vidual competitors was due to the expiration of fewer terms of office than in the preceding year.

The normal turnover due to deaths, resignations, and removals averages nearly 6 per cent of the number of offices, or some 800 to 900 each year. In addition, there is a turnover due to the fact that these postmasters are not in the classified service, and are commissioned for a term of four years. At the expiration of a term the Postmaster General may under the Executive order of May 10, 1921, either recommend the incumbent for reappointment without further examination or request a new examination.

During the past two years there has been an opportunity for the first time to learn the results of the examination as a measure of the efficacy of present methods. This arises from the fact that appointees chosen from the registers established by the earlier examinations under the Executive order have recently completed their first four years of service. Quite consistently from month to month 84 per cent to 88 per cent of the expirations are followed by reappointment without further examination. This indicates that the service has been acceptable to the Post Office Department. It must by no means be inferred, however, that in the remaining cases the service has not been acceptable, since it very generally occurs when a new examination is held, that the present incumbent is one of the competitors and that the service record is found to be either "excellent," "good," or at least "fair," and usually a large majority of the confidential vouchers from patrons of the office are commendatory.

The only change of procedure within the year is that involved in the Executive order of November 5, 1926, which lays upon the Postmaster General the responsibility for determining that eligibles who met the residence requirements at the date of examination have continued as patrons of the office to the time when an appointment is made.

POLITICAL ACTIVITY OF CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES

There was an increase over the previous year in the number of cases involving political activity on the part of classified employees, the numbers being 84 and 128. In 52 of the 128 cases considered the charges of political activity were not sustained. In 65 cases the employees were warned and reprimanded. In eight cases persons were removed, and in three cases persons were either suspended for a short period or reduced in salary.

In three of the cases of removal service charges were also considered. In one case the eligible had been guilty of collusion in an examination in addition to political activity. In the case of one removal the employee was serving temporarily. While his political activity was not such that removal was warranted for that

reason alone, eligibles were available on a certificate in the hands of the department and he was separated from the service and appointment made from the register.

With few exceptions the department agreed with the commission. Two carriers from Manchester, N. H., were apparently guilty of working in the interest of a poltical candidate but the department felt that they were only intending to stir up interest in an impending convention of a letter-carrier association. One employee in the Postal Service was recommended for suspension for two weeks, but the commission later changed the recommendation to warning and reprimand. However, the department suspended the employee for six days. In several cases the department accepted resignations where removal had been recommended.

The following statement shows the number of cases in which the commission took action during the year, the nature of the charges, and the result:

In certain States appointment to local positions, such as postmasters, have been made by virtual purchase of the office through the guise of political contributions. The subject has been discussed in the House of Representatives and investigations made by the commission. If the persons to whom the contributions were made were not connected with the Government service and the solicitation and receipt were not made on Government premises, there was apparently no criminal statute, other than the bribery and conspiracy statutes, to warrant prosecution until the passage of an act approved December 11, 1926, which made this practice unlawful for the person seeking office and the person who receives the contribution. Punishment of imprisonment for not more than one year or a fine of not more than $1,000, or both fine and imprisonment, is provided for violation.

67746-27-2

A second act of the same date requires the filing of an affidavit by every person appointed to a Federal office stating that "neither he nor any one acting in his behalf has given, transferred, promised, or paid any consideration for or in the expectation or hope of receiving assistance in securing such appointment. No salary may be paid to the appointee until the required affidavit has been filed."

These two laws are in accord with the declaration in the national platform of the Republican Party in 1924:

The sale of influence resulting from the holding of public position or from association while in public office, or the use of such influence for private gain or advantage, is a perversion of public trust and prejudicial to good government. It should be condemned by public opinion and forbidden by law.

TEMPORARY APPOINTMENTS

There has been no marked increase or decrease in the number of temporary appointments during the past year. Temporary appointments are allowed in the absence of eligibles for permanent appointment or for a particular job of work at the completion of which the services of an additional employee will not be required. Such appointments are so far as practicable confined to eligibles on the registers and to applicants awaiting examination or whose papers are in the course of rating. When such persons are not available for appointment a proposed temporary appointee to a scientific, technical, or professional position is required to show that he has the requisite qualifications.

The act of March 3, 1927, brought into the classified service all positions in the Prohibition Service except that of Commissioner of Prohibition. Persons occupying these positions were appointed without reference to the civil-service rules under section 38 of the original national prohibition act. Their terms of office expired on October 1, 1927, but their temporary appointments have been approved to continue until such time as the vacancies may be filled permanently through open competitive examination. General authority was also given for temporary appointment to fill vacancies from among the applicants for the various examinations held for the Prohibition Service.

The continued lack of eligibles for nurse, dietitian, and medical officer qualified in some of the more restricted specialties, who are willing to accept appointment where vacancies occur, make temporary appointments necessary in the Veterans' Bureau and Public Health Service. It has also been necessary to authorize temporary appointment of social workers in the Veterans' Bureau. These persons are required to file applications for the examination and usually qualify and later receive probational appointment.

As is usually the case during the summer months, a number of temporary appointments were made in the Department of Agriculture in connection with various research investigations in the field service. College students are in most cases employed on this work and return to college in the fall.

The greater number of the employees on the veterans' adjusted compensation work have been dropped but some have been made permanent in the War Department or transferred to permanent positions in other departments under the provisions of the Executive order of June 7, 1927. This order provides for the making permanent of employees on work incident to the adjusted compensation act whose work for the two years and six months preceding the date of the order was exceptionally commended by the heads of the departments in which they were serving and who were otherwise eligible under the civil-service rules and regulations.

The number of temporary appointments made in the various Government offices in Washington and in the field service which come under the immediate jurisdiction of the commission's central office was 3,758, of which 2,212 were made to permanent positions for which there were no eligibles and 1,546 for job employment. Nearly one-third of the appointees were selected from the registers of eligibles.

During the fiscal year a total of 91,619 persons were temporarily appointed in the field services under the district system, usually for very brief periods, and at the end of the year 9,056 were still employed. Many of these temporary appointments were of laborers and mechanics under various field branches of the War Department. Appointments were made from the registers so far as possible. At the Christmas holidays it becomes necessary to employ for a few days only a very large number of persons, usually students, as clerks and carriers to handle the mail. Many field activities are carried on during the summer only, and there is much work of a seasonal character which requires additional employees for short periods. Appointments of this class are largely of college students during their vacation period.

The following table shows the distribution of temporary appointments in the various Government offices during the year ended June 30, 1927, exclusive of those made under the district system. Very few of these appointments extend beyond six months.

1 Includes Indian field service, in which service it is frequently necessary to make several temporary appointments to a position before it is filled permanently.

These are chiefly physicians and nurses in the Public Health Service and hospitals of the Veterans' Bureau.

THE FIELD SERVICE

The extent and importance of the field service is shown by the fact that there are 499,338 positions in the executive civil service outside of Washington, of which about 375,000 are subject to competitive examination under the civil-service rules. About 250,000 of these competitive field positions are in the Postal Service.

About 60 per cent, or 225,000 of the whole number of competitive positions in the field, are under the district system for the purposes of administering the civil-service rules and especially of examination and certification for appointment. There are 13 districts, each in charge of a district secretary, with 4,778 local boards of examiners having a total membership of 12,550. Such a board has been established during the year at Juneau, Alaska, in addition to five already existing in Alaska, and another has been created at Montreal. The district secretaries establish contact in the field with the heads of local offices with the view of establishing prompt and efficient methods for handling personnel problems.

The administrative program of economy in Government expenditure is reflected in a decrease in the number of appointments made