Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-03
CUT OUT
How the Consular Service Will
Be Reformed.
TO EXAMINE CANDIDATES
British Manufacturers Stirred by
German Aggressiveness.
ENGLAND LOSING ITS TRADE
Steps Being Taken to Regain Old
Position-Floating Exposition to
Visit Forty Ports of World.
ENGLAND LOSING ITS TRADE
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

When the National Board of Trade holds
its annual meeting here next week the COM
mittee on consular reform will have moth
ing to do but congratulate itself and the
country and express to Secretary Root and
the President it's appreciation Of the man
ner in which that service has been reorgan-
lied. Year after year, as often as the Ma
tional Board of Trade has gathered here,
this committee, composed of wise and pa
triotic men, has appeared before the COM
mittees on foreign affairs of both houses
of Congress and has submitted unanswer-
able reasons for placing the consular corps
upon a business basis. But its words
have fallen upon deaf ears. Last SPRING
however, Secretary Root and Assistant Sec
rotary Bacon took hold of the matter and
secured the passage of an act which did
not accomplish all that the business men
of the country desired, but went a great
ways, and what Congress neglected to do
the President has done by executive order
Under the authority conferred upon MN
by section lob of the Revised Statutes, to
prescribe such regulations for the admls-
sion of persons into the civil service of the
United States may best promote the
efficiency thereof the President has made
a rule that all vacancies in the consular
service shall be filed by promotion for abil-
ity and efficiency. Vacancies at the bottom
are to be filled % by the promotion of con-
sular clerks, vice consulS, deputy conSulS
and consular agents, and (2) the appoint
ment of candidates whose names are upon
a list of eligibes. To get his name upon
such list a candidate must pass an eXami-
nation before a committee consisting of the
third assistant secretary OF state, the Chlet
of the consular bureau and the chief exam
liner of the civil service commission. The
examination will be both oral and written.
The object of the oral examination will be
to determine the candidates business abil
ity, alertness, general contemporary infor-
nation, natural fitness for the service,
moral, mental and physical qualifications,
address, manners and command of English.
The written examination must show his
ability to read and write at least one mod
ern language other than English and
knowledge of the material, industrial and
commercial resources of the United States.
political economy, history, the science of
government, political and commercial geog-
raphy, arithmetic, grammar, punctuation,
spelling, handwriting and the fundamental
principles of international, commercial and
maritime law
The names Of candidates who pass this
examination will remain on the eligible list
for two years, when a REORGANIZATION will
be necessary for those who have not been
appointed in the meantime.
Political influence Eliminated.
Consuls in the lower grades must be ex-
amined for promotion. No person is eligible
for a consulate who is over fifty years of
age No promotion will be made except for
efficiency, as shown by the work the consul
or vice consul has performed and his per-
sonal character and conduct. All candi-
dates must show evidence of good charac
ter and temperate habits. In making APP
pointments vice consuls, deputy consuls,
consular clerks and agents are to have the
preference No political influence is neces-
sary. The President and Secretary of State
are endeavoring to take the service entirely
out of politics. and the executive order says
that neither in the designation for exam
nation nor certifcation appointment will
the political affiliations of the candidate be
Hitherto the consular service has often
been used as an asylum for decayed and
INDECENT politicians, for the poor relations
of the President the cabinet senators and
representatives and political leaders, for
men who want to educate their children
abroad have daughters who want to
study art or music. That era is over. I'm
der the present rules young men who are
willing to learn the business by serving as
consular clerks, consular agents. deputies
and vice consuls who receive from $500 to
$1,000 a year will have the preference in
appointments to the permanent service,
vacancies occur in the ninth class of con-
suls, which pays a 5000 salary.
Since the Presidents order was issued
and the regulations published, very few
appointments have been made and they
have all been promotions. College men are
preferred, and those seniors in different in
situations throughout the country who de-
sire to enter the consular service would do
well to address letters of inquiry to Hunt
ington Wilson, third assistant secretary of
state, who ten years ago went direct from
the commencement exercises at Yale to the
United States legation in Toxic.
Men who are in the service at present
will not be removed except for cause.
There are now five consular inspectors
whose business is to visit every consulate
two or three times year and report to
the Secretary of State how each consul Is
hah rino hiy1Ca md bny ic ffioa i,
Quoted. Hitherto consulates were seldom
inspected, except when some traveller made
complaint reported the delinquencies of
officials that came under his observation.