690 



RHODE ISLAND. 



original appointments to or employment in po- 

 under Schedules B and C shall be provisional, 



whose standings on the subject in question are 

 the highest (not being below the minimum of 

 70), and the vacancy shall be filled by the ap- 

 pointment of one of these five ; but the Exam- 

 ining Board may at any time hold a competi- 

 tive examination to fill a vacancy of this kind 

 if in their judgment the eligible list does not 

 contain five well qualified to fill the vacant 

 position. No candidate on the eligible list 

 shall be certified more than five times to the 

 same appointing officer, except at the latter's 

 request, nor shall the name of any person re- 

 main on the eligible list more than one year 

 from the date of examination. In determining 

 the special qualifications required for any posi- 

 tion, the Board of Examiners will be required 

 to consult the head of the department in which 

 the position is to be filled. 



The following are also among the regulations 

 adopted by the mayor: 

 _ All or 

 sitions 



and such provisional service shall not continue longer 

 than six months, during which period the person 54 

 appointed or employed may at any time be perempto- 

 rily discharged from service. If, during that period, 

 the conduct and character of the appointee are found 

 satisfactory, he shall receive an absolute appointment, 

 but otherwise his employment shall cease. Any one 

 failing to receive permanent appointment at the end 

 of six months shall be ineligible for one year for ap- 

 pointment upon the municipal service in any depart- 

 ment. 



No recommendation or question under the authority 

 of ^hese rules shall relate to the political opinions or 

 affiliations of any persons whatever. 



No one dismissed from the service for misconduct 

 shall be eligible to appointment in any other capacity 

 in any department of the municipal service within 

 three years. 



Directions were given by Mayor Edson that, 

 as soon as practicable before Feb. 1, 1884, the 

 service in the several departments shall be 

 organized by the systematic classification by 

 grades of the positions in each department, so 

 that positions of the same responsibility, and 

 requiring the same degrees of capacity, within 

 certain limits, shall be placed at the same rate 

 of compensation; "and the relative rates of 

 compensation for the several grades of posi- 

 tion shall be proportioned as near as may be to 

 the relative responsibility and character of the 

 duties properly devolved upon such positions, 

 provided that in such adjustment a proper al- 

 lowance may be made for previous length of 

 service. Such classification will be considered 

 in no sense as promoting or degrading the per- 

 sons occupying such positions as may be in- 

 creased or reduced in compensation, but as re- 

 organization of the service with reference to 

 the absolute importance of the duties in each 

 position and its relation in such regard to other 

 positions." 



REVENUE AND TARIFF. See CONGRESS, p. 193. 



RHODE ISLAND. State Government The fol- 

 lowing were the State officers during the year : 

 Governor, Alfred H. Littlefield, succeeded, 

 May 29th, by Augustus O. Bourn, Republicans ; 

 Lieutenant-Governor, Henry H. Fay, succeed- 



ed by Oscar J. Rathbun ; Secretary of State, 

 Joshua M. Addeman ; General Treasurer, Sam- 

 uel Clark ; State Auditor and Insurance Com- 

 missioner, Samuel H. Cross; Railroad Com- 

 missioner, Henry Staples ; Attorney-General, 

 Samuel P. Colt ; Adjutant - General, Elisha 

 Dyer, Jr. ; Commissioner of Public Schools, 

 T. B. Stockwell. Judiciary, Supreme Court: 

 Chief-Justice, Thomas Durfee; Associate Jus- 

 tices, Pardon E. Tillinghast, Charles Matteson, 

 John H. Stiness, and George M. Carpenter, Jr. 

 Legislative Sessions. The Legislature of 1882- 

 '83, consisting of 30 Republicans and 6 Demo- 

 crats in the Senate and 63 Republicans and 9 

 Democrats in the House, convened in Provi- 

 dence for its second session on the 30th of 

 January and adjourned on the 13th of April. 

 Among the bills passed were the following: 



Amendments to the act for, the suppression of in- 

 temperance ; in relation to truant children, and of the 

 attendance of children in the public schools ; making 

 appropriation of $15,000 for the completion of the 

 State Reform School buildings and grounds ; estab- 

 lishing the northern boundary-line of the State of 

 Ehode Island, between Ehode Island and Massachu- 

 setts ; in amendment of, and in addition to, chapter 

 158 of the Public Statutes, " Of Railroad Corpora- 

 tions" ; in amendment of, and in addition to, chap- 

 ter 37 of the Public Statutes, " Of the Election and 

 Qualification of Town Officers"; in amendment of 

 chapter 163 of the Public Statutes, " Of Marriage" ; 

 in amendment of chapter 27 of the Public Statutes. 

 " Of the Revenue of the State " : SECTION 1. A tax of 

 twelve cents on each one hundred dollars of the rata- 

 ble property of the several towns, as herein set forth, 

 shall be annually assessed, collected, arid paid by the 

 several towns to "the General Treasurer, one half there- 

 of on or before the fifteenth day of June, and one half 

 thereof on or before Dec. 15 in each year. 



On March 30th the Judges of the Supreme 

 Court gave their unanimous answer to a reso- 

 lution of the Senate requesting their opinion 

 in regard to the legal competency of the Gen- 

 eral Assembly to call a convention for the re- 

 vision of the State Constitution.. They are of 

 opinion that such power does not exist, and 

 that the only legal mode in which changes can 

 be effected in the Constitution is the mode 

 pointed out in the Constitution itself for its 

 amendment. The provision for amendment in 

 the Constitution is singularly explicit. The 

 proposed amendment is first to pass the two 

 houses of the^General Assembly by a majority 

 of the members elected. It is then to be pub- 

 lished with the vote thereon in the newspapers, 

 and otherwise brought to the attention of the 

 people ; it ia then to pass the Assembly elected 

 after such publication by a majority of both 

 houses ; and, finally, it is to be submitted to 

 the approval of the electors, and, if it be ap- 

 proved by three fifths of the electors voting 

 (and not otherwise), it is to become incorpo- 

 rated in the Constitution. 



The Legislature of 1883-'84 convened in New- 

 port on May 29th, and adjourned on June 1st, 

 to meet in Providence on the last Tuesday of 

 January, 1884. State and county officers were 

 elected, and a few acts were passed. 



Finances. The receipts from all sources from 



