686 



REFORM IN THE CIVIL SERVICE. 



27. To determine standing in any subject, mark its 

 answer in proportion to its completeness and accuracy, 

 the perfect answer counting 100. Divide the sum of 

 the credits given to all the answers in a subject by 

 the number of the questions ; the quotient will be the 

 proper standing in the subject. 



28. To give to each of the five subjects named 

 in clause 1 of rule 7 the value due to their respect- 

 ive importance in the service, it is determined that 

 they shall be counted, in making up the general aver- 

 age, when perfect, as follows: 1. Orthography^ pen- 

 manship, and copying, 100. 2. Arithmetic funda- 

 mental rules, fractions, and percentage, 100. 3. In- 

 terest, discount, and elements of book-keeping and of 

 accounts, 100. 4. Elements of the English language, 

 letter-writing, and the proper construction of sen- 

 tences, 50. 5. Elements of the history, geography, 

 and Government of the United States, 50. It will be 

 seen that the total credits for a perfect examination in 

 the five subjects will amount to 400. Dividing this 

 by 4, being the number of hundreds, will give 100, 

 which is the highest attainable general average. 



29. To determine the average standing of any ap- 

 plicant, add to his total standing in the first three 

 subjects one half his standing in the other two, and 

 divide the sum by 4 ; the quotient will be his average 

 standing. 



30. No applicant the average of whose credits on 

 the first three subjects is less than 65 will be placed 

 on the registers of persons eligible to appointment. 

 All above that will be placed on the register in the or- 

 der of their average standing. 



31. The average standing of persons examined in the 

 two subjects under clause 4, rule 7, will be found 

 by dividing the sum of their credits by 2. The aver- 

 age standing must reach 65 to entitle the applicant 

 to a place on the register. 



Blank forms were prepared for the use of 

 applicants for admission to the civil service. 

 In filling out the form of application, the appli- 

 cant was required to state his name and ad- 

 dress, his residence and occupation, the place 

 and date of his birth, his citizenship qualifi- 

 cations, his residence, and his principal occupa- 

 tion during the five years preceding the date 

 of his examination. He must also, if he has 

 ever hefore been examined for or in the civil 

 service, state when and where he served, if 

 ever, and how long, and why he left the ser- 

 vice. If he claimed preference by reason of 

 military or naval service, he must state when 

 he served, under what commander, and wheth- 

 er he could produce an honorable discharge. 

 The applicant must also tell what has been his 

 education, and in what school, academy, or 

 college it was obtained; also what special ex- 

 perience or capacity he has which he thinks 

 may be useful in the public service, and 

 whether he uses intoxicating liquors To excess, 

 or has any physical disqualification for the 

 service. All of these statements must be made 

 under oath, and accompanied by vouchers as 

 to character, signed by not less than three or 

 more than five citizens of good character and 

 standing. Applications must be sent by mail 

 to the commission or to the local boards. 



Examinations were conducted in the various 

 cities during the summer, the chief examiner 

 or one of the commissioners acting with the 

 local board in each case. The first examina- 

 tion at Washington began on July 12th, when 

 three hundred applications for places in the 



departmental service were on file. Examina- 

 tions were held in other parts of the country 

 by boards made up from the ranks of officials 

 in the offices to which the law applied, the 

 chief examiner or one of the commissioners 

 supervising the work in all cases. Examina- 

 tions were also held in different States for ap- 

 plicants for places in the service at Washing- 

 ton, under the rule that assigned a certain 

 quota of places in the departments to the sev- 

 eral States. The system was considered to be 

 fairly in operation at the end of the year, but 

 opposition to it had not wholly subsided, and 

 there were intimations of an effort to be made 

 for the repeal of the Civil-Service Act. 



Under the act passed by the Legislature of 

 the State of New York, commissioners were 

 promptly appointed and confirmed, as follow : 

 Andrew D. White, of Ithaca, President of 

 Cornell University ; Augustus Schoonmaker, of 

 Kingston ; and Henry A. Richmond, of Buffalo. 

 Mr. White felt compelled to decline the office, 

 and the Hon. John Jay, of New York, was 

 appointed in his place, and was made Presi- 

 dent of the Board of Commissioners. At the 

 first meeting, on May 31st, Silas W. Burt, of 

 New York, was chosen for chief examiner. 

 He promptly accepted the place, though he had 

 declined a similar one under the National Com- 

 mission. James A. Betts, of Kingston, was se- 

 lected for secretary of the commission. The first 

 work of that body was a general inquiry into 

 the condition and requirements of the public 

 service, with a view to the classification required 

 by the act of May 4th. The classification was 

 completed and approved by the Governor on 

 September 3d. The commission decided to re- 

 organize in the classification the special de- 

 partments of the public service by bringing 

 into a single class the clerks, wherever em- 

 ployed, into another the experts not attached 

 to any great administrative institutions, and 

 into another the non-experts not in such insti- 

 tutions. The last four classes represent all 

 those other than the deputies and clerks em- 

 ployed on the public works and in the correct- 

 ive and charitable institutions. The grades, 

 particularly in the first subdivision of the first 

 chiss, were arranged to provide for a systematic 

 method of promotion. In the second division 

 of the first class were assembled most of the 

 positions which, presumptively, should be filled 

 without examination : 



doss I. All assistants and deputies of executive and 

 administrative officers, and all officers and all clerks 

 and other persons of whatever designation rendering 

 services similar to those of clerks in any branch of 

 the State service. Subdivision 1: First grade clerks 

 and like employes receiving an annual compensation 

 of $1,000 ; second grade clerks and like employe's 

 receiving an annual compensation of $1,000 or more, 

 but less than $1,200 ; third grade clerks and like 

 employe's receiving an annual compensation of $1,200 

 or more, but less than $1,500 ; fourth grade clerks 

 and like' employe's receiving an annual compensation 

 of $1,500 or more, but less than $1,800; fifth grade 

 clerks and like employe's receiving an annual com- 

 pensation of $1,800 or more, but less than $2,000; 





