The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-07-15
.CVI[ SERVICE
SIMPLY IGNORED
Board Cannot Enforce 1t I'm.
less Administration Carries
Out Regulations.

II may he that the civil ~aervice com.
mission is a useless extravaEance. as
Ine TAX rate committee suggested in the
recent report, but In the opinion of the
CtVil service commissioners thai is The
tauit Of the city administration. not Of
the members Of the civil service board
or OF the law under which they act.
Inc establishment of the civil service
BOARD In Memphis vas provided for in
the commission charter. which went
into effect in January. 1910. The board
makes its own rules and regulations.
The first board placed members OF the
police and fire departments under civil
service regulations, and the section OF
the charter requires that appointments
20 these two departments shall be made
from eligible lists furnished hy the civil
service board after applicants names
nave been placed on the lists, following
physical and mental examinations. The
board Is required by law to hold at
least " examinations a year.
Same Pay-No Work.
The Law is a good law. The only
trouble with II is that, like many other
laws, 1t has been practically a dead let
Ter for years. Policemen are hired and
tired without any reference to the civil
service regulations Ffremen were an
pointed for a number OF years from tie
ciVil service lists, but for a long time,
members Of the board say, 80 few ap-
phcations for examination have been
made that probably the members do
not earn their Salaries OF s25 a month.
The present members are ]. w, Shep.
herd, who has served through several
terms; Henry n. Bauer and Paul o.
Croce, The mayors secretary has al
ways served as secretary to the civil
service board at SIS a month salary.
In April, although there we're nearly
30 vacancies In the police department,
less than 90 applications were on file
with the board and only three fourths
OF the applicants appeared for examina-
Ton, Most of them were former SOL
diers and some Of them were after
ward placed on the police force. Prob
ably more than half the men on the
police force would be unable to pass
the physical examinations prescribed by
the board rules.
Law Ignored Completely.
Speaking Of the criticism of the board
by the tax rate committee, Paul o.
Croce, who Is one OF the b~est-known
leaders OF organized labor in Memphis
and a former president of the State
Federation Of Labor, said Tuesday:
The civil service rules, in my opin-
ion, should apply to every man appoint
ed to the fire or police departments.
moral character n must be in good
physical condition to pass the board
tests. But the trouble is that for years
little attention has been paid by the
city administrations to the civil service. !
Men with political pull have no need to
pass the civil service examinations, |
Therefore they do not make application
for examination, The trouble seems to
be that the law is not mandatory or is |
simply ignored. II public sentiment de-
manded of each city administration that
the civil service rules be enforced, a
better class Of policemen would be Sc.
cured. But the people themselves, who
should be interested, seem to care moth
ing about IT," i