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APPENDIX.

PART I.—CIVIL SERVICE ACT, RULES, REGULATIONS, ETC.

REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXAMINER.

To the Commission:

UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION,

Washington, D. C., November 14, 1896.

In accordance with the regulation requiring the chief examiner to make an annual report of the work performed under his supervision, and of its results, I have the honor to submit the following for the year ended June 30, 1896:

It is my pleasure, as well as my duty, in presenting this report, to give to the late chief examiner, Maj. William H. Webster, full credit for the excellence of the service conducted under his supervision until his death on March 23. His fine ability and his intimate knowledge of the details of the work entrusted to him are reflected in the admirable results which attended his labors. The splendid showing of his division bears silent yet most eloquent testimony to his sterling worth, both as a man and as an officer of this Commission.

During the year covered by this report 412 separate examinations were held for the departmental and Government printing services, at which the competitors numbered 10,534, who were given 82 different kinds of examinations, and 6,513 obtained averages sufficiently high to entitle them to places on the eligible registers.

In the same period 14,433 persons were examined for the post-office service at the 1,179 separate examinations which were held for that service. The successful competitors numbered 10,374.

For the custom-house service 123 separate examinations were held, at which 27 kinds of examinations were given. The 4,018 competitors resulted in 2,769 eligibles. The internal-revenue service required 160 separate examinations, at which 2,055 persons took the three kinds of examinations, and 960 names were obtained for the register for this service. The total number of persons examined for the executive civil service was 31,179, of whom 20,714 succeeded in obtaining general averages of at least 70 per cent.

The total number of times the different kinds of examinations were given during the year was 3,346.

This division has also conducted 7 examinations for the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, at which there were 215 competitors, 66 of whom passed.

Combining these figures with those for the executive civil service makes a grand total of 3,353 times on which different kinds of examinations were given, resulting in 31,394 competitors, and 20,780 eligibles. During the year 338 examinations were scheduled, which were subsequently found unnecessary, and the announcements were recalled.

All examinations for the post-office, custom-house, and internal-revenue services are considered as of a local character, and are held at the offices where the duties are to be performed.

The Table 16, which is attached, exhibits by States the regular and special examinations held during the year for the departmental and the Government printing

services. It will be noticed that the District of Columbia had a total of 50 examinations, of which 37 were special; New York had 35, of which 23 were special; Illinois had 23, of which 17 were special; Missouri had 21, of which 11 were special, while Pennsylvania had 20, of which 12 were special.

The table which is attached, marked 17, exhibits in detail the total number of examinations held, the total number examined, and the total number that passed, during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1896.

A recapitulation of this table shows that 883 scheduled examinations for the departmental service obtained from 8,112 competitors, 4,950 eligibles. From the 101 special departmental examinations held, 84 of the 239 competitors were successful. There were 45 special examinations held for the Fish Commission, and of 67 competitors 20 were successful. For the Indian service 255 examinations were held, at which 615 competed and 387 passed. The Government printing service had 202 examinations, with 1,501 competitors and 1,072 eligibles. The 80 examinations to determine eligibility for promotion or transfer had 140 competitors, 99 of whom were successful. As before stated, the post-office service had 1,179 examinations, 14,433 competitors, and 10,374 eligibles; the custom-house service had 324 examinations, 4,018 competitors, and 2,769 eligibles; and the internal-revenue service had 279 examinations, 2,055 competitors, and 960 eligibles.

In order that the amount and scope of the work in connection with these examinations may be fully appreciated, the table which is attached marked 18, is presented to show the number examined in the subjects given during the year.

A review of this table shows that questions were prepared in 169 different subjects and 212,830 sets of answers to these questions were considered and marked by the examiners. When the great variety of subjects is considered, in connection with the fact that so many of them are entirely technical, the value of this service will be apparent.

In closing that part of the report relating to examinations, it should be stated that some 35,000 applications have been received, carefully scrutinized, and either approved and filed or returned to the applicants with the proper criticisms. The necessary records and reports concerning all applicants and competitors, have been carefully and accurately prepared, as well as all correspondence which necessity has demanded in connection with the examinations.

