3. The installation and development of a new system of service records to serve as a basis for increase in salary and as part of all promotion examinations in the Competitive class from grade to grade.

4. The development of examination methods including notably the use of the non-assembled type of examination for the first time in the New York City service and the extension of the Competitive principle to high adminisstrative offices.

5. The correction of numerous inappropriate and therefore illegal assignments, such as the assignment of hospital helpers of low grade to perform clerical work and often more important work in institutional departments of the city government and the employment of janitors as janitor engineers in public schools.

6. Improvements in the machinery of conducting examinations which, together with an amendment to the Civil Service Law, has eliminated illegal Non-Competitive provisional employment pending the establishment of eligible lists which had been a continuing condition for many years.

7. A revision of examination methods for positions in the Non-Competitive class together with a complete revision of the Non-Competitive class itself, resulting in the extension of the control of the Commission over examlabor and Non-Competitive Class.

8. The adoption of the policy of requiring heads of departments to submit evidence of the peculiar or exceptional qualifications of persons whom they sought to appoint without examination under special provisions of the civil service rules accompanied by a material reduction in the number of such appointments.

9. The extension of investigation of record and moral fitness of candidates for all positions in the Competitive Class and many positions in the labor and Non-Competitive class.

The summary given above covers the outstanding facts in the record of the first three years of this administration. The questions of policy involved in the adoption of the changes mentioned were settled and the policies fixed during that period. These results were accomplished in spite of the fact that in September of 1914 the then State Commission began and for several months thereafter carried on a so-called investigation of the local commission which animated as it was by malignant political motives seriously hampered the efforts of this Board. This investigation was allowed to ramble at the will of its members or its counsel into every sort of municipal activity from alleged illegal appointments to wood block paving and was finally brought to a close by the resignations of the State Commissioners. The report purported to be a public spirited arraignment of the methods and acts not only of this Commission but of as many other city officials as could be dragged in. Fortunately its findings were reviewed by the impartial and able Commission which succeeded it whose report, while criticising this Commission for one or two acts which it believed to have been contrary to the soundest practice, pointedly rebuked the former State Commission for the wasteful, rambling nature of its investigation and found the work of the Municipal Commission as a whole deserving of praise instead of condemnation.

Service Records

During the past year, the work of the Commission has been carried on consistently with the principles which governed it in adopting the changes of the three years preceding. The new system of service or efficiency records is now in operation in all city departments and was largely used as a basis for salary increases in the adoption of the budget for the year 1918. Its operation for the last two years has convinced that Commission that its fundamental principles are sound; that in the detail of its operation it is a marked improvement over the previous system and that if given a fair chance it will meet the imperative need of providing the service with service records which will work fairly and effectively as a basis for promotions and salary increases, and as an encouragement to more efficient performance of duty on the part of civil employees. The experience of the Commission with this system and with the former system leads it to believe that the successful operation of any plan of efficiency or service records requires continuing cooperation between the Commission and heads of departments. The Commission has developed specialization among its examiners along departmental lines and has assigned such departmental specialists for the double purpose of preparing examinations to meet peculiar departmental needs and of assisting and advising in the service ratings of employees. The system cannot be expected to prove satisfactory unless this policy of specialization and cooperation is continued, because without it rating committees and personnel boards in departments must work in the dark and uniformity in rating methods and standards is out of the question. The protection of employees against unjust discrimination also requires that there shall be some impartial body to which an aggrieved employee may appeal and that the present Board of Review, consisting of a representative of the department concerned, a member of the Civil Service Commission and the examiner assigned to the department, should be continued. The number of appeals to this Board of Review have not, it is true, been numerous. It has been found, however, that grievances may be threshed out amicably and without danger to the discipline of the office even if the Board of Review agrees with the appellant that his rating should be modified. It is the opinion of this Commission in short, that a proper and sound system of service records is absolutely essential to efficient public business and that its development should be an important part of any civil service program, if promotions and salary increases are to be granted on the basis of real merit.

