Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-20
CIVIL SERVICE PREPARES
TO REVAMP DRY FORCES
Examination for $500 Positions Will Be
Rigid-New Law Becomes
Effective April /.

commission will consult the Treasury
Department In this connection.
For those who must pass written
examination the quiz will be framed
in part to get line on their intelli-
gence-something in the way Of the
mental tests now In vogue in many
lines OF endeavor. Then, in addition,
the tests for the agent or detective po-
sitions will be SO formulated as to
measure Judgment Of the type required
by an investigator, ability to discover
and follow up clues and ability to in
terpret correctly orders received by
| field workers.
This practice has been followed in
getting inspectors and agents for mar
cotic work and for the intelligence
unit of the Treasury and. according
TO commission officials. has proved of
inestimable value.
Those who survive this basic test
! and II Is estimated that il will be only
about half of the total number of ap-
| plicants-then will be brought before
/ the examiners for an interview, at
which their history will be gone into.
| a study made of their personality and
in general, that the investigators may
see just how they shape up for the
places they seek. Various problems
| of the character which prohibition
enforcement workers are likely to
| face will be presented and those UNI
| der examination will be called upon
to state what they would do in such
| situations.
Will Study Past.
Those who seem to measure up to
| all requirements then will undergo a
| thorough scrutiny in order to estab-
lish their moral fitness for a place in
| the bureau.
1 For fha iOt, IN iv,a ~aaoo~- Al
examination will in reality be a career
| test. They will be forced to undergo
| the same strict investigation as TO
character as all lesser employees, and
Furthermore. special attention is to
be paid to their education and expert.
ence. demonstrating their executive
ability and fitness
For example, as it was explained at
the Civil Service Commission, IL John
Smith seeks a post as administrator
or deputy administrator and offers as
evidence of his capability the fact thar
he previously has held some post that
required executive ability, the com.
mission will go to his former EN-.
ployers and seek to learn just exactly
how he fitted into their organization
and whether he demonstrated his
worth.
By following this procedure through.
out the service the Civil Service CONF
mission believes that it will provide a
competent working force.
While the commission is not para
ticularly concerned with the motives
that actuated the transfer of prohibi.
ton employees to the civil service
list, it sees a decided advantage in the
move, not only to the Government but
to the employees as well.
1t is held, first, as protagonists OF
the plan have contended all along.
that removal of the prohibition APP
pointmentS from the realm of politics
to an equal footing before the law
will tend to work an improvement in
the service.
Benefits to employees under the merit
system are cited as eligibility to trans
fer to other posts in the classified
service and reinstatement and retire
ment privileges.
Finally, it is commended, the annlica-
ton of civil service will make for In
creased efficiency.
/. In proof of the last point the case
of the Railway Postal Service is cited.
Railway Mail Improvement.
A few years ago. according to the
commission, a comparison was made
of the operation of the Railway Mail
Service before and after the employees
were brought under civil service, ana
the result, it Is declared. was a de-.
cided boost for the latter regime.
For the seven years Immediately pre-
ceding the Inauguration of the CONF
petitive examination system, accord
ing to commission figures. the number,
of pieces of mail distributed by each
employee annually averaged 1920, 73l.
and the number correctly distributed
for each error was 1891. The average
number of errors made by each en-
ploye annually in distribution was 335.
For the 20 years after the classical
ton of the service. however. the COM
mission says. the average number of.
pieces of mail distributed annually by
each employe was 1904 ,164; for the
first 10 years of this period the errors
averaged one to every S,627 pieces OF
mail handled, or 1873 per employee an
nually: for the last 10 years the ratio
was cut to one error to every IL ,307~
pieces. or 131 to each employe an
nually.
This is one illustration out of many,
according to the commission, that
clearly demonstrates the worth of the
merit system.
BY bringing the Prohibition Bureau
under civil service, the ranks OF Gov
eminent employees under the merit
system will be increased to 425, 900, as
compared to the $4,000 under the com
mission when 1t came into being Al
years ago.