The following statement will exhibit to some extent the work which has been performed by the postal, customs, and internal-revenue branch of this office, which related to the 635 classified post-offices, the 89 classified custom-houses and offices, and the 63 internal-revenue districts and offices, for which a total of 1,462 examinations were held during the year, in order to supply eligibles for the needs of these services. In addition to these, the details in connection with the preparation for 338 other examinations were cared for by this branch, although subsequently they were found to be unnecessary and were withdrawn.

ELIGIBLE AND INELIGIBLE REPORTS.

The examinations necessitated the preparation of reports and of duplicate registers as follows:

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These reports show the application number, name, age, sex, education, and general average of each applicant who is examined. During the year 3,026 certifications were checked and recorded, of which about 20 per cent were found to be defective, and were returned to the local civil-service board for correction. The certifications were distributed among the services as follows:

Post-office..
Customs

Internal-revenue.

2, 437

505

84

All appointments during the period were carefully scrutinized, and, as a result, many were revoked because it was found that they had been made without proper regard to the requirements of the civil-service law and rules. Complete records are kept of all appointments in these services. During the year the post-office service had 2,384 appointments in the nonexcepted class, 95 in the excepted class, and 650 in the unclassified grades, making a total of 3,129. The customs service had 389 nonexcepted appointments, 10 excepted, and 60 appointments in the unclassified grades; total, 459. The internal-revenue service had 68 nonexcepted appointments and 47 in the unclassified grades; total, 115. In the three services there were 2,841 appointments from examination, 105 appointments in the classified service without examination, and 757 appointments in the unclassified service, making a total of 3,703 appointments for these services.

During the period covered by this report there were a total of 2,676 separations in the postal, customs, and internal-revenue services, of which 987 were by removal, 1,383 by resignation, and 306 by death. These separations were distributed among the services named as follows:

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Each report shows all changes in the service during the month, whether probational or absolute appointment, promotion, transfer, reduction, reinstatement, or separation, and is carefully checked. This work embraced during the year 7,620 postal reports, 708 customs reports, and 756 internal-revenue reports, making a total of 9,084, of which over 3,000 were found incorrect and returned, with letters of instructions for the corrections to be made.

It is the practice of the Post-Office Department to forward for approval all nominations received for appointment in classified post-offices. If the nomination is made in accordance with the civil-service rules, it is indorsed to that effect. During the year 2,365 such nominations were examined for that Department.

During the past year 98 preference claims for disability incurred in the line of duty in the military or naval service were adjudicated in accordance with section 1754, United States Revised Statutes. Under civil-service Rule IX, 21 reinstatement cases were also examined and adjudicated. In addition to the routine office work, personal

investigations are made outside of the District of Columbia in cases of political assessments, removals, or discriminations for political reasons, and such investigations are also conducted by correspondence. The work of organizing and instructing local boards of examiners for the three branches of the service is also carried on under the supervision of this branch of the chief examiner's office. During the past year the number of visits made by employees in connection with this work was 136. In transacting the business of this branch of the office the preparation of correspondence is a very important element. A careful approximation of the letters prepared during the past year fixes the number at 22,872, a daily average of about 75. A very considerable amount of labor is expended in attending to the miscellaneous duties connected with the indexes and files, the statistical reports, and other matters of a general nature.

Tables showing in detail the work of this division will be found in the appendix. It affords me great pleasure to testify, in closing this report, to the earnestness with which the work has been carried on by the different members of the force under my supervision. It is expected that the additional work imposed upon this division by the recent extension of the service will be performed in the same faithful and conscientious manner as has characterized the past. This division will be at all times ready to cooperate with the Commission in everything which will tend to improve in any way the character or efficiency of its work.

Very respectfully,

A. R. SERVEN, Chief Examiner.

Number of examinations held in each State for the departmental and Government printing services during the year ended June 30, 1896.

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