Examinations

The present Commission has always regarded the examining function as the corner stone of its work. The primary duty of the Commission is to provide the best qualified material possible through the competitive system. During the past four years in recognition of this fact, particular attention has been devoted to the introduction and development of improved modern examining methods. The refusal of the Commission, in spite of the unanimous opinion of the Board of Estimate and Apportionment to the contrary, to exempt the secretaries of six important committees of that Board may be said to have set the standard of the examination work of the Commission. The Competitive classification of those important positions was not

determined upon until the Commission had satisfied itself by a careful study of examining methods throughout the United States and even in foreign countries that competitive examinations could be devised which would provide thoroughly trained and highly competent men or women for administrative positions of the first importance. Previous Civil Service Commissions of New York City have refused to adopt the modern plan of the so-called non-assembled examinations in which candidates are not required to gather in one place and answer definite questions in a certain time on a certain day, but are allowed full opportunity to demonstrate their grasp of the problems they will have to meet by the preparation of a written paper wherever they choose within a reasonable and definitely prescribed length of time. The problem of recruiting fit candidates for such examinations was met by the adoption of improved advertising methods through carefully selected advertising mediums. The invaluable assistance and cooperation of many authorities, frequently without cost to the city, has been secured and examining boards have been constituted which were above reproach. The list of positions filled through Competitive examinations either of the nonassembled or the assembled type includes executive places of high rank and technical positions which this Commission was frequently told could not be filled by examination because the best men would not sacrifice their self respect by submitting to any Civil Service test. The fallacy of such an argument has been amply demonstrated in the success of such examinations as that for Director of Public Health Education, as a result of which Dr. Ira S. Wile headed the list; Director of the Bureau of Foods in the Department of Health, which resulted in the appointment of Lucius P. Brown, one of the leading food specialists of the United States; and Director of the Bureau of Social Investigations of the Department of Charities, from which Mr. Alexander M. Wilson, then Assistant Director of the Bureau of Public Charities and Correction of the City of Philadelphia, was secured. During the last year, the Commission has conducted or has devised examinations for such important positions as Medical Consultant to the Law Department at $6,000 per annum; Medical Superintendent of Sea View Hospital at $2,100 per annum; Chief Physician (Psychiatrist) at $2,100 per annum; Consultant on City Planning at $4,140 per annum; and Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York. The latter position is a statutory position established to take the place of the boards of coroners which go out of existence on January 1, 1918. Candidates were required to be skilled pathologists, learned in the field of Legal Medica both with regard to the literature and the present state of that science. They were required to present satisfactory evidence of having done in an official connection at least ten years' work in the pathological laboratory of a recognized medical school, hospital, asylum or public morgue or in other corresponding official capacity, and of having performed at least 500 autopsies. They were required to possess a theoretical or critical knowledge of bacteriology and toxicology sufficient to enable them to appraise intelligently the work of expert deputies. Special consideration was given to candidates who had had administrative duties, to those experienced in preparing and presenting evidence in court and to those who had made definite published contributions to the science of legal medicine. The examination consisted of two parts: first, the performance of an autopsy and a report of findings in writing and, second,

an oral examination to test personal qualifications and fitness, this test including a thorough cross examination.

The position of Medical Consultant in the Law Department involves the duties of physical examination of claimants, the preparation of medical reports in accident cases, testimony as an expert for the City in the trial of actions and consultations with the Corporation Counsel and with the Assistant Corporation Counsel in charge of such actions. The examination required at least ten years' general practice of medicine or five years' general practice of medicine and five years' hospital operating work. Candidates had to present evidence of experience in physical examinations of a nature tending to qualify them for the duties of the position, special consideration being given to experience in court proceedings of the character above outlined. The examination itself consisted of two parts: first, the practical test in which candidates were required to make a medical examination of selected cases and to report on their finding in writing. This was followed by an oral test, in advance of which candidates were supplied with an account of a case and were then required to appear before an examining board for an oral test on their conclusions and recommendations. A thorough cross examination was included in this part of the examination. This examination is believed to be unique in this country if not in fact in any country where civil service examinations are held.

