"at the next ensuing examination. This number shall be published as part "of the notice of every such examination.

"7. A list of the competitors shall be made out, in the order of merit, up "to this published number, if so many are found by the examination to be qualified for appointments in the Civil Service.

66

"8. Each competitor named in a list shall remain thereon until he attains "the age (if a man) of 25 years, and (if a boy) of 19 years, unless in the "meantime be has been appointed to a situation in some public office.

66

Men on completing their 25th year, and boys on completing the 19th year "of their ages respectively, or on receiving appointments, shall be removed "from the list.

"9. From these lists the Civil Service Commissioners, on the application "of departments having vacancies, may supply, on probation, the requisite "Clerks, whether for permanent or temporary duty. Selections shall, as a general rule, be made by the Civil Service Commissioners according to the "order of the names on the lists; but the Civil Service Commissioners may "select any Clerk who, in his examination, has shown special qualifications for any particular subject, among those included in 'Regulation II.' if special application for such a Clerk be made by any department.

10. No Clerk shall remain more than one year in any department unless "at the end of that time the head of the department shall signify in writing "to the Civil Service Commissioners that the Clerk is accepted by the department. If he is not accepted, the department shall report to the said Com"missioners the reasons for not accepting him; and such Commissioners shall "thereon supply another Clerk in his room, and shall decide whether the name of the rejected Clerk shall be struck off the list, as unfit for the "Service generally, or whether he shall be allowed a trial in another depart"ment.

"11. Boy Clerks shall not be retained as such in any department after completing their 19th year; but they may, after two years (or, if admitted "after 17 years of age, one year) of good service, to be certified in writing by "the head of their department to the Civil Service Commissioners, compete, "under 'Regulation II.,' among themselves, for so many Men Clerkships of "the Lower Division as shall not exceed one-fourth of the number of competitors.

"The number of Men Clerkships reserved for such limited competitions "shall be reckoned as part of the total number to be published, pursuant to "Clause 6 of this Order.

'Separate lists shall be made out of the competitors successful in the "limited competitions, and selections for appointments to Men Clerkships "shall (subject to Clause 9 of this Order) be made alternately from these "lists and from the lists of competitors successful in the open competitions (Clause 5).

"12. Appointments may be made exceptionally to the Lower Division of "Clerks from the body of Writers serving before 4th June, 1870, if thoroughly qualified, and from those subsequently registered by the Civil Service Commissioners; provided that the age of these latter did not exceed 30 years at the time of their being placed on the register; that at the date of "this present Order in Council they have served as registered Writers for a period of not less than three years; that they produce certificates from the "head of the department in which they are serving that it is desirable, in the "interest of the public service, to retain and employ them in that same depart'ment; and that they prove their fitness by a supplementary examination.

"13. The salaries of Men Clerks in the Lower Division shall commence at "£80, and shall rise by triennial increments of £15 to £200. Provided that in

'any office in which a regular attendance of seven hours a day is required the "commencing salary may be £90, and the maximum salary may be £250.

"14. The triennial increments of salary to Men Clerks shall not be allowed "in full without a certificate from the immediate superior of each Clerk, countersigned by the head of the department, or by such officer as he may designate for the purpose, to the effect that the Clerk's conduct has been in all respects satisfactory. In cases of demerit, a part or the whole of the "increment may be withheld or deferred, according to circumstances.

"15. The salaries of Boy Clerks shall begin at 14s. per week, and shall rise "by 1s. per week per annum as long as they are employed.

"16. Extra pay, not exceeding £100 per annum, may be attached to cer"tain situations open to Clerks of the Lower Division whose duties involve "the superintendence of other Clerks, or are otherwise of a more distinctly responsible character than such as the generality of their colleagues have to perform. The number of such situations in each department, and the amount of extra pay, subject to the maximum of £100 to be assigned to "each such situation, shall be fixed by the head of the department, with the 66 consent of the Commissioners of the Treasury.

"17. Situations carrying extra pay shall be conferred strictly according "to positive merit, and not according to seniority.

"18. Promotion from the Lower to the Higher Division of the Service "shall not be made without a special certificate from the Civil Service Com"missioners, to be granted exceptionally, after not less than ten years'

service, upon a special recommendation from the head of the department, "and with the assent of the Treasury; and every such promotion, including "such recommendation, certificate and assent, shall be published in the "London Gazette, and shall take effect only from and after the date of such publication.

"19. Below the Lower Division of ordinary Clerks (including Boy Clerks) "Men and Boy Copyists may be employed for mere copying, and for routine "work under direct supervision, on the same conditions of service as those at present in force for Civil Service Writers (men and boys). Whenever it is possible, they shall be paid by piece-work, at rates to be fixed by the Civil "Service Commissioners, with the consent of the head of the department, and "of the Commissioners of the Treasury.

"20. All appointments, promotions, and transfers from one office to "another shall be notified to the Civil Service Commissioners as they are "made, and shall by them be published together in the number of the London "Gazette first issued in each month."

The Special Regulations for the examinations for the Lower Division of the Civil Service will be found or page 48.

annum.

HIGHER DIVISION OF THE CIVIL SERVICE.

