Evening star., 1925-08-23
22,ODO TAKE TEST
FOR 5000 POSTS
Britons in Many Chimes, Vet
erans of War, Seek
Federal Places.

- Cable to The Star and New York World.
LONDON. August 22.-What is
claimed to k4 the worlds biggest com
petitive examination has just been
held in England, Germany, France,
Egypt Palestine and Mesopotamia,
when 1900 temporary civil serV-
ants sought 10 qualify for 5000 per
manent British government jobs with
full pension rights, etc.
All We're ex-soldiers with at least II
months Temporary" service in gov
ernment departments. and the exalni-
nation was held TO decide VINO
should remain permanently and VINO
should be liable to dismissal without
pension in the event OF staff reduc-
ton being necessitated by economy
plans. The result of the examination
will not be published for some three
months, SO the $4,000 must keep "a
tight hold on their patience ana natu-
raj anxieties for some time.
For the fortunate 5000 there is an
assured livelihood and life career
along the peaceful lines of the Brltish
government civil service. which takes
no notice of political upheaVals,
changes of government, etc, ana
which care nothing whether Red
Socialist government or reactlonary
Conservative party is in power. Short
of absolute misconduct these embryo
civil servants have a life job with
comfortable pension on reaching the
statutory age limit.
Posts for 5000 Failures
About s 900 of the failures" will ne
assured of permanent posts Wllhout
pensions, but may win pensions later
if recommended by their chiefs. The
remaining 5000 failures" Will not
lose their jobs Immediately, but they
will be the first to get the order OF
the sack" if staffs have to be reduced.
In these days of economy propaganda
IL is evident that some of the govern
ynent staffs will be reduced sooner or
later. for the regular civil service eA-
aminationS to replace normal vast
age" are continuing.
The great majority of these - 600
competitors are men who received
Government jobs during the war time
owing to wounds, Illness, etc, having
rendered them unfit for active service.
Their status has been very uncertain
since the armistice of 1918, for the
regular civil servants resented the inn
portation of men who had not quail
tied through the regular channels.
E,oualy the temporary" civil Serv-
ants have felt that their war service
has qualified them to I'LL vacancies
which are normally filled by competi-
tive examination. The Civil Servica
proper felt otherwise, and the present
examination was resorted to as soiu-
Iion.
The competitors can obtain 1000
marks, of which $50 are awarded by
the chiefs of their departments, while
the remainder must be earned during
the examination. London and thirty
TWO other towns in the United King
dom, Cologne. Berlin, st. Omer, Cairo,
Palestine and Mesopotamia were the
scenes of the examination which
started simultaneously at noon July b.
In London 5000 competitors toed the
mark, and these had to be divided into
patches OF 1900, spread over period
OF six days, in order to utilize the
great Olympia Annex in West London
as a school room.
Whistle Starts Tests.
There were scenes not lacking in
pathos as the patches of 1,500-most-
ly middle-aged men with families
bent over their desks at the sound
OF a policeman's whistle-which gave
the official "off" in sporting phrase
ology. Some of the competitors
brought their wives and children with
them, but the most precocipus young
ster was not permitted to stand along
side Daddy's desk to prompt him in
his struggles with the English
language, geography, mathematics,
etc. Most of the competitors, how
ever, preferred TO take their medicine
in solitary grandeur-or misery. And
in many British homes there was a
distinct feeling OF embarrassment.
even irritation. when Jackie, jr., asked
Daddy, when Is the capital Of Bal
uchistran?" or What is the square
root of 123456,'' etc.
During the huge Glasses" in Lon
don, supervisors moved among the
competitors to prevent ''cribbing,
and the possession of notebooks or
works of reference rendered the Of
fender liable to disqualification. AL
together it was a regular back to
school for most of the competitors.
with the difference that success or