CHIEF EXAMINER'S ANNUAL REPORT ALBANY, N. Y., December 30, 1905. To the State Civil Service Commission: GENTLEMEN-I have the honor to submit the following report of the examination division for the calendar year 1905: Organization of the Division No changes have occurred during the year in the permanent staff of the examination division. Miss Mabel Crounse was employed for two months as a temporary junior clerk at $40 per month in addition to the regular force. Special expert examiners outside of the Commission's regular staff have been employed for work in architecture, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, bookkeeping, Greek, Latin, geology, law, library science, military tactics, music, medicine, pathology, pharmacy, sociology and veterinary science. The total cost of this work for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1905, was $1,229.47. Statistics of the Year's Work The work of the examination division for the year may be sum marized as follows: Although the total number of competitors is not so great as in some preceding years the work of the year is interesting on account of the number of new examinations for high-grade positions and the development of methods of examination to meet new conditions. The following examinations are worthy of notice. Stenographer. The largest single examination of the year was that for stenographer in the various grades, involving 752 candidates. Pursuing my usual custom I conducted this examination. in person, spending one day in each of the places where we held examinations, except Albany and New York. In Albany three days and in New York five days were necessary to accommodate the large classes of competitors. Although this seems a burdensome method of conducting examination still it has proved most satisfactory to have the dictation given by the same examiner at all places where the examination is held. Supervisor of Farm Cottage. On account of the removal of the State Industrial School at Rochester from the city to a large farm some thirteen miles south of Rochester where the inmates are to be maintained in farm cottages, it became necessary early in the year to provide for the appointment of supervisors and matrons to take charge of the cottages. The authorities of the school asked for the classifications of these positions in the noncompetitive class on the ground that the qualifications could not be decided by any of the usual methods of competitive examination. It is essential that the incumbents of these positions be experienced in farming and farm housekeeping and be personally qualified to exert a good influence on the boys under their charge and to create as much of a home as possible in the cottage over which they preside. Each cottage has its own complement of farm stock and utensils together with about 50 acres of land all of which is to be cared for and made productive by the boys under the guidance of the supervisor and matron. After thorough consideration of the request the Commission decided to keep the position of supervisor in the competitive class but to make the |