The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-23

tA' fA II r. w V WlhINi " lID " iIOA|A excuse for making special exceptions Your committeo Is also of opinion tha the commission has mo power to mak, such exception after an examination The candidates have g right that tht rules shall remain as they were whet they took the examination,
 Tn our minds the present greatest defect in the organization Is in making the chief of police and the chief or the lire departments ex-otllcio members Of the board of civil service commission CTS, The applicants for their depart monts thus come directly under tho eX- animation of the heads of these de- partmcnts, The Inevitable result o' such an arrangement ls that there Is a very great tendency toward what might be termed senatorial courtesy whereby the decisions as to any dis. largely left to the head of the depart ment under whom the applicant will serve, Tt is impossible, in the existing state of human nature, that candidates should not attempt to furnish nforma ton to the examiners as to their lden- tlty by informing them as to thelt numbers or otherwise and under oul present charter provision Of so-called bipartisan commissions lt ls mpossi- ble that members of these commls. slons, or a majority combination there of should not favor particular candi- dates and should not at times use thelr Influence to procure the certhcation of particular men.
 "The board, in our judgment should bc reduced to three, all civilians, and should he paid some reasonable salary or else an official examiner should hr appointed al a salary sufficient to ren- der him free from political pressure who should prepare ana examine all papers, subject to tho board.
 Ut is believed that tne medical and physical examinations both in the po- lice and tlre departments have not been ss strict as is desirable for the good of the city
 '1t Is believed that tho entire board is in favor of an amendment to the charter whereby the rule Of three. so- called should he adopted, rather than the present pass system of 70 As the charter Is now understood, any candi- date who passes his examination with a mark of 70 is thereby certified hy the board as eligible for appointment to city employment. This means q wide field for the exercise of political Influence and personal pull In the ap- polntment of a particular individual out of those who pass better than 70, The charter should be amended to re- quirc that one of the Highest three passing the examination should be appointed,
 some minor details have develop cd which can he corrected by rules, IL IS desirable that candidates should furnish certified copies of the date Of their birth or of their naturall2a- ton papers, for the age, of course, E important to the city under the pen sion provisions.
 There Is one other matter Of grea. importance That Is the question Of the publicity Of the records. Your committee believes that lt ls for the best interests Of the city and of the civil service and of the independence and dignity of the commission itself that part,at least, of the records of the commission should be public namely, the applications of the candl- dates themselves, showing their own statements of their qualifications, the minute books of the records of the commission the certincatlons and the papers of the three successful candi- amended in that particular II Is mol desirable that the papers Of the m. successful candidates should be pub. lie. but it Is believed that public opin- ion does not sanction the absolute suppression of all knowledge by tho public of the proceedings of the boar,i as board The corporation counsel has lately given an opinion that these records arc not as of right public This does not however. prevent thc commission from making them public if it desires Co. and in our judgment it would strengthen the position of tne commission with the public very much if they should vote to mako public the records,
 The report of the executive commit. tee was ready by Secretary Charles G Morris
 The meeting was a snort one, and after the routine matter of elections and reports had been disposed of the meeting adjourned lt was decided to hold inc annual dinner of the associa- ton this year in Hartford The dato has not been selected yet, but t will loo late in January or sometime in February.