1 By experience or other prerequisites prior to beginning of investigations. The original group of examinations for the lower grade positions, announced in 1927, was completed late in the calendar year 1928. These examinations produced sufficient eligibles to meet the bureau's requirements except in the case of prohibition agent for which a second country-wide examination was announced in October, 1928. Competitors in the first examination for agent, inspector, and investigator held in 1927 were not required to show any particular type of previous experience, but the agent examination of 1928 provided that applicants must have had qualifying experience of prescribed duration in fields of employment reasonably comparable to that of prohibition enforcement. The written tests in the second examination were held on December 15, 1928. Those who, after meeting the experience requirements, earned the prescribed ratings in the written tests, were subjected to interview, fingerprinting, and an.investigation of their qualifications, habits, morals, reputation, and general all-around suitability. This character investigation has been uniformly applied to all applicants for appointment in the bureau. The field work incident to this examination for agent, as well as similar work on examinations for agent and inspector, antinarcotic act, and storekeeper-gauger, is still in progress. It is anticipated that all of these examinations will be completed and registers of eligibles established within the calendar year 1929. The following table relates to this later and uncompleted series of examinations for lower grade positions in the Prohibition Service. 1 Announcement 258 was for prohibition agent; 287 was for storekeeper-gauger; 44 was for agent, antinarcotic act; 43 was for inspector, antinarcotic act. 1 In addition to the competitive examinations held for various positions in the Prohibition Service, the commission has examined noncompetitively a very substantial number of persons with a classified status, who have been proposed for reinstatement, transfer, or promotion to vacancies in that service. Figures given in the following table show the total number of eligibles obtained and appointments made as a result of the commission's several competitive examinations for various positions in the Bureau of Prohibition. 1 Appointments for these positions were made from registers having the requisite qualifications. 2 Under announcement 122 three registers were established. Of this total, 63 are qualified for investigator and 487 as inspector. Of this number, 231 have been given 3 considerations and are eliminated from further consideration in the districts in which they are residents. Register not yet established. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1929, the commission held 892 examinations to furnish eligibles for the position of postmaster in offices of the first, second, and third classes. This was a decrease from 937 during the preceding fiscal year. Under the Executive 1 A change of procedure is made by the Executive order of May 1, 1929. See Appendix, p. 71. order of May 10, 1921, the commission holds competitive examinations for these positions, which are not in the classified competitive service, and certifies the highest three eligibles, from whom the Post Office Department makes selection to fill the vacancy. Appointees are subject to confirmation by the Senate and to a 4-year term. The commission's function consists in eliminating the unfit, arranging the eligibles in the order of their fitness, and certifying the highest three to the Postoffice Department for consideration in making selection. In these operations political considerations are not allowed to influence the commissioners' findings. Once certification is made, the commission's function ceases. The purchase of any appointive office is subject to fine or imprisonment. FINGERPRINTING APPOINTEES Prior to July 1, 1928, fingerprints were taken of appointees only in a few of the larger post offices. This practice was found beneficial and Congress authorized a small appropriation for the fiscal year 1929 to commence the fingerprinting of all appointees. When the central fingerprint section in the commission was established five of its district offices were maintaining fingerprint files. The entire files of three of these offices and part of the files of the other two were transferred to the commission's main office to serve as a basis for the records of the newly established central section. The next step was the extension of the number of places where facilities for the taking of fingerprints were available. Up to the present time, arrangements have been made to take fingerprints at approximately 1,500 places throughout the country. Where practicable, fingerprints are searched by local police departments. They are then forwarded to the main office where classifications made by fingerprint men in the field are verified and extended and original classifications are supplied in cases where they are lacking. Search is then made in the commission's files and also in those of the Department of Justice. During this fiscal year, 3,296 detections were made of persons with court records who had denied having them. Of these, 396 were discovered by the main office, where local search had failed to reveal any record. "Detections" of the central section were largely of offenses committed away from the localities in which the persons concerned were living at the time of filing application. A number of persons were removed from the service when their fingerprints revealed the fact that they had criminal records, although they had denied such record in their applications. The fingerprint system is proving of great value for law enforcement positions such as those in the Prohibition Service, immigrationpatrol inspector, and customs-patrol inspector. In any case where fingerprint records disclose an applicant as being "wanted" for some offense, the commission communicates this information to the proper authorities. In one case, this practice resulted in the return to prison of an escaped convict who had evaded capture for 11 years. During the fiscal year, 42,133 sets of fingerprints were handled by the central section. A "detection" was made, therefore, on an average of 1 out of every 13 cases considered. The commission is gradually extending its fingerprint system as facilities become available. At the present time it is used in connection with appointments in all cities where there are post offices of the first class and in many cities where there are second-class post offices. The system has also been of assistance to ex-service men in enabling them to establish their identity in connection with claims for military preference when other proof was not obtainable. RECRUITING The most notable advance in recruiting during the year was the establishment of closer relations with the standard colleges and universities in the effort to recruit junior technical, professional, and scientific workers. The Government employs thousands of men and women who must have college training or an equivalent combination of formal education and practical experience. For example, more than 3,000 engineers of various kinds and nearly 1,000 chemists are employed in the civil service. Practically all of the technical, professional, and scientific occupations are represented in large numbers. The policy is to recruit in the junior grade so far as is practicable and to fill vacancies in the higher levels through promotion. However, the exigencies of the service often make it necessary to hold examinations for original appointment in the higher grades. Naturally, the most fruitful ground for recruiting the junior workers is in the graduating classes of the accepted educational institutions. Here the Government is in direct competition with private employers, many of whom regularly send their agents to the colleges to interview senior students and make employment contracts with a suitable number of those who are regarded as best qualified for the work in view. For many years the commission has sent its examination announcements to the employment offices maintained by most of the educa tional institutions and also to the appropriate department heads, for the information of students and others. But the commission has felt the lack of personal contact and has had no means of effecting it through its own organization. The advance referred to was an arrangement made with a number of the departments and independent establishments of the Government to have certain of their employees act as recruiting agents for the commission when visiting educational institutions in connection with their regular work for their respective offices. The commission made it clear that no travel was to be undertaken especially for this recruiting work and that no additional expense would be involved. Approximately 200 Government employees, men and women, have been designated to assist the commission in recruiting. They are currently supplied with examination announcements and other printed matter and are given such instructions or suggestions as they appear to need. While the plan is new, the results have more than justified the effort. A part of the plan is a series of annual examinations early in the year for most of the junior technical, professional, and scientific positions, in addition to such other examinations as may be necessary. There is a distinct advantage in being able to inform students that the examination in which they may be interested will be held at a definite time each year. Senior students are admitted to examinations but they can not begin work for the Government until they have been graduated. VETERAN PREFERENCE Important changes in the veteran preference regulations were made by an Executive order of March 2, 1929. This action was a result of long deliberation of an advisory committee appointed by the President on June 9, 1928, for the purpose of studying veteran preference laws and rules with a view to liberalizing the preferences allowed, the chief purpose of the study being to make more Government positions available to disabled veterans. The advisory committee consisted of Representative Hamilton Fish, jr., chairman; Brig. Gen. Frank T. Hines, director of the Veterans' Bureau; William C. Deming, president of the Civil Service Commission; and Col. John Thomas Taylor, representing the American Legion. The effects of the Executive order are as follows: (1) The addition of 10 points to the earned rating of a disabled veteran is continued, but under the new order the names of disabled veteran eligibles are certified ahead of veterans not disabled and nonveterans, regardless of their ratings. |