During the year there were 53,830 persons examined for clerk in the service at Washington, as compared with 11,963 the preceding year; and 48,848 for typewriter and stenographer and typewriter in Washington, D. C., as compared with 19,955. Applications for examination to the number of 404,227 were received during the year, against 203,514 the preceding year; and 4,913,065 forms, manuals, and announcements were distributed, against 3,098,439, all in the Washington office. For the same period of time the number of visitors to the public bureau of information in Washington increased from 66,637 to 151,200. For the entire service subject to the civil-service act and rules 551,391 persons were examined during the year, as compared with 212,114 persons the preceding year; and 213,530 persons were appointed, compared with 86,312 persons the preceding year. The grand total of persons examined by the commission for both the classified and the unclassified service was 617,894. FRAUDS, DEBARMENTS, PROSECUTIONS. During the year 1,069 persons were barred from examinations, the reasons and statistics being given below: In addition the commission found it necessary to rule that it would not accept medical certificates in future from 10 physicians whose certificates as to physical condition had proved to be grossly unreliable. The commission submitted to the Department of Justice sixteen cases for prosecution because of such serious violations of the civil service act as bribery, impersonation, forgery, and conspiracy. Two typical cases are the following: In 1917 Abe Socol was barred from examinations and was fined $50 by the court for false statements under oath in his application for civil service examination. During the past year he filed two applications for other examinations, stating therein under oath that he had never previously filed applications with the commission, had never been barred from examinations and had never been convicted of or charged with any crime or misdemeanor. Socol pleaded guilty to his second offense and was fined $50 and costs. As a consequence of taking the subclerical examination a man was given temporary appointment as watchman in the Immigration Service at New York. Last August he wrote a letter to the Assistant Commissioner of Immigration offering him $100 to secure him a permanent appointment as watchman. The man was removed from the service and the case submitted to the Department of Justice, but report of action taken has not yet been received. PRESIDENTIAL POSTMASTER EXAMINATIONS. 66 The Executive order of March 31, 1917. affecting Presidential postmasters, makes the commission the examining body, and contains the additional feature of requiring the appointment of the highest qualified eligible, I unless it is established that the character or residence of such applicant disqualifies him for appointment." The order reads: Hereafter when a vacancy occurs in the position of postmaster of any office of the first, second, or third class, as the result of death, resignation, removal, or on the recommendation of the First Assistant Postmaster General, approved by the Postmaster General, to the effect that the efficiency or needs of the service requires that a change shall be made, the Postmaster General shall certify the fact to the Civil Service Commission, which shall forthwith hold an open competitve examination to test the fitness of applicants to fill such vacancy, and when such examination has been held and the papers in connection therewith have been rated, the said commission shall certify the result thereof to the Postmaster General, who shall submit to the President the name of the highest qualified eligible for appointment to fill such vacancy unless it is established that the character or residence of such applicant disqualifies him for appointment. No person who has passed his sixty-fifth birthday shall be given the examination herein provided for. The effect of this order was discussed in the commission's last annual report. Upon consultation with the Postmaster General as to the duties and responsibilities of Presidential postmasters, it was found that the positions were readily separable into 2 groups: First, those receiving from $1,000 to $2,400, inclusive; and, second, those receiving higher compensation. In the former group the individual postmaster himself performs in addition to his administrative duties a portion of the clerical work of the office, and accordingly, for this group an assembled form of examination was devised giving a credit of 35 per cent for business training and experience, but including the subjects of arithmetic and accounts with a relative weight of 30 per cent, penmanship 10 per cent, and letter writing 25 per cent. In the higher salaried offices the postmaster is an executive, and it is of prime importance that no man shall be declared eligible to represent the United States Government as postmaster unless he has demonstrated executive ability among his fellows and the personality to win the confidence of the public, and the confidence and obedience of the post-office employees. A nonassembled form of examination was prescribed for the second group of offices, giving 20 per cent credit for education and 80 per cent for business training and experience. Information in great detail as to education and experience is requested in the announcement and certain standards are prescribed therein as prerequisite for consideration for the position. In addition the following paragraph was included in the announcement and approved by the President: and, The rating on business training and experience will be determined by the character and extent of the business training and experience of the applicant as shown, first, by his answer to question 23 of the application * * * second, by a careful personal investigation of each applicant by representatives of the Civil Service Commission, one of whom is to be selected by the commission from the Post Office Department, such representatives to make report of their investigation direct to the commission. The investigation and report should cover two purposes, namely, first, full inquiry as to each candidate's suitability for the office by reason of his character and personal characteristics, this part of the inquiry to be noncompetitive and not considered in the rating of the candidate, but if he is found unsuitable by the commission