We have not included members of the fire department in other cities than Boston, for the reason that very few of them are permanently employed. Those who belong to the "call force" receive so little compensation, and hold office by so slight a tenure, that, until the scope and purpose of the civil service rules are better understood, there might be some difficulty in preparing a list of persons most eligible for this peculiar service.

A short sketch of the system adopted, in language less formal and restricted than was required in the preparation of the rules, may help to a better understanding of the subject.

CLASSIFICATION.

The service over which the Commissioners purpose taking jurisdiction at this time is classified, in the first place, under two divisions, the official service of the Commonwealth and the cities, and the labor service of the city of Boston. The first division is then subdivided into two schedules, one covering the clerical service, and the other the prison, police and fire service. These schedules are further divided into classes, for the purpose, finally, of bringing under one head those requiring substantially the same qualifications, and who will be subjected to the same course of examination. For instance, the clerical service is divided into two classes: (1) those whose compensation is at a rate less than eight hundred dollars per annum; and (2) those who receive a larger compensation. The same, or similar, tests will be applied, in the ordinary course of examination, to all competitors for positions in the same class, whether in the service of the Commonwealth or of a city. But an applicant who has passed an examination for the higher clerical service, and is willing to accept a position in the lower grade if he cannot do better, may be certified for a vacancy in that grade upon the same standing as for the higher; and, if appointed, he would have this advantage, that he could be advanced to a higher position without undergoing another examination.

That part of the first division which includes the prison, police and fire service is divided, naturally, into four classes,

-as four different kinds of examination are required; namely (1), the prison service, (2) the fire service of Boston, (3) the police service of the Commonwealth and other cities than Boston, and (4) the police service of Boston.

In the labor service, so far as we have taken jurisdiction for the present, no sub-division is necessary. The examination of applicants follows the course prescribed by the statute; namely, their capacity for labor, and their habits as to industry and sobriety.

APPLICATIONS.

In order to entitle applicants for positions in the public service to appear for examination, the law requires that they shall state certain facts; and that they shall also furnish such other information as may reasonably be required of them touching their fitness for the positions they seek.

A general form of application for all positions in the first division has been prepared, and will be furnished to all who apply either personally or in writing. It contains full directions for filling out the blanks in the personal statement, and, also, in the accompanying certificates as to health, character, general capacity and special fitness. As the clerical service covers a great variety of positions, some of them requiring little more than a knowledge of reading and writing, and others requiring skill, experience, or a high degree of education, and as there is no provision for pensioning those retired from the service, the Commissioners have refrained from placing any restriction as to age upon the applicants. Any one who produces satisfactory vouchers as to character, health and physical capacity for this branch of the service will be admitted to an examination, and, if properly qualified, will be placed on the eligible list.

In the case of the Boston police and fire departments, the limits as to age, height and weight have been fixed in accordance with the suggestions of the Commissioners having charge of those departments. In both of those departments, the law authorizes the payment of a pension to members discharged after performing faithful service for a certain

number of years; and it is important, therefore, in order to prevent the pension list from becoming a burden to the taxpayers that admission to this service should be restricted to men who, in the ordinary course of events, can be relied upon for twenty-five or thirty years of active duty.

The age of applicants for what is designated in general terms as the prison service, and for the district police and the police of other cities than Boston, has not been restricted to the same extent as in the Boston service. The provisions of the rule upon this point (see clause 1, Rule IX.) were fixed after conference with prison officials and the mayors of several cities.

The physical examination of applicants for the police service generally, and for the fire service of Boston, is to be made by some physician holding an official position, and is to be certified in form approved by the Surgeon General of the Commonwealth. This examination for the Boston fire and police service is required to be more searching and critical than for the service in the smaller cities.

The members of the Boston departments are so well paid, and the provisions for those who are sick, or disabled, are so liberal, that the service is much sought, and there can be no difficulty in maintaining the very highest standard as to physical qualifications. In other cities the standard has been fixed as high as seemed practicable for the present; and it will be advanced to the Boston standard whenever the conditions of the service will permit.

The exact time of receiving every application will be entered of record in books kept for that purpose in the central office and in each city. Where there are a large number of applicants, and it is impracticable to examine all of one class at the same time, those who stand first on the list, as fixed by the time of receiving the application, will be notified in the order of their position on the list. A strict adherence to this rule is necessary to secure to all applicants equal opportunity to show their qualifications for the public service.

EXAMINATIONS.

It would be impossible, of course, for the Commissioners personally to conduct all examinations; and it would be unwise for them to do so if it were possible. It is necessary to the proper administration of the system that they should occupy a perfectly impartial position between those who are examined and those who conduct the examinations and certify the results. With this view the law has provided for the appointment of local boards of examiners, which are charged with the important duty of ascertaining the qualifications of the different applicants as shown in the prescribed course of examination.

The Commissioners have been, so far, fortunate in securing for this purpose the services of gentlemen who have had a practical experience in the administration of affairs, and who have the respect and confidence of the community.

The method of conducting examinations will be substantially the same as in the National Service. The questions for each examination are prepared by the Chief Examiner, under the direction of the Commissioners, and a sufficient number of copies are printed to furnish a set to each person who is notified for examination. They are retained under seal until the competitors are seated at the examination tables. Then each competitor proceeds to answer the questions placed before him, and to do such other work as may be prescribed to test his capacity for the position he seeks. The examination is conducted on a perfectly impersonal basis. The papers are identified by numbers; and the names of the competitors are not known to the examiners until the marking and grading have been completed.* In this way the mental qualifications of the competitors are graded with absolute impartiality. The course of examination is such that those who have had experience in the public service, or in any service in the line of that which they seek, will get the benefit of any special acquirements

*Illustrations of the method of marking and grading are given on page 30 of the Regulations which accompany this report.

that.

which they may possess. The mere fact that a person has been in public service ought not to count in his favor, unless he is able to show that he has learned something from his experience; and ample opportunity will be given him to do If an applicant for the clerical service has a knowledge of short-hand writing, or type-writing, or languages, he will be given an opportunity to show that knowledge, in addition to his knowledge on obligatory subjects; and when that special knowledge is needed in any position in the public service he will get the benefit of it; although, in the meantime, he can hold his position on the general record, and be certified in regular order on his standing on the obligatory subjects.

Character and physical qualifications are not graded. The certificates which are required to be furnished in the form already described, are accepted, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, as conclusive on those points, so far as the examination which precedes certification by the Commissioners is concerned.

It is just there that the appointing power will be called upon to exercise its discretion in the selection from those certified as eligible.

When the qualifications of those examined have been properly marked, and their general average in the obligatory subjects established, the names of those who have passed a successful examination (i. e., those who have received not less than 65 per centum of complete proficiency) are entered on what is called the eligible list for the class in which the applicant seeks service.

The lists of eligible persons for the service of the Commonwealth and the City of Boston (except those coming under the head of laborers), will be kept in the Commissioners' office at the State House; the lists for the other cities will be kept, for the convenience both of the appointing power and those seeking service, in the several cities where the examinations are held.