The Washington herald., 1906-12-06
CIVIL SERVICE GROWS
Four States and Many Cities
Adopt the System.
GOVERNMENT PAY TOO LOW
Commissions Annual Report Says
One-haIf of Successful Applicants
for CIerkships and StenOgraphic
Positions Decline Jobs Because OF
Insuhiciency of Compensation.

| Varied and numerous are the subjects
treated in the annual report of the Civil
/ Service Commission for the fiscal year
ended June 80 1906, and just submitted to
! the President.
/ The report deals with the general con-
dition of the classified service, examina-
tions and appointments, meat inspector
| examinations. Investigations, appoint
ments, and salaries in the Post-office ser
vice, appointments and removals from
/ the rural carrier service, appointments
/ In the Isthmian Canal service, superan-
nuation. and civil service conferences.
! The commission says that the senti-
ment in favor OF the merit system is
steadily growing. not only in Congress.
1 but among the States, four of which have
adopted civil service laws, while the
| charters Of q considerable number of mu-
inequalities now contain provisions for ap-
pointment through competitive examina-
tion.
still DabbIe in Politics.
The report directs attention to the dis
continuance of the practice of levying
/ political assessments on government en-
ployes. but states that there is still too
great a disposition on the part Of per
sons in the classified service to partici-
pate actively in politics. in spite of the
/ Executive orders, TO the detriment of the
service.
! In the educational examinations &.l9l
| persons competed. and 59115 passed,
while 81 ,S43 persons took the noneduca-
. 81 nd Taa -
! This makes a total of 10 034 persons ex-
/ amined during the year. of whom $685.
/ passed and 4,S77 We're appointed As
compared with the previous year. there
was a decrease in the number examined
of 1856, and an increase of 1,lS4 In the
number appointed.
The commission attributes the falling
/ off in the number of competitors TO the
I favorable industrial conditions through
out the country It's records show that
from 40 to 80 per cent OF the highest
eligibles on the clerk. stenOgraphy. and
/ typewriting and certain other registers
decline appointments for various reasons,
1 principally on account of the low sal
aries offered
Postal Salaries Too Low.
4 The commission directs attention 10 the
difficulty it has experienced during the
rast year in securing ehgibles for the
Pcst-ofice service in the various parts
Of the country. notably in the West and
South.
The commission says the government
/ cannot hope to compete with private en-
ployers unless it pays salaries that
measure up fairly well to the standard of
/ private business
1.-The Post-office Department, under the
existing law. is obliged to require a sub
/ stitute carrier 10 hold himself ready at
| all times To answer a call from the de-
partment yet his guaranteed salary is
only 81 "A year. He may get twenty
days work a month, or he may get
no work at all. and yet he must be
ready to report for duty whenever
/ called on.
1T is obviously difficult for an eligi-
bic on a clerk-carrier register 10 retain
his position with a private employer
when the government has a right at any
/ time 70 call for days work, and yet
\ the salary Of the substitute carrier Is
I rarely enough for him 10 live on
I Looks to FOurth-cIass POstmasters.
\ In the rural carrier service there were
Il 2i,252 applicants examined. and of these
H 9,I5J were appointed An interesting com
/ pariscn is drawn between this service
which is classified. and the unclassified
fourth-class postmasters- InN the rural
I carrier service the Post-ofice Department
reports that of the 35.66S rural carriers. il
was found necessary to remove only 16I
less than one-half Of ] per cent, and that
only twenty-five OF such removals were
and regulations. OF the unclassifed
n fourth-class pOstmasters il was found
Il necessary to remove 1.253, more than :
per cent of the total number.
Not So strict in Panama.
The commission states that last Janu-
airy it joined with the Isthmian Canal
Commission in recommending that all pO-
sitions in the isthmian canal service be