Police constable, State Reservation at Niagara Assistant industrial superintendent, Auburn prison Superintendent, State School for the Blind Janitor, State Normal School Assistant, antitoxin laboratory, Department of Health Custodian, office of public administrator, New York county Such special examinations are not only more expensive and troublesome to conduct than general examinations, but through lack of publicity and general knowledge of the existence of such positions they fail to attract the wide and free competition that is made for the positions for which the Commission maintains eligible lists at all times. There is objection to special examinations in all cases where they can be avoided, and it has been my policy as well as that of the secretary to insist to every reasonable degree upon the filling of positions from existing lists in preference to granting special examinations. Repeated examinations The positions for which more than one open competitive examination has been advertised and held during the year are: Apothecary Clerk, Regents' Office..... Elevator conductor, city and county hall, Buffalo Folio writer, register's office, New York county. Gardener Guard, Elmira Reformatory.. Instructor in bookbinding. Instructor in machine woodworking and cabi net making. Instructor in machinery.. Instructor in tailoring Keeper, Queens county jail.... Keeper, New York county jail. 2 examinations 2 examinations 3 examinations 3 examinations 2 examinations 2 examinations 4 examinations 2 examinations 2 examinations 2 examinations 2 examinations 3 examinations 2 examinations The duplicating of these examinations has usually been necessary because of the small number of qualified applicants, or because those who have attained places on the eligible list will not afterward accept the appointments offered. The most frequent cause of such declinations is the insufficiency of the salary, and this cause is particularly frequent in case of the eligible lists for woman officer and trained nurse in the state institutions. At no time have we been able to certify sufficient names to fill the existing vacancies in these positions. In the case of women officers the authorities of the houses of refuge and reformatories for women are continually complaining of the lack of ability or efficiency of the eligibles certified and are asking for better eligibles, while the best of the candidates examined repeatedly decline to accept the positions offered. Although the usual salary of these positions ($25 per month and maintenance) would seem to be enough to attract women of considerable ability, yet the work is very hard and there is almost no chance of an increase in compensation. The difficulty, it seems to me, can only be met either by an increase in compensation allowed by the schedule of salaries and wages at the beginning of the employment or by a sliding scale so that stated increases shall be given at the end of stated periods of service. In the case of trained nurses it seems impossible to obtain graduates of hospital training schools, as required by the schedule of salaries and wages, who will accept positions at $25 per month and main tenance. We have not felt justified in disregarding this requirement, as it is not established by the Commission, and in any case it seems to be reasonable that persons employed as nurses should have the training ordinarily presupposed in such employment. I believe that an increase of $5 per month in the compensation for both of the positions mentioned would greatly relieve the difficulties we have experienced in finding sufficient eligibles. Medical examinations For the first time since the establishment of the system of medical and physical examinations of candidates by the Commission's examiners we have completed our list of local medical examiners so that we are able to conduct these examinations in all the cities where written examinations are held. The use of these examinations has been limited to prison and jail positions, as those positions seem to especially require agility and good physical condition, and as the funds at the command of the Commission would not warrant the extension of the system to some other positions where it might be useful. Appropriations Following is an account of the appropriations for the examination division for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1901: For expenses of examinations: |