El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-10-17

A PPROXIMATELY 100000 peo-
~ pie are employed in the civil
service of the United States
Their salaries aggregate more than
s200,0O0,000 a year. \ large proportion
| OF these employees are connected with
| the executive branch of the govern
ment there being $4,000 of them in
| that branch. More than half of these
are employed in what is known as the
| classified service, the positions which
they hold being filled under the civil
| service law. Last year the positions
| subject to competitive examination I'M
| der the civil service rules numbered
| 234,940. an increase of 2S,303 over the
previous year. OF the 1884 PRISONS
not subject to the rules of the COM
mission the president appointed ap-
proximately 10000.
Established In 1883.
The civil service commission was Gre
| ated by what is known as the civil
service act of 1883. Under the old
spoils system every change in the
presidency carried with it almost
clean sweep of the employees in the
| executive service. This system pro
| duced so many obnoxious results that
1T was universally agreed that subor-
dinate positions ought no longer to De
| distributed as a part of the spoils of
| political warfare, but should be dis
tributed under appointments for merit
| and held during good behavior
Since that time each succeeding
| president of the United States has ex-
| terded the number of positions under
| civil service rules, until today nearly
a quarter of million men and women
] hold their positions in the government
| service by virtue of those laws. That
| there are plenty OF aspirants for gov
, eminent positions under civil service
| rules is hown by the records of exam
| nations during the year 1909 The
commission during that year examined
15S,000 applicants. OF these $4,000
succeeded in having their names placed
| upon the list of eligibles for appoint
ment. The number of appointments
| aggregated 1900. In other words.
one applicant out of four secured an
| appointment, while one eligible out or
| three was successful. The saying that
in the government service few die and
none resign, does not hold true, for
| nearly the entire Al, 900 appointments
were made to fill vacancies.
Law Most Effective.
| The administra ton of the civil serv-
| ice law is being made more effective
each year. Every few months sees the
issuance of an order by the president
transferring positions from the un-
classified to the classified service.
Last year more than $4,000 employees
and the positions they held were trans
ferred to the classified service. Up
ward of $1,000 of these were the fourth
class postmasters in IA of the states of
the union. President Taft has already
transferred 5000 postal employees this
year. i.
A large list of eligibles is maintain
ed by the civil service commissions at
all times Examinations are neld reg
ularly in various parts of the United
States each year, and the applicant is
expected to set forth in his application
the position he desires to fill. In adj
dition to these regular examinations
/ at stated periods, there are special ex
! aminaticns held to fill special vacan-
cies. One may easily conceive the wide
range of governmental activities when
1T is stated that in the course of q
year examinations are held for nearly
500 different kinds Of positions In
1909 sol of the positions to be filled
required educational tests and 1876 nom
educational tests.
In the positions requiring educa-
tional tests the ordinary examination
is about as difficult as that for school
teachers in the common schools of the
average city.
Some Difficult Positions.
There are many examinations, how
ever, for positions of unusual require
ments-- The reclamation service needs
civil and hydraulic engineers; the ge-
ClOgica1 survey requires the services
OF the coal mining engineers; the navy
department must have an electrical eX- !
pert in wireless telegraphy and tele-
phony;- the department of agriculture
asks for a chemical biologist. a chief
veterinarian, and chief of the CATTLE
and grain investigation laboratory
all these and other highly technical
positions are filled from a list of ELI
gibles under the civil service. 1t is
plain that the ordinary government
examiner is not able to mark the pa
pers in such examinations. Conse-
quently, the services of specialists in
branches of scientific. professional and
technical knowledge are occasionally
required.
There are exceptions to the rule that
all positions in the classified service
are filled under open competitive eX-
animation. Positions which require |
highly confidential service, are filled |
without examination under civil serv- |
ice rules. National bank examiners, !
receivers in the office of the controll- |
er of the currency, cable electricians |
under the war department, and special /
agents in the general land office APP !
pointed to investigate fraudulent en- |
tries and other matters of a criminal |
nature, are instances OF such eXcep- |
lions.
There has been marked develop |
ment in the work of the civil service
commission. This is disclosed by a
diminuition in the abuses which the
civil service act is intended to remedy.
Positions formerly regarded as i'm
possible of classificati ton have been /
classified or otherwise withdrawn
from patronage; examinations have
been applied with a greater measure
of success to positions requiring
high degree of professional, scientific,
or technical qualifications; political &C
tivity on the part of employees occupy
ing competitive positions has met with
increased prosecution by the commits
sion; political levies on office holders
have been less frequent; and the APP
pointing officers OF the government
are being relieved from the importuni-
ties for positions
Not Many Washington Jobs.
Only about one eighth of the posi-
lions embraced in the competitive serv-
ice are located at Washington. In ad-