New-York tribune., 1912-02-19
QUEER EXPERTS" Of
THE DIX REGIME
Great Increase in the Number Of
Exceptional Appointments
Allowed.
DOUBLED IN A YEAR
Laborer Made Messenger for
High and Recognized Scien-
cyProfessional or Edu-
cational Attainments.

The spoilsren who have been rcvela
ling in the pliability Of the Dix civil
service administration. have not con-
fined themselves 10 getting an unprece-
dented number Of exemptions from the
competitive classification. but. according
to the civil Service Reform Association.
have been doing a thriving business in
placing favortes in competitive positions
without subiectlng them 10 The strain OF
an examination.
The letter of Samuel II. Ordway chair
man Of the executive committee OF the
Civil Service Reform Association 10
Governor Dix. which was made public
on Saturday evening. draws sharp at
tention to this abuse. Investigation
shows that the Dix administration in it's
first year not only made exemptions
vastly exceeding in number those grant
ed in any previous year since the pas
sage Of the present law and undid some
Of the most important work of the pre-
vious administrations for the extension
Of the merit system, but also that in
addition TO these exemptions it has made
excessive and arbitrary use of its power
to permit exceptional appointments 10
competitive positions of persons of high
and recognized attainments of a scien-
tifc. professional or educational charac-
ter" For instance. it has used this
power to land a mere laborer I'm a mes
senger's position. Rule s, Section V, Of
the civil service rules provides:
In case Of vacancy in any position in
the competitive class, where peculiar ana
exceptional qualifications of n scientific.
professional or educational character are
required. and upon satisfactory evidence
that for specified reasons competition IN
such special cases is impracticable, and
that the position can be best hlled by the
selection of some designated person OF high
and recognized attainments in such quail
ties the commission may suspend the pro-
visions Of the rule requiring competition III
such case.
This rule in the past has been used I'm
the employment of experts in the vari-
Gus scientific works Of the state in cases
where it was obviously absurd to sub
ject the person whose services were de-
sired to an examination. Only In the
rarest instances has it been used TO per-
NIT ordinary employments. such, for ex-
ample, as the taking over of a few of
the trained assistants of the State Re
porter when his work was changed from,
a private to a pubic function.
Special Exceptions Excessive.
OF its use by the Dix commission in
1911 Mr. Ordway in his letter to the Gov
ernor says:
Not only is the number OF these special
exceptions from comUetition granted by
your commission excessive. but the reasons
which the commission is required 10 sub-
NIT i'm connection with each appointment
allowed under this clause show concIuslN.-
ly that the conditions have not been strict
ly observed, that appointments have Oeeh
allowed TO positions which are not OF
scientific, professional or educauonal char-
scter' and of persons who cannot lay any
claim TO high and recognized attainments
in anIch qualities" We would respectfully
ask you to verify these statements as 10
the abuse OF this clause by your commS-
sion by calling for list OF tho appoint
n1ents during 1911, with the names Of the
persons appointed and the reasons gNen~
for each appointment We believe mat 9 4
examination of the list will convince ]u
NOT only that this clause has been fragrant
iv abused by your commission. but 50
that the action Of your commission In sew
eral instances has been innuenced by po-
ntcal considerations.
On inquiry at the once OF inc ClVi
Service Reform Association as to the
basis Of this complaint to the Governor
II was said that this rule for exceptional
appointments without examination 10
competitive positions had been subject to
serious abuse during the last year, and
had been resorted 10 in cases where its
application was palpably absurd II had
been allowed in - instances I'm lOll, as
compared with 10 in 1910, % in 1909
and % IN 1908.