38 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF FACTS. 



ship, copying, letter writing, and simple arith- 

 metic. Patent examiners are examined in 

 physics and technics, mathematics, chemistry, 

 and mechanical drawing. Meat inspectors 

 are examined in letter writing, veterinary 

 anatomy and physiology, veterinary pathology, 

 and meat inspection. One of the tests for post 

 office and railway mail clerks is an exercise in 

 reading manuscript addresses. Specimen sets 

 of questions will be furnished by the Commis- 

 sion upon request. Examinations are held 

 twice a year in every State and Territory at 

 fixed times and places. All examinations re- 

 late as nearly as possible to the duties to be 

 performed, and, whenever practicable, include 

 experience and practical tests. No applicant 

 is admitted to an examination in any one of 

 the different recognized trades, such as those 

 in the Government Printing Office, unless he 

 has had five years' experience in his trade, one 

 year of which must have been as a journey- 

 man. This information is obtained by per- 

 sonal questions relating to the applicant's ex- 

 perience at his trade and the certificates of 

 persons who have employed him. No one is 

 certified for appointment whose standing in 

 any examination is less than 70 per centum of 

 complete proficiency, except applicants whose 

 claims for military or naval preference under 

 Section 1,754 R. S. have been admitted. 

 These need obtain but 65. The law also pre- 

 scribes competitive examinations for promo- 

 tion in the service. A certificate is given to 

 each person examined, stating whether he 

 passed or failed to pass. For positions in the 

 classified service where technical qualifications 

 are needed special examinations are held. In 

 the Departmental Service they are held for the 

 State Department, the Pension, Patent, and 

 Signal Offices, Geological and Coast Surveys, 

 Engineer Department at large, Ordnance De- 

 partment at large, etc. For places which do 

 not require technical qualifications the number 

 of applicants is usually excessive, and only 

 those who attain high grades have a good 

 chance for appointment. 



Excepted Places. A number of posi- 

 tions are excepted from examination or are 

 subject only to non-competitive examination. 

 In the former class are included the following 

 positions : Private secretaries and confidential 

 clerks (not exceeding two) to the President or 

 to the head of each of the eight Executive De- 

 partments ; attorneys or assistant attorneys 

 whose main duties are connected with the 

 management of cases in court ; one assistant 

 postmaster, or chief assistant to the post- 

 master, of whatever designation, at each post 

 office, and one cashier for each first-class post 

 office when employed under the roster title of 



cashier only ; Indians employed in the Indiai 

 Service at large, except those employed a; 

 superintendents, teachers, teachers of indus 

 tries, kindergartners, and physicians. In th. 

 latter class are included the following em 

 ployees in the Customs and Internal Revenue 

 Services : One cashier in each customs district 

 one chief or principal deputy or assistant col- 

 lector in such district, and one principal 

 deputy collector at each sub-port or station ; 

 one employee in each Internal Revenue district 

 who shall act as cashier or chief deputy or 

 assistant collector, as may be determined by 

 the Treasury Department ; one deputy col- 

 lector in each Internal Revenue district where 

 the number of employees in the office of the 

 collector exceeds four, and one deputy collector 

 in each stamp (or branch) office. 



Appointments. Upon the occurrence of a 

 vacancy, the appointment to fill it, if not made 

 by promotion, reduction, transfer, or reinstate- 

 ment (for all of which provision is made by 

 the Civil Service rules), must be made by selec- 

 tion from the eligibles of highest grade on 

 the appropriate register. In the Executive 

 Departments at Washington and in the Gov- 

 ernment Printing Office appointments are ap- 

 portioned among the States and Territories on 

 the basis of population. Every appointment 

 is made for a probationary period of six months. 

 Whenever there are no names of eligibles upon 

 a register for any position in which a vacancy 

 exists, and the public interest requires that it 

 be filled before eligibles can be provided by the 

 Commission, such vacancy may, subject to the 

 approval of the Commission, be filled by ap- 

 pointment without examination and certifica- 

 tion until an eligible can be provided by the 

 Commission. The number of women apply- 

 ing for clerical places is greatly in excess of 

 the calls of appointing officers. The positions 

 to which the largest nunbers of them are ap- 

 pointed are those of assistant microscopist in 

 the branch offices of the Bureau of Animal In- 

 dustry at the various stockyards throughout 

 the country, and teachers, matrons, seam- 

 stresses, etc., in the Indian Service. A few re- 

 ceive appointments as stenographers and type- 

 writers in the Departmental Service, and a few 

 are appointed to technical and professional 

 places. 



Preference Claimants. Persons who 

 served in the military or naval service of the 

 United States, and were discharged by reason 

 of disabilities resulting from wounds or sick- 

 ness incurred in the line of duty, are, under 

 the Civil Service rules, given certain prefer- 

 ences. They are released from all maximum 

 age limitations, are eligible for appointment 

 at a grade of 65, while all others are obliged 



