New-York tribune., 1910-05-08

Dever he will of course have to begin at
the very bottom unless ne should nave
had. special training in some one line and
is ready TO start -in higher post In. this
event he would have to be a least twenty
one years old. for only beginners can be
under that age. This article. however, IS
written for the boy, and not the man
We shall therefore assume that your boy
is sixteen or little over. is in good health
and knows how to read and write and do a
little figuring He will have to take a Civil
Service examination before the commits
sion, but its scope will not be more than
ordinary. and after he has gone through
all the formal requirements specified by
Uncle Sam his name will be added 10 the
list of eligibles, and after a few weeks or
months he will be notified to report for
duty. He may learn all he has to do by
writing to the Civil Service Commission at
Washington. which, has ready lot of
printed documents containing information
and instructions.
His first work will be that of messenger
boy, for which he was examined. and his
pay $3.50 a.year. or $50 a month-rather more
than messenger boys are paid in civil life
He cannot advance above this grade until
he is twenty. when he will be eligible 70
take the examination for regular mes
senger. But during this time he will be
making himself capable in his own line
and that Immediately ahead of him. so that
he can pass the comparatively simple ex-
animation with flying colors and be rated
one of the best in the division with which
he is connected.
This examination. known as the third
grade is on the following subjects: Spell
ing, arithmetic, letter writing. pennanship
and copying from plain copy. IL is not an
advanced examination on these topics, only
the simpler problems and as to efficiency.
AS soon a3 he passes it and is promoted
TO the formal post of messenger his pay
will be increased in one jump TO $50 a year.
or $50 a month. and ne will be set TO doing
more important duties in the same line ne
has been following. This work he must
pursue for year; for he must be twenty
one before he can take the further promo
tion to the place of sub-clerk.
Now he will be started on regular lire
of advancement. rising from clerkship to
clerkship. each of more Importance than
the one before. and each promotion. which
is made every six months carrying an in
crease of 500 year in pay. This goes on
until he is chief clerk OF the division in
which he is working and is drawing frem
81 SEQ TO sS.010 annually.
II Is q COiuEdEdllNc4y long step RSIOfS ne
finally becomes chief clerk. generally re-
quiring from fifteen tc thirty years from
the time he began; SO that he comes into
this important place about the time he
IS thirty-five. If he should have chosen
what is known the entry. the drawback
the bond and warehouse or the passenger
baggage division. as chief clerk he will be.
an acting deputy collector. which means that
IN the absence OF the real deputy collector
he will be head of the division and will
have the direction of from one hundred TO
two hundred employees. and viii be next, to-
the collector in authority. The. collector
ship itself is a political position and pays
in New York $1,000 annually
The last promotion in regular order that
is within the regulations is 10 the deputy
ship of one of the divisions. under either
the appraisers the Surveyors or any one
of the other divisions, carrying salary up
to as high as $500 year. or, in the case
OF special deputies. up TO 5000 Special
deputies are net governed by the promotion
regulations OF the Civil Service, but are
appointed by the head OF the division, and
are generally chosen from among those
who have made the greatest advancement
Thus II is possible for one 10 become the
chief special deputy chosen by the collector
OF customs, the man at the head of the