Orders amending general rules and regulations. Orders amending Schedule A.............. Orders amending Schedule B.... Exceptions from examination for duration of war.. Orders excepting persons named from the requirements of the rules.. Appointments authorized without examination under section 10, Rule II. Appointments without examination under the Executive order of March 26, Syllabi of decisions of the Comptroller of the Treasury. Investigations of alleged violations of the law and rules regarding political TABLES OF STATISTICS. [Period covered is the fiscal year ended June 30, 1918, unless otherwise stated.] TABLE 1. The number of examinations of each kind, the number of persons examined, and the number appointed, with the number that passed during the preceding year.. TABLE 2. The apportionment of appointments in the departmental service at Washington, D. C., from July 16, 1883, to September 30, 1918, with special reference to war-time appointments...... TABLE 3. The number examined, the number that passed, the per cent that passed, the number appointed, the per cent appointed of those that passed, and the approximate number of competitive classified positions in the service during the several periods covered by the reports of the commission, for all branches of the classified 153 THIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNITED STATES CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION. WASHINGTON, D. C., November 14, 1918. SIR: The merit system of appointments has been maintained in its entirety through the second year of the war. Although it has been a year of greatly increased activity, every safeguard essential to the integrity of the merit system has been preserved, and the effective coordination of the civil and military branches promoted. In the fiscal year covered by this report, 551,391 persons were examined, of whom 214,567 were appointed. The commission, with its widespread organizations, has cooperated effectively with the departments, thus reducing waste and confusion and insuring the appointment of persons best qualified to serve the Government. The abnormal demand for additional employees which began during the closing months of the last fiscal year continued through the present year, in which there has been an increase of 161 per cent over the number examined in the previous year, and an increase of 150 per cent in the number appointed. It is apparent that this increase was largely occasioned by the expansion of the service due to military preparations, but it should be pointed out that the number of separations from the service, exceedingly great compared with any previous number, necessitated a considerable portion of the appointments. A comparison of the numbers examined by periods is afforded by the table following, which shows the persons examined and appointed in five-year periods and in the year covered by this report. It will be observed that the number appointed in the past year was nearly as large as the whole number appointed during the preceding five years. Number of competitors examined for the classified and unclassified services and the number appointed, transferred, promoted, and reinstated on certificate of the commission during the fiscal years 1917 and 1918. There is an increasing observance of the civil-service act and rules. The act contemplates the necessity of occasional exceptions to the rule of competition and provides that when such necessary exceptions are made the reasons therefor shall be stated in the annual reports of the commission. Prior to the spring of 1902 exceptions were usually in the nature of general amendments to the rules admitting whole classes of persons rather than the particular persons that required special consideration. Practically all such general exceptions are now confined to groups of positions for which competition would be impracticable, and the application of the fundamental principles laid down in the civil-service act has been made uniform throughout the service. In doing this it has been frankly recognized that, as contemplated by that act, occasional instances will arise where to adhere to the strict letter of the rules would operate against the best interests of the service. When such cases have arisen they have been removed from competition by Executive order, or authority of the commission conferred by specific Executive order, a candid statement of the reasons for such action being reported by the commission. Notwithstanding the tremendous demand of the Government service, the merit system of appointments has been fully maintained in all the older branches. Some new agencies have been permitted by Executive orders to make appointments without reference to the registers of eligibles. Schedule B of the civil-service rules was amended to permit some groups of positions to be filled on noncompetitive examination because it was evident that the number of qualified persons offering to compete would be insufficient. All appointees were required to meet tests of fitness which had been determined in advance. The advantage of this individual rating of applicants was that it secured the cooperation of the departments in recruiting applicants who were assured of appointment if qualified, and expedited the filling of vacancies. Less than two appointments in every thousand were made upon formally recognized noncompetitive tests. Since nearly all eligibles on the competitive registers were certified, it will be seen that these appointments do not differ materially from others and that there has been no lowering of standards of fitness by reason of appointments on noncompetitive tests. In authorizing exceptions from examination or in recommending such exceptions to the President, the commission has been guided by the requirement in the civil-service law which restricts exceptions to positions which can not be adequately filled under the ordinary procedure required by the act. The act declares that appointments in the classified service shall be made through competitive examination "as nearly as the conditions of good administration will warrant." This scrutiny of proposed exceptions by the commission has been satisfactory alike to the departments and to the commission. It has relieved appointing officers from undue pressure, protected the service from unworthy incursions, and harmonized the whole system of appointments without competition. The inspection of proposed exceptions by the commission has established a uniform and safe practice, preventing their allowance when not fully justified. 1. By Act of Congress. The commission has repeatedly urged that exception from examination should be left to the President. If it is desirable that latitude be allowed in the selection of employees, the President has authority to make the exception. In practice it has been found wiser to lodge this authority in him rather than to make exception by legislation, since he may adapt the exceptions to the varying exigencies of the service, thus avoiding numerous and unnecessary exceptions which in the past have resulted in evils which the civilservice act was intended to remedy. 2. Section 10 of Rule II. The number of noncompetitive appointments during the last fiscal year under section 10 of Rule II was 1,248. Everyone of these appointments has received the careful scrutiny of the commission. A large number of applications for such appointments has been refused by the commission for the reason that it was possible to make them through competition or that the persons proposed were not qualified. The commission has impressed upon the departments that noncompetitive appointments could be permitted only in exceptional cases where competition is clearly impracticable and has insisted that the utmost possible use should be made of eligible registers established from open competitive examinations. Departments have been requested to anticipate to the fullest extent their needs for appointments, so that the commission may have time to provide eligibles with the desired qualifications. In every case submitted under section 10 of Rule II on the basis of nominal compensation the commission has required that it should be made clearly to appear that the compensation to be paid was not only nominal when compared to the man's actual earnings in the past but that it was actually nominal at the time of his appointment and that the man was in good faith, willing to serve, even at a distinct financial sacrifice, because of his being actuated by patriotic impulses. A showing has been required in these cases that the sacrifice was at least 50 per cent of earnings, and it was required in these cases that the compensation should not be increased without the consent of the commission. 3. Executive Order of March 26, 1917. The commission authorized the filling of 1,024 positions during the fiscal year under this order where there were no suitable eligibles on its registers and the necessities of the service would not permit of awaiting the results of competitive examination. The noncompetitive tests of fitness prescribed in these cases have eliminated many applicants who did not fully measure up to the standard of fitness which the commission believed necessary. WOMEN IN THE SERVICE. The proportion of women in the service has greatly increased. The examinations are open to them upon the same requirements and conditions and with the same compensations as are prescribed for men. No discrimination on account of sex is made in the civil-service act and rules. Whatever inequalities arise are occasioned by the requirements of the service in the judgment of appointing officers and not from any restrictive action by the commission. Women are occupying not only a much larger proportion of positions in the service but have secured increased recognition in promotion to higher positions which formerly were largely filled by men. In the last fiscal year 137,620 women were examined, as compared with 25,457 in the year previous, an increase of 441 per cent; whereas the increase of men was only 122 per cent. SALARIES. There has never been a uniform entrance salary for any given character of work. Disparities have become greater under lump-sum appropriations created by war exigencies vesting discretion in differ |