REPLIES TO CIRCULAR LETTER ADDRESSED TO MAYORS OF CITIES.

Question No. 10. The mayor's opinion upon the effect of the application of the Civil Service Law to appointments and promotions, as to the character and efficiency of the persons appointed.

Question No. 11. The mayors opinion as to the effect upon appointing officers; and especially what effect, if any, the law has had upon appointments in the police and fire departments.

Question No. 12. The mayor's opinion as to the effect of the law in regard to political assessments and knowledge, if any, of violation of sections 11 or 14 of the Civil Service Act.

Mayor Thacher of Albany says:

No. 10. "The mayor begs to call the attention of the commissioners to the fact that the promotions in the several departments of the city government for three years, have been fifty-eight per cent of the entire appointments. This is an earnest of the spirit animating municipal government. Commissioners of deeds are not included in this calculation."

No. 11. "The mayor from practical experience is still of the opinion expressed in his communication to you under date of June 10, 1886, that examinations for appointments to the police and fire boards. should be on a basis of competition against a fixed standard no matter how high. The objection to what is now called a competitive examination is that very often those standing highest from a purely intellectual standard are not best qualified for the duties of the department. If then, they are selected the department suffers. If they are rejected the community is made to believe that the spirit of civil service reform is departed from and political and improper motives are attributed to the appointing power.

The mayor desires it understood that he is quite clear upon this point in his own mind. Civil service was never intended to embarrass a municipal government. The people only desire to know that the officials who serve them are competent and efficient."

The mayor of Binghamton says:

No. 10. "The effect in general has been good, as it has kept many undesirable and unfit persons from applying."

No. 11. "Tendency has been to improve appointments in police department. The fire department is not affected, as civil service rules have never been applied in that department."

No. 12. "No knowledge of any violations of sections 11 or 14 of Civil Service Act, in fact the limited number of changes in positions coming under civil service rules, has afforded little opportunity for observation in that direction."

Mayor Whitney of Brooklyn says:

No. 10. " The beneficial results of civil service are becoming more and more apparent among the people of the city, especially among the heads of the various executive departments, who look upon civil service as the only means for selecting the services of competent and intelligent men to public offices."

No. 11. "I have only to repeat what I said on the subject last year; that, the rule in question relieves the heads of departments from all political and partisan annoyance, and enables them to help bringing the administration of public offices to business principles."

No. 12. "The law in question has been strictly adhered to."
Mayor Hewitt, of New York, says:

No. 10. "In my judgment, the effect of the application of the Civil Service Law in the city of New York has been on the whole to improve the character and efficiency of the persons appointed. The only exception to this, of which I am aware, is that of nurses and attendants in the insane asylums. Owing to various reasons one of which I think is the inadequate compensation that has been paid to them, the character of those persons has been inferior for a number of years, and the service has not been sufficiently attractive to induce a sufficient number of suitable persons to apply for appointment. The compensation of such persons, I am informed, will be increased during the current year, and the supervisory board, have had a conference with Dr. Macdonald, the result of which will be, I hope, to remove the objections which he has found to the practical working of the rules, as heretofore administered.

I think there can be no doubt that the effect of the civil service rules in reference to promotions has been to test more thoroughly than has been done heretofore, the fitness of applicants for promotion, and to satisfy the various persons in the employ of the city that promotion will be made in a large degree with reference to their efficiency and fidelity in the positions which they respectively occupy."

No. 11. "I think that the effect of the civil service rules upon appointing officers has been to free them from many importunities for appointment to office, which formerly were made without any regard to the fitness of the applicant, and to furnish them with the means of ascertaining in a practical way, the relative fitness of those who do apply. This is true of appointments in the police and fire departments. Excellent as the systems of examination were which had been used prior to the passage of the Civil Service Act, the law has been salutary by affording a wider field of selection by throwing appointments open to public competition, and by materially diminishing the [Assembly No. 63.]

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extent to which considerations other than those of fitness have entered into the mind of the appointing officer."

No. 12. "I think there can be no doubt that the effect of the law has been to diminish the extent to which political assessments are imposed upon persons in the employ of the city government. I am not aware of any violations of sections 11 or 14 of the Civil Service Act."

While inviting any suggestions that I may think proper to submit for the amendment of the law, or the regulations in regard to cities, the commission particularly ask my assistance in the performance of the duties imposed upon them by the fifteenth section of the act. The present law requires persons in the employ of the city to act as examiners, without additional compensation. This has been a hardship to those whose duties were sufficiently arduous before their appointment as examiners, and whose performance of the additional duties thus imposed upon them has been without compensation. I should recommend that the law in this respect be amended, so that suitable additional compensation can be made in such cases.

Many complaints have been made as to the effect of the law giving absolute preference to veterans for appointment to public office. It seems to me that the law in this respect should be amended so that the appointing power should not be required to appoint a soldier to office in preference to those apparently more fit for the place to be filled, unless in the judgment of the appointing power, he possesses the qualifications necessary for the proper discharge of his duties." Mayor Odell, of Newburgh, says:

No. 10. "Generally good, especially the physical examination of applicants for police department."

No. 11. "Good, relieving them from political pressure to a great degree."

No. 12. "Know of no violation of the law in this respect, our city has been generally free from this evil."

Mayor Elsworth, of Poughkeepsie, says:

No. 10. "With the exception of appointments upon the police and fire department, I do not think that the Civil Service Law has had any appreciable effect upon the service of the city, so far as the character and efficiency of the persons appointed are concerned."

No. 11. "In both of these departments, I think that the law has a beneficial effect upon the various appointments. The examination insures applications from a better class of men.

No. 12. "In this respect the law is strictly observed in Poughkeepsie. I know of no violation of the sections named."

APPENDIX F.

SAMPLES OF EXAMINATION QUESTIONS.

EXAMPLE No. 1.

GENERAL COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION - CLERKSHIPS OF FIRST AND SECOND

GRADES.
Dictation.

N. B.- Listen attentively and write down correctly the matter that is about to be read to you. Ample time for writing will be given between the phrases, so do not be flurried. Do not stop long to ponder about the spelling of a word, but put it down off-hand. Leave no gaps to be filled afterwards. Do not repeat any word or phrase.

The selection for dictation will cover about one page of foolscap. After notice, one of the examiners will begin to read the matter to be dictated slowly, and one phrase at a time, so it may be fairly copied, and to avoid, if possible, a repetition which is apt to confuse the writers. Great care should be taken to read deliberately, with distinct utterance, until the whole has been read. Then, for review and proper punctuation, the whole should be again read with ordinary rapidity.

Copying of Manuscript.

N. B.-The rough draft of a letter, which accompanies this paper, is to be correctly and neatly copied for signature; all abbreviations are to be written out in full; the corrected or added parts are to be inserted in their proper places; and the matter is to be paragraphed and punctuated properly.

The candidate is given a lithographed copy of manuscript letter, containing erasures, interlineations, etc., which he is to copy in accordance with above directions.

The handwriting and spelling of the candidates are judged from the foregoing papers.

ARITHMETIC.

1.-Express the following numbers in figures :

Two million and sixty thousand four hundred and thirty-five.
Seventeen million and seventeen.

Express in words the following numbers:

3280005.14

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