Evening star., 1931-04-21
Civil Service Commission to
Inspect 10000 Appointees
Annually After July |.
ONE OF 13 APPLICANTS
HAS CRIMINAL RECORD
Prospective Employees of Every
Description Included in
Classification.
BY REX COLLIER.


Aroused by the disclosure that one out
OF every 13 persons applying for Govern
ment employment has a police record,
Uncle Sam is preparing to raise a for
midable fingerprint barrier against GRIM
inals seeking jobs in the civil service.
Fingerprinting Of prospective ap-
pointees has been limited since 1927 to
the prohibition, narcotic, customs and
postal services. but beginning July
next the Civil Service Commission will
extend the system to all of the approxi-
mately 10000 appointees selected an
nually for the varied branches of Fed
eral service
With the start of the new fiscal year.
every f1le clerk, stenographer, typist or
other prospective Government employe
Of any description must submit to
fingerprinting before his appointment
Is approved.
Funds Appropriated.
A special Appropriation obtained
fro n the last Congress will enable the
Civil Service Commission to double the
size OF its present flngerprinting staff,
so the thousands of additional prints
may be classified and fled. The COM
mission now has four fingerprint classi-
flers and four more will be added The
work Is in charge of Caleb Hughes,
chief of the f1ngerprint division.
The commission already has on file
more than 100000 prints of employees in
the several law enforcement services
under civil service control. Lack of
funds heretofore has restricted the fin
gerprinting to persons seeking positions
of special responsibility and trust
The finger printing Of all appointees
after July l will be in addition TO the
regular character investigation" con-
Quoted by the commission in its exam
ination of applicants, it was pointed out
today by e. C. Babcock, assistant 5ecre-
tary Of the commission.
Justice Department Helps.
j. Edgar Hoover, director of the Bu-
reau Of Investigation of the Department
of Justice, has been cooperating with
the civil service officials in their check
up on applicants. and viii turn over
to them two of his experienced finger
print claSSif1eTs.
The civil service fingerprints are sent
to Director Hoover's national division
of identifcation for comparison with
the more than 100000 f1ngerprints Of
criminals on file there. The commits
sion so far has found that approx
mately out of every Is applicants for
Federal service has a police record of
some degree.
The finger printing policy will apply
not only to original appointees, but
even persons seeking reinstatement In
the Government service, it was stated
by Herbert z. Morgan, chief of the
editing and recruiting division of the
commission. FingerprintS will not be
taken of employees already in the serv-
ice, or those who are promoted or
transferred, he said.
Commissioner Jessie Dell said the
fingerprinting of temporary employees
in the New York Post Ofice resulted
in a so per cent reduction in losses"
during the Christmas holiday rush.
IF there was any doubt as to the
value of fingerprinting, she said in a
recent report, "it was dispelled by the
commissions experience in flngerprint-
ing all applicants for positions in the
Bureau of Prohibition.
"a choice lot of crooks attempted to
obtain employment in the prohibition
force for reasons best known to them
selves. Fingerprints, however, kept
them out"