Carrying out still further the recommendation of the Playfair Commission, a Higher Division has been formed in many of the departments, in which the initial salary is £100, rising by triennial increments of £37 10s. to £400 per Duty pay is allowed, the amount of which is not to exceed £200 per annum. This Higher Division was intended to embrace all Class I. appointments, and those Clerkships in the various departments which were of a very responsible character, and Clerks of the old establishment were to be promoted to it by selection on the reconstitution of their departments under the new scheme.

The Special Regulations for the examinations held for Clerkships in this Division of the Service will be found on page 45.

SUPERIOR STAFF APPOINTMENTS.

Beyond the appointments comprised in the Lower and Higher Divisions of the Service, there are superior Staff Appointments, including such offices as Chief Clerkships and Principal Clerkships, which are not open to competition, of which the number and pay are fixed with reference to the work of each department. The selection of men to fill these offices is left entirely to the heads of each department, with the full understanding that, within the office, merit, and not seniority, is the qualification for selection. These, and certain other appointments, may be filled by the transfer of officials from other branches of the Service. As a rule, however, the vacancy is filled from the Higher Division of the department in which it has occurred.

COPYISTS.

Below the Men Clerks of the Lower Division are Men and Boy Copyists, who are selected after a very simple examination. These appointments are of a purely temporary character, and carry with them no prospective increase of pay. The salary and subjects of examination will be seen on reference to the Special Regulations on page 61.

The total number of Copyists on the register on the 31st December, 1882, was 1,972 men and 500 boys, and the number in actual employment (as nearly as can be stated) 1,379 men and 340 boys; the difference between the number registered and the number employed being made up for the most part of persons who, for the time, were not disposed to serve. In 1881, 1,441 candidates for the post of Man Copyist were examined, of whom 246 were successful; and 511 Boy Copyists, of whom 109 were successful.

FEMALE CLERKS.

In the early part of 1881 the Postmaster-General determined, with the consent of the Lords of the Treasury, to throw open to public competition the situations of Female Clerk and of Female (as well as Male) Telegraph Learner in his department.

The Government may fairly be congratulated upon this decision, as if the principle of Open Competition be admitted to be the right one, it is equally suitable for both sexes.

The first Open Competition for Female Clerkships in the London offices took place in September in London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. The candidates competed in the following subjects:—Arithmetic, spelling, English composition, geography, and English history: having been previously tested in the simpler parts of arithmetic, as well as in spelling and handwriting, at a preliminary examination held in various towns. Out of 747 candidates, 525 failed

to satisfy the preliminary test, 5 after passing it declined to proceed further, and 217 competed for 76 appointments, being the number estimated as likely to become vacant within the following six months. Two competitions have since been held in each year, each for about 60 appointments. The regulations and salary will be found on a later page.

MALE AND FEMALE TELEGRAPH LEARNERS AND FEMALE

SORTERS IN GENERAL POST OFFICE,

Periodical examinations are now held for the above posts. The last competition for Male Telegraph Learners was held in September, 1883, for 70 appointments, and that for Female Telegraph Learners in the same month for 50 appointments. The first open competition for Female Sorterships was held in August, 1883, for 20 appointments. The regulations and salary for each of the above posts will be found on a later page.

OPEN COMPETITIONS.

The reader will gather from the preceding information that situations in the Civil Service are divided generally into two categories-viz., those which are open to public competition, subject to certain conditions, and those to obtain which some influence is required. We propose to deal with the former in the first instance, as being those which command the greatest amount of attention. From the subjoined statement, which enumerates the principal competitions held during the year 1882, it will be seen that the vacancies filled by limited competition are but few compared with those filled by open competition :COMPETITIONS HELD DURING 1882.

Men Clerkships, Lower Division, and Second Class
Clerkships, India Office

Boy Clerkships, Lower Division...

1*

438

53

Admiralty:-Draughtsmen at Outports

Office of Works :-Assistants to Surveyors

Inland Revenue :- Clerks in Solicitors' Department
Treasury :-

Admiralty :-Draughtsman at Outports in the Department of the Director of Works

326631

Customs:-Outdoor Officers

(National) Education Office, Ireland :-Inspector's As

sistant

Foreign Office :-Clerks

1

16

Foreign Office :-Attachés

Foreign Office :-Student Interpreters...

1*

19

22130

669

India Office:-Clerk of the Superior Class, Accounts
Branch

+ These competitions were preceded by a preliminary examination.

(Male

1*

232

50

2*

1,546

70

1

46

9

1*+

5

Vacancies

Under the Order in Council of June 4th, 1870 :—

Register House Departments, Edinburgh :-Clerks
Science and Art Department:-Clerk and Registrar,
Dublin School of Art

War Office:-Assistant Surveyors in the Royal Engi

Not under the above-mentioned Order—

The following is a complete list of the departments, the appointments in which are now filled by Open Competition: :

LIST OF DEPARTMENTS THE VACANCIES IN WHICH ARE FILLED BY OPEN COMPETITION.

These were open competitions. ** These competitions were preceded by a prelimi ary examination. With a few minor exceptions. Except in the Political Department