Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1934-12-03
TREASURY BACKS
k78H|T By" R|DER'
Tests Given Alcohol Tax Of
ficiaIs for Experience
and Fitness.

The Treasury Department will stand
pat, for the present at least, with
those on the official staff of the Alco-
hol Tax Unit whose jobs were osten-
sibly thrown on the market by the
patronage rider" which has resulted
in placing some 900 Investigators on
a payless basis.
A non-assembled competitive ex-
animation, based on experience and
fitness, was held for these official
posts, 70 in number, but complete re-
suits were not known today nor had
1t been determined if there were any
failures.
Those-if any-who have failed to
qualify consequently will be on pay
less status also until the mix-up oc-
casioned by the rider eventually is
Strengthened out, but the others will
continue to draw their salaries.
Tests Included Chiefs Post.
The posts for which the tests were
held included those of chief of the
enforcement division here. two super
visors, Is assistant supervisors and so
investigators in charge.
Paradoxically enough, it was said
at the Treasury today, some few" of
those Investigators who failed on the
mental test which under the rider dis
qualified the 900. made qualifying
marks when they took the test for the
higher positions in which experience
and fitness were the requirements.
Unless there should be shift later
in the official personnel, this showing
will not be productive Of promotions,
but it will put them in line for the
positions for which they previously
had been rated ineligible.
Number Is Indefinite.
There was nothing definite as to this
number. 1t was believed to have been
made up of persons with supervisory
experience who had been denoted in
the shake-up of the Prohibition Bureau
year and half ago, at least year S
supervisory experience being a pre-
requisite for entrance into the nom
assembled tests.
The IS official positions which were
thrown open all are held by men whose
service actually has been unbroken,
but who were construed by Controller
General McCarl to have been sep
arated' from the Government when
the reorganization of the Prohibition
Bureau was first started as forerun-
ner to the alcohol tax unit in the
Bureau of Internal Revenue. A large
number holding corresponding posts
were not affected. as they were in the
Treasury when the shift took place,
while a few others also we're exempt
from the competitive tests. as they
were patronage" appointees Of the
present administration. These latter,
however, now have been required to
take non-competitive tests, and it was
indicated today in a reliable quarter
that the tenure of some may not be
any too secure.
Many Lose for High Posts.
The Civil Service Commission today
made public preliminary figures show
ing that the mortality rate among
those who took the test for the higher
posts was much higher than that when
the lower positions were thrown open.
In the area from the Atlantic to the
Rockies, the passing proportion for
assistant supervisors was only Is per
cent: for investigator in charge it was
20 per cent. The figures from the Pa
cific Coast area have not been COM
piled.
For the lower grade investigative
positions, the figure was nearly 80 per
cent
Meanwhile today the Treasury re-
ported that between 95 and 81 per cent
of its tax unit staff hit by the rider
remained on duty, despite the uncer-
tainty as to when they will be paid.