as a result of such inquiry he, of course, will not be declared eligible; the second purpose of the investigation should be the same careful personal inquiry from persons best qualified to know of the business qualifications, ability, and experience of each candidate, the report of such inquiry to be confined to findings of facts and to be made a part of the evidence and record upon which the commission rates the candidate. In a number of the commission's examinations an oral test has been prescribed where it was thought personality was a vital element in the success of the appointee; and in other examinations careful confidential inquiry has been made through the mails as to experience and fitness of applicants. In these higher salaried postmaster examinations, the inquiry is being made personally by representatives of the commission, and one of these representatives is selected by the commission from the Post Office Department in order especially that his technical knowledge of post-office business may be used in the investigation. In no other class of examinations has greater care been exercised to make each report of results full and accurate, and to justify absolutely the ratings given each candidate on the evidence adduced from all sources. As interesting corroboration of this, there is cited a candidate in one of these examinations who was unsuccessful in receiving the highest rating. He had been head of a medical college for a number of years and wrote the commission's representative that the work of the commission in these examinations was eminently fair and thorough and adapted to its purpose. This testimony as to the competency of the examination is noteworthy and convincing because it was given by a candidate after he knew he had not been rated first for the position. During the year the commission held 701 examinations for the lower-salaried positions, there being 2,930 competitors; and for the higher-salaried offices 61 examinations were held, with 424 competitors. ACTIVITIES OF DISTRICT OFFICES. Never has the commission had more cause for satisfaction in the establishment of its 12 district offices than during the past year of war work. These offices were brought into being 15 years ago, with a view to eliminating the delay incident to filling through the commission and the departments at Washington positions in Federal establishments outside the District of Columbia. Beginning principally with the Post Office and Customs services, the commission's district offices now assist practically every Government `establishment in the country in securing civilian personnel. The district offices are located at Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Paul, St. Louis, New Orleans, Seattle, San Francisco, and, with the exception of the rating of educational examination papers, perform the functions of the Civil Service Commission within their respective districts. The departments have authorized their field officers to deal directly with the district secretaries, who are thus able more promptly to supply qualified eligibles living at or near the place of employment. Statistics of the more important items of work passing through the district offices are given below for the fiscal years ended June 30, 1917, and 1918, respectively: 1917 1918 Applications received in the district offices. Examinations announced by district secretaries 4,517 Loyalty investigations made 2. Applications and examination papers rated in district offices 1. Probational appointments made directly through offices of district secretaries 3. 9, 601 172, 291 83,034 135 2,537 15, 135 48, 025 Average number of letters and communications received daily at the 12 district offices 5 1,025 4,111 1 Does not include the many thousands of papers rated at local board offices throughout the country on the periodical visits of the district secretaries. 2 Statistics of loyalty investigations were not kept by one of the district secretaries for both fiscal years, and by another district secretary for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1917. The making of loyalty investigations began with the declaration of war by the United States. 3 One district secretary kept no statistics of probational appointments for both fiscal years, and a second district secretary did not report probational appointments in the postoffice service. These figures do not include the thousands of appointments at such establishments as navy yards, arsenals, etc., where there is a local board of civil-service examiners under the direction of the commission and its district secretaries. One district secretary kept no statistics of daily visitors for both fiscal years, and two other district secretaries for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1917. On one day, last year, at the New York City office more than 6,000 persons called for information and application forms. 5 Two district secretaries kept no record of total communications received for both fiscal years, and two other district secretaries for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1917, so that the statistics given for 1918 are of only 10 district offices and for 1917 for 8 district offices. There is no more certain maxim in private enterprise than that mere size does not necessarily make for efficiency. The danger lies in loss of individual initiative and enthusiasm and in the fact that in a great volume of diversified business separate items will not receive the prompt attention which would be given them in a smaller establishment. A counterpart was found for a brief period in the Government service the past year. The War Department began to place contracts for munitions, ordnance material, clothing, quartermaster supplies, etc., with private establishments throughout the country, and to commandeer numerous plants for Government work; and endeavored to handle through Washington the appointments of the thousands of civilian inspectors, supervisors, production experts, etc., required at the manufacturing centers. The volume of appointments became too great for prompt attention and the department accordingly arranged with the commission for the transfer of the work to the field. There has been a speeding up of the rating of applicants and of appointments through this localization of effort; and each field establishment is putting forth every effort to make a good record for itself. This