as
laborers, persons whose appointments are
confirmed by the Senate and engineers de-
tailed from the army. The number OF d.
vision engineers, resident engineers and as
sistant sanitary officers shall be agreed
upon between the isthmian canal commas
sion and the civil service commission at
the end of one year or on November Is.
1905. The canal commission is to furnlsh
the civil service commission seml-annualiy,
on December l and June j. statements or
the names of those employed as hospital at
tendants during the preceding six months,
with a general statement of their duties.
On December last Civil Service Com
missioner Greene and Mr.. Snyder. chief or
Panama, where they spent week confer
ring with Mr. Wallace, the chief engineer.
The visit was a success. Before they left
Mr.. Wallace came to the conclusion that
the order Of classification was very de-
sirable They established a local board of
examiners on the isthmus, which will con-
duct examinations in the same way that
local examining boards conduct them In va
rious places throughout the United States.
The regulations provide, however, that a
separate register Of skilled labor be kept on
the Isthmus of Panama from the one kept
at Washington. and that the authorities at
Panama can draw on either their local reg
lister or the one at Washington for laborers
getting more than 81 day In United States
money. The object Of this is to enable the
authorities at Panama to catch all skilled
laborers entering the isthmus
There are many skilled Americans along
the coast of South America where there are
construction projects who will drift into
the isthmus looking for work. If they find
that they cannot be employed without wait
ing for their applications to be acted on in
Washington they will not wait for work.
The object is to allow them to be registered
in Panama, so that, If needed, they may be
put to work at once without any red-tape
delay OF an unnecessary character.