tificate shall be published for public information, and will, upon application, give such further testimonials in regard to such applicant as may be required. The applicant must also state in his application the position he seeks. Where the applicant is a nonresident, but eligible for appointment under the provisions of Regulation XXIII, two of the citizens making the certificates herein above referred to may be residents of the applicant's place of residence.

DEFECTIVE APPLICATIONS-AGE QUALIFICATION. REGULATION VI.

Defective applications may be suspended by the Board and applicants notified to amend the same, but the Board shall not be compelled to give such notice or grant such opportunity a second time. Whenever the application does not show that the applicant is within the prescribed limits of age, and is otherwise qualified under the regulations, the application will be rejected. All candidates shall be at least twenty-one years of age and not more than sixty years of age at the date of their examination, except as hereinafter provided in Regulation XXXVII.

NOTIFICATION OF EXAMINATION.
REGULATION VII.

Whenever the demands of the service may require, the Board of Civil Service Commissioners will notify all applicants whose applications have been filed and are on record, or such number thereof as can be examined conveniently at one time, to appear for examination, giving place, date and hour for such examina

tion.

DEFINITION OF "MERIT."

REGULATION VIII.

The term "merit," whenever used in these regulations, shall be construed to mean "good quality in general; excellence; that which deserves consideration or reward."

DEFINITION OF "FITNESS."

REGULATION IX.

The term "fitness," whenever used in these regulations, shall the state of being fitted or qualified; re

be construed to mean quisite capacity."

EXAMINATION FOR MERIT.

REGULATION X.

Pursuant to chapter 428 of the Laws of 1897, in all examinations for appointment and promotion in the civil service of the city of Albany, merit and fitness shall be determined by and upon competitive examinations for all positions in Schedule B, as herein provided. The merit of all applicants shall be determined by examination conducted by the Board of Civil Service Commissioners. Upon all examinations to determine the merit of the applicants, no rating higher than fifty per centum shall be given to any person. Lists containing the names and rating of all applicants found on such examination to be eligible for appointment and promotion for merit shall be made up for certification to the person or persons holding the power of appointment or promotion, in the manner provided in these regulations. The minimum percentage of rating necessary to entitle an applicant to a place upon such list as eligible for merit shall be seventy per centum of fifty, or thirty-five.

EXAMINATION FOR FITNESS.

REGULATION XI.

The fitness of applicants certified to be eligible for appointment or promotion for merit shall be determined by examination, to be conducted by the person or persons holding the power of appointment or promotion, or by some person or board desig nated by such person holding the power of appointment or promotion, and the rating on such examination for fitness shall not exceed in any case fifty per centum. The minimum percentage of rating necessary to entitle an applicant to a place upon such list as eligible for fitness shall be seventy per centum of fifty,

or thirty-five. The rating obtained upon the examination for fitness shall be added by the person or persons holding the power of appointment or promotion to the rating to each applicant certified to be eligible for merit respectively by the Board of Commissioners. The result of the combined ratings for merit and fitness shall be certified to the Board of Commissioners by the person or persons holding the power of appointment or promotion in every case within five days after the date upon which the result of the examination for fitness has been ascertained. The questions and answers in all examinations by or under the direction of the appointing power as herein provided shall either be in writing or taken down stenographically, and then reduced to writing, and shall be certified to the board with the rating obtained upon such examination.

CONDUCT OF EXAMINATION.

REGULATION XII.

The actual conduct of every examination for merit shall be under the responsible direction of the Board of Commissioners or of its designated members, free from the interference or participation or influence of the appointing officer or of any person other than the assistant examiners or experts directly employed by the Board of Commissioners. No person employed in a department for whose benefit an eligible list is to be prepared shall be employed as an expert upon the merit examination. for such eligible list. The Board of Commissioners may in the examinations give such relative importance to the different subjects or matters of examination, whether mental or physical, or to experience, occupation or training as to them may seem fit. At or before the commencement of every examination, the weight to be given to every subject included in the examination, and the general or average minimum and the minimum, if any allowable, upon each subject, shall be announced to the applicants. The appointing officer shall prescribe to the Board of Commissioners, and upon their request he shall state to the Board of Commissioners, so far as is consistent with these regulations, the

general qualifications or attainments, physical or mental, or both. and the experience he deems necessary or proper to be possessed by persons filling the positions for which an eligible list for merit is to be formed, and also of what age such persons should be.

CHARACTER OF EXAMINATION.

REGULATION XIII.

All examinations, whether for merit or for fitness, shall be prac tical in their character, and shall relate to those matters which shall fairly test the intelligence, competency, suitability and character of the applicants to discharge the duties of the service for which they seek to be appointed. The Board of Commissioners. with the approval of the Civil Service Commissioners of the State, shall determine when examinations are not practicable, and when competitive examinations are not practicable in cases relating to the civil service of the city of Albany.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION.

REGULATION XIV.

Whenever physical qualifications are of prime importance to the proper discharge of the duties of any position, applicants must pass an additional examination as to their physical condition and capacity, and be certified as qualified in such respects before their application shall be filed of record for mental exami nation.

POLITICAL OPINIONS OF CANDIDATES.

REGULATION XV.

No recommendation or question under the authority of these regulations shall relate to the political opinions or affiliations of any person whatever. Nor shall political opinions be discovered or considered by the Board of Commissioners in their examinations. The Board of Commissioners shall not receive or consider any communication as to the qualifications or merits of any candidates for a position except such as are herein permitted, and except such communications as they may invite by way of verification of statements made by the candidate.

ELIGIBLE LIST.

REGULATION XVI.

An eligible list shall be prepared by the Board of Commissioners from time to time, as the needs of the service require, upon competitive examination, for each of the different grades in Schedule B, from the candidates who have been found to be duly quali fied for the position for which such eligible list is prepared, and in the order of merit as shown by the respective percentages of their aggregate markings. Such eligible list shall be open for inspection to all citizens at the office of the secretary of the Board of Commissioners. The name of no person shall remain on the eligible list for a period of more than one year.

REGRADING.

REGULATION XVII.

Where an examination for merit for any grade is had before the eligible list for that grade is exhausted, a new list shall be prepared after such examination. The persons upon the former eligible list who have not been examined for the new eligible list. shall be respectively placed upon the new eligible list in the position to which the percentage of their aggregate markings upon their former examinations would entitle them if such markings had instead been given them upon the new examination.

FORMER LISTS CONTINUED.

REGULATION XVIII.

All eligible lists existing prior to May 15, 1897, for appointment or promotion in the civil service of the city of Albany, shall be continued in full force and effect, except as otherwise provided in Regulation XVI, and may be certified to the person or persons holding the power of appointment or promotion; provided, however, that the ratings therein given shall be divided by two, and the result of such division shall be the rating for merit, as determined in Regulation X, and the fitness of such applicants shall then be determined by examination, and their