The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-01-08
GAME WARDENS
UNDERGO TESTS
State Game and Fish Depart.
ment will be put on Merit
System.

With the state game and fish de-
partment just recovering from one of
the most widespread shakeups in the
history of the department the personnel
of that section of the states govern
mental machinery last week began
preparing for what promises to be a
still greater upheaval within it's or
ganization.
Expectation of new and even more
complete shuffling of all the states
deputy game wardens was being voiced
following the announcement late last
week by w. T. Cox, state conservation
commissioner, that one of the first adj
ministrative acts of the new state con-
servation department would be to put
the appointees of that state game and
fish department rigidly upon the merit
system" by the immediate submission
of every game warden in state service
to strict written and oral examina-
ton as to fitness to hold the position
he occupies.
Examinations, Mr.. Cox announced,
will be conducted by two higher officials
of the state game and fish department
and will be held, he indicated, within
the next fortnight at four conveniently
located cities in the state. Duluth,
Ben1idji, and st. Paul, already have
been named as three of the cities in
which the game warden examinations
will be held. The fourth city to be des-
ignated is expected to be either Roch-
ester or Mankato in the southern Sec
ton of the state.
Game wardens or aspirants to game
warden positions, who desire to take
the examinations, will be tested much
after the fashion of high school pupils
at the end of school semester, Mr.
Cox indicated.
Marks upon both oral and written
tests will be given by the two examin-
ing officials in charge, Mr.. Cox in
dicated and these rankings will be re-
viewed later by the conservation COM
missioner.
Any game warden who fails to at
tain certain mark in the test either
as to character, physical fitness or a
requisite knowledge of the matters
which are essential to his position will
be Immediately dismissed from state
service Mr.. Cox indicated and his
position filled from among applicants
who show the highest. promise in similar
tests.
BY the institution of a test system
in the game and fish department very
similar to that which has been used
in the past in the section of state
forestry department rangers, it is hoped
that the game and fish department
appointments will be taken out of
politics." as thoroughly as it was
promised few weeks ago that they
would be.
While the sudden installation of the
test system is expected at the state
house to work some immediate hard
ship upon the game and fish depart
ment by the possible wrecking of an
organization which has only recently
begun to function cohesively, state
capitol observers generally are pre-
dieting great future benefits not only
in the department itself but in a
security to appointees who will be thus
put under the operation of virtual
civil service system"
While it is conceded that more heads
may fall from game and fish depart
ment appointees than were lost few
months ago when the new Farmer
Labor administration first began to
exercise its powers there was less APP
prehension being voiced Tuesday by
game and fish department employees at
the approach of the examination dates
than had been evidenced before.