Evening star., 1934-11-18
DRY AGENTS TEST
CRITICS ANSWERED
Civil Service Commission
Makes Public Quiz Cost
ing 900 Jobs.

The Civil Service Commission last
night raped legislation costing 900
employes of the Alcohol Tax Unit
their Jobs on December /: replied to
criticism of the examination it pre-
scribed for this group, and made pub
lie the questions in the test which the
luckless 900 flunked along with some
5000 others.
while the commission regards as
unfortunate legislation that results in
taking away from civil service en-
ployes positions obtained through open
competition" statement said, sit Is
apparent that the commission could
not, in view of the provisions of the
emergency appropriation act which
provided for an open competitive ex-
animation, formulate a test with a
view to giving any advantage or pref
erential treatment to persons in the
service.
when called upon to announce i'm
mediately Nationwide examination,
the commission decided that the test
developed and used by the former
commission in 1881, after four years
of experience in recruiting eligibles for
liquor enforcement positions. would be
fair to persons within and without
the service"
Criticized for No Grading.
The commission, which devised the
examination in cooperation with the
Treasury, has been criticized for max
ing no grading for experience, as
was done in 1927, when the former
prohibition unit, from which the AL
cohol Tax Unit was recruited, was
made civil service agency. To this,
it replied that when in 1881, another
examination was held for positions in
the dry force. experience was elm
mated as a factor.
when Congress subjected to new
examinations the incumbents of en-
forcement positions receiving salaries
of $4,000 year. many of whom had
been originally appointed at salaries
as low as $1,860 year, it was in
evitable that many would fail to
qualify for reappointment," it said.
''It was also inevitable that re-
gardless of the type of examination
given, the tests would be severely
criticized. Realizing this and CIV
ing due consideration to the act which
made the examination necessary, the
commission decided that it would not
change the type of examination that
was last used for prohibition agent
and which was developed by the for
mer commission after four years of
experience in recruiting enforcement
personnel"
The statement adds that the only
change from 1881 was that in the
present instance a training and ex-
perience prerequisite for admission to
the examination was made, this in
Guiding legal and investigative fac
tors.
Experience Factor Removed.
In the 1927 test there was so per
cent allowance for experience, train
ing and fitness and 40 per cent on
the mental test. In 1881, however,
the mental (and observation) rating
was 100 per cent, and the same basis
was followed in the present instance.
The test. which is-seproduced in
great part in an adjoining column,
was undertaken by 8.796 applicants,
OF whom 2,644 passed the commits
sion said yesterday. This was 80 per
cent, higher figure than that given
out at the Treasury earlier in the
week, when the ratio of those who
passed-a mark of 70 was required
was put at one IN five. The commits
sion did not divide the list of sue
cessful candidates as between those
in service and new applicants, but on
the face of the returns. the propor-
tion was the same, as approximately
$50 incumbents out of 1850 made the
grade.
According to the commissions fig
ures, this was better showing than
was made between the fiscal years
1927-31, when, it was amplified, but
23.6 per cent of the appointees had
previous experience.
The commission statement drew fire
from the American Federation of Gov
ernment Employees, the president. E.
Claude Babcock, declaring that mo
CAPCA ACllICO pCAoOlio WC1C dfdlldplS 4Ol
the examination in 1881, and that con-
ditions this year paralleled those in
1927 when the experience factor was
allowed as an item of credit.
Storm Warnings Seen.
Meanwhile, advance rumblingS Of a
storm forecast from Capitol Hill were
heard yesterday when Chairman Nor
ton of the House District Committee
jumped into the fight, calling on the
commission to hold new examinations
in which experience and fitness would
count. She also wrote Secretary of the
Treasury Morgenthau asking his as
sistance.
Mrs. Norton said it was to require
legitimate civil service employees to
take second test, and that she did
not believe this was intended by Sena-
tor McKellar, Democrat, of Tennessee,
author of the amendment under which
no employees transferred from Justice
to Treasury for liquor enforcement
could draw pay after December l un-
less they had passed new examina-
tion.
1t has been freely asserted that
many members of both House and Sen
ate have been stirred by developments
growing out of this rider which was
rushed through at the end of the ses-
sion and will make themselves heard