change into the field has introduced the personal element so vitally essential for the best work. Expedition in the dispatch of the commission's field work is made readily possible by the provision in law which permits each district secretary to call on Government establishments in his vicinity for assistance in the shape of details to his office. Aside from the increased promptness with which vacancies are now being filled where qualified candidates are available, one of the oustanding advantages of the transfer to the field of these war appointments is in the opportunity it affords to the responsible local war official and the commission's district secretary to confer together-and where it appears that the available supply of fully qualified persons for one class of work is exhausted in that district and there is no surplus in an adjoining district, to issue promptly amended announcement of examination to secure eligibles having lower qualifications but nevertheless fit to train for the work. The district secretaries have been an essential factor in adapting the merit system to new, much enlarged, and greatly diversified conditions arising under the strain of war. CHANGES. Women. The most notable change in Government personnel brought about by the war is in the employment of women. They are everywhere, and offices which formerly insisted on men employees are now acceding to the commission's recommendation that their examinations be open to women applicants. In the fiscal year ended June 30, 1917, 25,457 women were examined by the commission, and in the last fiscal year 137,621 women; against 186,657 men in 1917 and 413,770 men in 1918. The percentage gain for women, it will be observed, is 441, whereas for men it is only 122. Many of the examinations for technical and scientific positions which in past years have been limited to men may now be taken by women; and the departments are appointing women to these positions. Among the general examinations which war conditions have opened to women are elevator conductor, messenger, junior chemist, computer, bookkeeper, and minor inspector positions in the Ordnance Service at Large. Age limits. The civil service rules permit the commission to change age limits only with the approval of the appointing officers. The tendency in Government service, as in private employment has always been to secure young men and women. This is now changed, and aside from the examinations for the different branches of the Postal Service, the maximum age limit has been entirely eliminated or else very materially increased in the majority of examinations. Manual of examinations.-The publication of a semi-annual manual of examinations was discontinued because it was found impossible under constantly changing war conditions to arrange, two or three months in advance, a series of examinations to be held by the district secretaries in an itinerary each spring and fall. Instead, the plan of announcing examinations individually by a special announcement was adopted, in order more promptly to meet the needs of the service and also to save the cost of printing and binding a large pamphlet such as the manual. The demand for a pamphlet of this sort would have required the printing of several hundred thousand copies the past year. Assembled to nonassembled examinations.-In my last report there was given a detailed description of the nonassembled examination, and the class of positions for which it is prescribed by the commission. Owing to the fact that before the war there was usually a surplus of eligibles for the junior scientific and technical positions, it was not considered an appropriate type of examination for filling them. Open competition is the foundation of the merit system, with a view to giving the Government always the best of the material available at any time for civilian employment; and, accordingly, a questionand-answer examination was provided, covering the field taught in college or university, and the highest of the resulting eligibles were first certified for appointment. War has changed this, as it has practically everything else. There are now insufficient eligibles for junior chemist positions, for example, and junior laboratory and agricultural positions; and so it is necessary, under the civilservice law, only to establish the possession of the minimum requisite qualifications, and this is accomplished by a form of nonassembled examination, which provides for careful inquiry as to the work done by each applicant in college or university. Due credit is also given to experience and training gained outside of the educational institution. 66 OVERCOMING DIFFICULTIES. Making" eligibles.-When the United States undertook the execution of the greatest warship construction plan in history, as it did immediately following our entrance into the war, it soon became evident that there were not enough ship draftsmen in the country to do the necessary drafting work, there likewise being need for them in carrying out the great merchant ship construction program. The commission endeavored to relieve the shortage of ship draftsmen by recommending to the heads of recognized colleges and technical schools that graduates from and senior students in engineering courses be given intensive training for a specified minimum number of weeks in a naval architecture course approved by the commission with a view to making them available for employment as ship draftsmen at an early date. Acting upon the recommendation of the commission, a number of educational institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Michigan, the Case School of Applied Science, the University of Notre Dame, the Tulane University of Louisiana, the University of Washington, the University of Texas, the University of California, and Throop College of Technology, organized intensive courses in naval architecture, with the result that more than one hundred men who had not previously been trained in naval architecture became available for employment as ship draftsmen under the Navy Department in the spring of 1918. It is the intention of the commission to encourage the organization of these classes for intensive instruction in naval architecture each spring and fall for an indefinite period. The commission has urged upon many boards of education and individual institutions and organizations the patriotic duty of organizing classes of in |