Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-26
NEW EXAMINATION
TO FILL DRY RANKS
Civil Service Commission Is
Soon to Announce Quiz
for Prohibition Agents.

A new Civil Service examination will
be necessary to fill the ranks of pro-
hibition agents throughout the country
it was learned today, the first examlna-
ton having failed to furnish sufficient
eligibles.
This was confirmed in both Civil
Service and prohibition quarters, al
though details of the new examination
or how it will differ from the first one
which drew fire from prohibition OFF,
Gals, has not been definitely learned.
DR.. James M. Doran, prohibition
commissioner, however, indicated that
| the new examination which Is expected
| to be announced by the commission will
stress the experience" of an officer as
qualifying factor. The technical pa
per examination which was given to all
applicants Oh the first quiz was the
| feature to which DR.. Doran and others
objected.
No formal statement was forthcoming
| from the Civil Service Commission
early today, but 1t was intimated there
that the new examination would prob
| ton in few days.
List Unsatisfactory"
The failure of the first examination
to produce sufficient eligibles has placed
| the Prohibition Bureau in a peculiar
position. It has sent out to prohibit
| ton administrators in every district the
list of persons listed by the Civil Serv-
ice Commission as eligible under the
first examination. But DR.. Doran def
nitely branded these first lists as ''un-
satisfactory" and predicted that they
would not fill half of the places perma-
nently.
Although there was certain polite
diminishing on the surface and attempts
to maintain good relations between the
Prohibition Bureau and the Civil Serv-
ice Commission when the results of the
first examination began to come in, 1t
became an open secret that prohibition
officials were disgruntled by the way
the commission had conducted the ex-
animation Predictions were me- -
early in this stage of the situation that
another examination would be made
necessary.
The Civil Service Commission, how
ever, defended its position in giving the
examinations and in disqualifying a
large number of applicants because they
failed to make the grade in the paper
GAdUlLldIlOll.
the first examination was given the
second oral and investigative examina-
ton.
Wish to Aid Veterans.
Representative Hamilton Fish of New
York, champion of World War veterans,
was loud in his condemnation of the
methods of the Civil Service Commits
sion, and claimed that the system Of
elimination of certain veterans with
experience not only in the World War
but also in the prohibition service it.
self was violative of the spirit and let
ter of the law giving preference to vet
Grams. Mr.. Fish is now head Of spe-
cial committee appointed by President
Coolidge, and including also President
Deming of the Civil Service Commits
sion, to draft ways and means of giving
more Government jobs to disabled
soldiers.
Some of the oldest and most expert
enced prohibition agents in the service
were eliminated by the first paper quiz
by the Civil Service Commission.
While official information concerning
the second examination was wholly
lacking today, 1t was indicated some
time ago in quarters close to the COM
mission that persons who had failed
in the first examination would be given
Just as much opportunity to take the
second examination as any other out
side person. But commission members
insisted chat any second examination,
if it should be given, would not be made
more lenient merely for the purpose of
enabling sorue old-time Government
employees to regain their jobs.