Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-10
$500 LIQUOR Jobs
SOUGHT BY 25,0DO
Applicants Tilt With Pens in
Greatest Civil Service
Elimination Bout.
By LEMUEL F. PARTON.

NEW YORK, June 10.-There are at
least $4,000 persons in the United
States who disagree with Gilbert and
Sullivan as to the general unhappi-
ness of policemen. Written and oral
examinations to fill $500 prohibition
enforcement jobs, under way today
throughout the country, have brought
forward approximately $4,000 candi-
dates-ten men for every job.
In 700 cities and towns these volun-
teers are fitting at each other with
government pens in the biggest elm
1natton bout ever put on by the United
States Civil Service Commission. In
later oral and physical tests, olfactory
qualifications will be considered. but
civil service officials said emphatically
that such aptitudes, or gifts. would be
considered along with the general ply
steal and mental equipment. 1t was
stated positively that there would be
no long-range smelling tournament.
In the New York district there are
about 1900 candidates for $50 jobs.
The age limits are from % to 20, with
ieager contenders at both extremes.
When the first tests started Saturday
the entrants overflowed the big civil
service examination room in the New
York Custom House and filled dozens
of rooms in high schools and other
public buildings.
There is a youth who wants to cash
in on correspondence course on am
ateur sleuthing and there is an aged
inventor who says he has to go to
work because prohibition knocked out
q non.refillable bottle on which he had
spent his life. The in-between army
includes Jealous and determined men
who want to fight evil and others
equally jealous and determined who
just want jobs.
This is the first application of civil
service to prohibition enforcement, I'M
der the act passed March by the last
session of Congress. The examinations
are being held under the direction of
DIR. Howard A Edison, chief examiner
of the United States Civil Service Com
mission; Harry c. Coles, in charge of
the second district of the civil service,
and L. H. Fisher superintendent of
field forces.
The applicants who pass the exami-
nations will be submitted later to oral
and phyical tests. From the winners
of all these tests 1 man in 10 will be
picked-provided he also survives the
ordeal Of the finger prints.
Take Finger Prints.
In this respect this isn't exactly
like matriculating at Harvard. After
the finger print is taken 1t will be
compared with pretty nearly all the
finger prints now eXtant, to guard
against candidates with questionable
records.
DR.. Edison was questioned about
what prohibition agent has to know.
He said what they know isn't SO i'm
portant as what they do. For this
reason, the test questions are designed
to determine the candidates capacity
for action under certain conditions.
Here is sample:
can inspector of bonded winery
discovers that on large number of
casks the seals have been cut and
glued together again. Which of the
following is the best action for the
inspector to take? ~ Have the seals
examined to find out whether they are
genuine. (2) Take a sample of the
contents for a chemical test and then
reseal the casks. go Weigh the casks
to discover whether part of their con-
tents has been removed. "a Open the
casks and if they are full have them
resealed in his presence. 60 Open the
casks and if they are not full, have
them destroyed"
Best Men Assured.
Answered No. is ''par" on this
one. Most of the questions are like
that, covering hypothetical equations
which involve illicit bottles, stray
odors, broken-down trucks, fake per-
mits and other standard properties of
the prohibition drama.
The oral tests will be directed more
particularly to the applicants mental
and psychological qualifications, this
being the first instance in which
behavioristc psychology has been
called to the aid of law enforcement.
1--WE are assured that we will be
able to select men of the highest COM
petence and character" said DIR. Ed
son. Personally, I believe the civil
service system, rather than working
toward mediocrity, works for the Sc
lection of the best men. We are en-
deavoring to conduct these examina-
tions with view, first of all, to the
honesty and ability of the applicants.
We will follow the examinations with
most minute researches covering the
associations, personal records, habits
and character of each applicant, not
only in his own community, but in his
own neighborhood."
Positions to be filled pay from 81 ,140
for warehouse Waterman to Sc 900
for prohibition administrator. Junior
prohibition agents will receive 1860
a year; prohibition agents $2,4OO;
junior prohibition investigators 50, 400;
prohibition investigators, $4,000; jun
ior alcohol and brewery inspectors
$1,000, and alcohol and brewery in
spectors $4,000.
The applicants include ministers,
former bartenders, young collegians,
business men, college professors,
chauUeurs, policemen, watchmen and
men or many other callings.
(Conyrieht 1927