= Pe 
to select eligibles from registers for junior entomologist, scientific 
aid, and other designations. This procedure naturally did not work to 
the advantage of the Bureau, because in a number of ceses the best eli- 
gibles hed already been appointed and those certified to us were more 
or less the ones remaining on the register after the cream had been 
skimmed. 
Some months before the opening of the 1932 season it was decided 
that a system should be adopted which would meet the Civil Service view— 
point and at the same time give the Bureau a chance to secure men whom 
it had had in previous seasons. After several conferences between rep=— 
resentatives of the Department and the Civil Service Commission, the 
plan of holding a nonassembled examination for the positions of field 
assistant, field aid, and assistant field aid was worked out. In set— 
ting up requirements and grading the papers the Commission has been 
most considerate of the Department's needs, and requirements were es— 
tablished almost entirely along the lines of our wishes. In grading 
papers the Civil Service examiners gave the greatest weight to previous 
experience in the Bureau. 
Registers were set up in a number of options and for the past few 
weeks the Bureau has been securing certifications. The administrative 
office of the Bureau is very well satisfied indeed with the results of 
the examination and certifications. Despite the fact that almost a 
thousand people took the Civil Service examination, the Bureau has, in 
at least 75 per cent of the cases, been able to secure the certifica— 
tion of the very individuals it desired. To expect a better record 
of cooperation than this on the part of the Civil Service Commission 
would be unreasonable. There have, of course, been individual cases 
in which it has been impossible to secure a man employed in previous 
seasons, and in these cases the heads of the field stations have often 
shown a tendency to criticize rather severely the action of the Commis— 
sion in certifying some one else. In order to establish the justice 
of such a criticism, it is necessary for the objector to prove that 
the man whom he desired to appoint is the only available man in the 
United States qualified to perform the duties of the position. Such 
a statement frankly does not seem reasonable. When it is considered 
that the maximum range of the field assistant examination——the highest 
of the three--is only $2,500 per annum, it can readily be seen that the 
requirements for such positions are very unlikely to be so exacting as 
to limit the field to one man. If in cases where the desired person 
can not be secured the appointing officer concerned will make an honest 
and unprejudiced examination of the eligibles on the register and select 
the one who seems best qualified, the writer believes that in nine cases 
out of ten the appointee will perform the duties of the position very ~ 
satisfactorily. Certainly he is deserving of a trial. 
A consideration which objectors to the present arrangement seem 
to overlook is that by putting up with some inconveniences this year 
the way is paved for reappointing in subsequent years all employees 

