CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

REPORT OF THE COMMISSION TO HIS HONOR THE MAYOR, FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 1895.

OFFICE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION.

CHICAGO, January 15, 1896.

HON. GEORGE B. SWIFT, Mayor of Chicago,

Sir:-Section 15 of an act entitled "An act to Regulate the Civil Service of Cities," approved March 20, 1895, reads as follows:

"Said Commission shall, on or before the 15th day of January of 66 each year, make to the mayor, for transmission to the City Council, "a report showing its own action, the rules in force, the practical 'effects thereof, and any suggestions it may approve for the more "effectual accomplishment of the purposes of this act. The mayor

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may require a report from said Commission at any time."

In accordance with the provisions of the above section, the Civil Service Commission of Chicago has the honor to submit herewith a report of its work from the date of its appointment by you on July 1, 1895, to the 31st of December, a period of six months.

Immediately upon its appointment the Commission organized by the election of Commissioner John M. Clark as President, and Commissioner R. A. Waller as temporary Secretary. At its request, and at its personal expense, the President visited various eastern cities to examine into the practical working of civil service commissions in those cities and to collect data for the use of the Commission. Upon his return on July 12 the Commission completed its organization by electing Mr. Edward J. Phelps of Chi-, cago as its permanent Secretary and Chief Examiner.

The first important duty devolving upon the Commission under the law was the classification of the offices and places of employment and the formulation of rules and regulations to carry out the purposes of the act. In the accomplishment of this work it was very greatly assisted by Mr. John T. Doyle, Secretary of the

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National Civil Service Commission, who visited Chicago and remained about five weeks with the Commission, upon its invitation and at its personal expense. Through the courtesy of Commissioner Waller the Commission was furnished with office room in the Ashland Block without expense to the city.

On August 14 the Commission opened its office in the City Hall, in Room 115, which had been assigned for its use, and on that date was begun the distribution to the public of pamphlets containing the law, the Proclamation of your Honor, relating to the same, together with a Classification of the offices and places of employment, and the Rules and Regulations, which it had adopted governing examinations, appointments, promotions and removals in the Classified Service. A copy of the same is attached hereto and made a part of this report, as the Act requires.

Ten days previous notice having been given, as required by the Act, on Monday, August 26, the Law, Classification and Rules went into force, and the distribution of blank applications to the public began, more than 2000 being given out on the first day.

The Commission in its classification divided the official places of employment in the service of the City of Chicago into two classes, "labor" and 66 official." The labor class includes all skilled and unskilled workers, and the official class includes all other places of employment in the city service, excepting such as are made exempt by Section 11 of the Act. The official service. embraces positions which are permanent in character, and the labor service, as a rule, those which are more or less temporary.

Up to the close of business on December 31, 1895, about 14000 persons had been supplied with application blanks for positions in the official service, and 6500 in the labor service, making a total of fully 20000 applicants in a little over four months. Of the 14000 official blanks issued, 2273 have been returned correctly made out, and are entered upon the books of the Commission, and of the 6500 labor applications 1552 have been returned and entered.

Early in September a General Board of Examiners was created, consisting of seven members, of which Mr. W. K. Ackerman was made Chairman and Mr. Rollin A. Keyes, Secretary. The other members of the Board are: Mr. John A. Moody, Deputy Commissioner of Public Works; Dr. Emil G. Hirsch, of the Library Board; Capt. A. F. Campbell, Secretary Department of Police; Marshal Chas. S. Petrie, Secretary Fire Department, and Mr. Henry T. Carr, Secretary Health Department. It was made the duty of this Board,.

under the supervision of the Commission and the Chief Examiner, to advise in the preparation of papers and to conduct examinations.

Dr. J. R. Hawley was assigned to the Commission from the Department of Health to act as its Medical Examiner, and he has had charge of the physical and medical examinations of all applicants. On November 1 he resigned his position in the Health Department, since which time he has been regularly in the employ of the Commission. The examinations have been conducted with perfect impartiality and have not gone further than seemed necessary to insure that each successful applicant shall be thoroughly qualified in mind and body for the duties of the position sought.

In conducting physical examinations for entrance to the Police or Fire Departments, the Commission has adopted the method or system originated by Dr. A. H. Brown of New York. This system has long been in use in the cities of Boston and New York, and we believe in other eastern cities. It has given most excellent results in practical operation.

At the request of the Commission, Dr. Brown came to Chicago to personally superintend the first physical examination of candidates for entrance to the Police and Fire Departments, and to instruct the employes of the Commission in the practical operation of his method. He has courteously allowed the use of his system by the City of Chicago without charge, for which the Commission takes this occasion to publicly express to him its thanks.

It has been the constant aim of your Commission, in compliance with the law, to make all its examinations practical in character, and to make them relate to those matters which shall fairly test the relative capacity of the persons examined to discharge the duties of the positions to which they seek appointment.

A Board has been appointed to mark the papers and determine the general average attained by each applicant on examination. In cases where the preparation and marking of papers have required expert or technical knowledge, special boards of examiners have been organized whose members possessed practical knowledge of the subject under consideration. In compliance with the law, in no case have the persons who have conducted the examination, nor those who have marked the papers, all been members of one political party.

The names of successful applicants have been entered upon the registers of the Commission and posted upon its bulletin boards in the order of their standing.