The Promotion Examination for Sergeant of Police

The Commission regrets to have to record in this report the fact that in one of its most important examinations it was betrayed by the disloyalty of one of its examiners. A promotion examination for sergeant in the police department held on January 20, 1917, had to be cancelled because it was discovered that information as to questions which one of the examiners had prepared for this examination had been given to some of the candidates. Rumors that this thing had happened in previous examinations had frequently been heard. Immediately after the close of the examination held on January 20th, such rumors appeared in the press. On previous occasions little attention had been paid to similar allegations, generally on the ground that such statements were bound to be made by disgruntled candidates, that the precautions for secrecy thrown about the examination rendered leaks impossible and that, therefore, charges of such a nature were not to be credited. The present Commission, however, immediately began of its own accord an investigation into the facts. This preliminary investigation led the Commission to believe that further steps should be taken. It accordingly requested the Mayor to direct the Commissioner of Accounts to proceed forthwith with a thorough investigation of the whole matter. The result of the investigation was to disclose conclusive proof that one of the examiners either through carelessness or by intention had permitted certain of the candidates in this examination to have knowledge of the questions which he himself had proposed. Under the system of selecting questions for such examinations, all regular examiners of the Commission had been requested to submit to the Commission suggested questions and topies. These suggestions were presented to the Commission in sealed envelopes and on the night before the examination the Commission itself, as was customary, decided upon the

questions to be used, selecting some of the questions submitted by the examiners with such changes in phraseology as seemed best and selecting other questions on its own initiative. The precautions taken to prevent advance information seemed to be entirely adequate. No one except members of the Commission knew the questions which would actually be submitted to the candidates until the questions were typed on the morning of the examination but a few minutes before the hour for the distribution of the question papers. The Commission was, however, at the mercy of any disloyal examiner who might give to a candidate information as to the questions suggested by him to the Commission, any one or even all of which might of course be selected for actual use. The disclosures in the investigation showed that this had happened and consequently the examination was forthwith cancelled, a new examination ordered and the guilty examiner dismissed from the service. In the new examination, the custom which had been followed for years was abandoned and instead certain selected examiners, without any advance knowledge that they would be called upon to do so, were summoned to the examination room on the morning of the examination, were allowed to make their suggestions, the questions were chosen then and there, the examiners being kept from all contact with outsiders and every humanly possible step taken to prevent a repetition of the previous unfortunate experience. Deeply as the Commission regrets the circumstances of the first examination, it nevertheless takes this opportunity of saying that it believes its examining force to be loyal and trustworthy and that the absolutely essential secrecy which must surround all examinations is so uniformly observed as to prevent all but the very slightest possibility of favoritism in its examinations. The circumstances surrounding the examination for sergeant are so rare as to be practically unique and to emphasize the fairness and irreproachability of the examination system.

The Revision of the Exempt Class

Perhaps the most important work of the Commission during the last year has been the revision of the Exempt Class. In January and February, 1916, a series of public hearings were held which resulted finally in the adoption on February 14th of a resolution striking from the Exempt Class 152 positions, thus automatically placing these positions under the competitive system. Nearly every department of the city government was affected by this change which made competitive positions varying in importance from a bell ringer in the College of the City of New York to high accounting positions in the Finance Department, and professional positions elsewhere. In adopting this revision of the Exempt Class, the Commission was of course limited by certain restrictions of law. All secretaries to heads of departments, commissions or boards must be exempt irrespective of the duties performed and in spite of the fact that in the opinion not only of the Commission but of many others the best interests of the service would be subserved by the Competitive Classification of many of these executive positions. Many court clerks whose duties are far less important than those of scores of competitive employees must also remain exempt. Eliminating these positions, the Commission kept in mind certain definite considerations. It was first of all guided by its own experience as just outlined in filling successfully many important