TWELFTH DISTRICT.
Headquarters, San Francisco, Cal.
The name of each male eligible for the following-named post offices will be entered on only one register, namely, the clerk or the carrier register, and male applicants must therefore indicate in their applications whether they desire the position of clerk or carrier:
Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, Cal.; Butte, Mont.; Portland, Ore.; Seattle, Wash.; Spokane, Wash.; Tacoma, Wash.
See [Note 1], First District.
Examinations for the following-named offices are held, as far as practicable, on the first Wednesday or Saturday after the 15th of November of each year:
Oakland and San Francisco, Cal., to be held in San Francisco; Fresno, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose and Stockton, Cal., in those places, respectively; Butte, Helena, Mont.; Portland, Ore.; Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Wash., in those places, respectively.
Blank forms of application may be obtained at any time either from the secretary of the board, Post Office, San Francisco; the auxiliary secretary at the post office at San Diego, Cal., or from the auxiliary secretary at the office where appointment is desired. The application when executed must be filed with the secretary of the board, Post Office, San Francisco, prior to 4 o’clock p. m., on the third Monday in October. Applications received after that time will be filed for the next subsequent examination.
Examinations for the following offices are held only when eligibles are needed, and application blanks will not be given out until the examinations are announced:
In the State of California: Alameda, Bakersfield, Berkeley, Chico, Eureka, Hanford, Long Beach, Marysville, Napa, Palo Alto, Petaluma, Pomona, Redding, Redlands, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, San Rafael, Santa Ana, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Vallejo, Visalia, Watsonville.
In the State of Nevada: Reno.
Aberdeen, Wash.; Albany, Ore.; Anaconda, Mont.; Astoria, Ore.; Baker City, Ore.; Bellingham, Wash.; Billings, Mont.; Boise, Idaho; Bozeman, Mont.; Eugene, Ore.; Everett, Wash.; Great Falls, Mont.; Kalispell, Mont.; Lewiston, Idaho; Livingston, Mont.; Missoula, Mont.; Moscow, Idaho; North Yakima, Wash.; Olympia, Wash.; Pendleton, Ore.; Pocatello, Idaho; Salem, Ore.; The Dalles, Ore.; Walla Walla, Wash.
See [Note 2], First District.
CHAPTER XIV.
EXAMINATION IN THE FAR EAST.
Regulations Differ from Those in the United States
—Mounted Men in the Island Force.
The Civil Service regulations for the Postal Service in the Philippine Islands vary considerably from those for the United States. There is only one examination—that of letter carrier. Carriers are divided into two classes, mounted and unmounted. The entrance salary of an unmounted carrier is $360. The higher classes are filled by promotion. All the carriers must furnish their own uniforms, as in the United States, while the mounted carriers must provide their own conveyances. Both conveyances and uniforms are subject to inspection and must be approved by the Director of Posts.
The examination consists of tests in spelling, arithmetic, penmanship, copying from plain copy, location of buildings, streets, plazas, etc., in the City of Manila, reading addresses and simple tests in English.
The following is an example of the questions asked by the Philippine examiners in an examination for letter carrier:
Spelling.—Question, Column, Regular, Possible, Precious, Guardian, Entrance, Separate, Official, Eager, Patience, Position, Exceed, Language, Explain, Business, Receive, Copyist, Certify, Specimen.
Arithmetic.—1. Add the following numbers: 7,820, 140, 616,487, 18,021,762, 5,329,456, 5,647,893, 432,890, 23,578,932, and 45,004. From the sum of these numbers extract 8,641,762.
2. Multiply 794.4 by 450-3/5, and divide the product by 49.65.
3. A clerk received a salary of $720 a year. He spent 3/5 of it for board, 1/4 of the remainder for clothing, and $144 for all other expenses. How much did he save?
4. An open court contains 160 sq. yds. How many stones 9 inches square will be required to pave it? (1,296 sq. in. equals 1 sq. yd.)
5. A Manila grocer imported 1,083 pounds of butter at 39 cents a pound and sold it at 5/13 more than it cost. If his expenses were $36.47, what was his net profit?
Letter Writing.—Two subjects for letter writing are given, and the competitor may select either upon which to write a letter of not less than 125 words. The exercise in letter writing is designed chiefly to test the competitor’s skill in composition.
Penmanship.—The rating on penmanship is determined by legibility, neatness, rapidity and general appearance, and by correctness and uniformity in the formation of words, letters and punctuation marks in the exercise in copying from plain copy. No particular style of penmanship is preferred.
Copying from Plain Copy.—Candidates were required to make an exact copy of the following:
“The hemp tree in the Philippines reaches an average height of 10 feet. It is a native plant, the stem of which is inclosed in layers of half-round petioles. The hemp fiber is extracted from these petioles, which, when cut down, are separated into strips 5 to 6 inches wide, and drawn under a knife attached at one end by a hinge to a block of wood, while the other end is suspended from the extremity of a flexible stick. The bow tends to raise the knife and a cord attached to the same end of the knife, and a treadle is so arranged that, by a movement of the foot, the operator can bring the knife to work on the hemp petiole with the pressure he chooses.”
CHAPTER XV.
RULES FOR LETTER CARRIERS.
How Mail Must Be Delivered—Work of Substitutes—
Requirements, Uniforms, Etc.
Letter carriers and substitute letter carriers are appointed by the Postmaster General on the nomination of the postmaster.
Selection of persons for appointment as substitute letter carriers must be made by the postmaster from the carriers’ eligible register in the manner prescribed by the Civil Service Rules and the nominations submitted to the First Assistant Postmaster General (Division of Free Delivery), on Form 1101, together with the certificate for original appointment, Postal Service, Form 145, issued by the local Civil Service Board. When two or more persons are nominated on the same day for appointment as substitute letter carrier, their seniority shall be determined by their standing, or rating, on the eligible register, and not by the order of their selection.
A vacancy in the regular force must be filled by the promotion of the senior substitute, whom the postmaster shall nominate for appointment on Form 1101. When a vacancy occurs in the regular force and there are no substitute letter carriers the nomination for appointment to fill such vacancy shall be made in the manner prescribed in the appointment of substitute letter carriers. The selection of letter carriers and substitute letter carriers at new free delivery offices, upon their establishment, is made from the carriers’ eligible register by the Postmaster General.
When a vacancy occurs or an emergency arises necessitating the immediate appointment of a letter carrier and there are no available substitutes, and the eligible register contains less than three names, the postmaster may nominate, for temporary appointment not to exceed ninety days, any person of good character who is within the age limitations. A postmaster is not required to, but may make a selection from an eligible register containing less than three names.
Reinstatements to the service will only be made in accordance with Rule IX. of the Civil Service Rules. Applications for reinstatement to the service must be made through the postmaster to the First Assistant Postmaster General (Division of Free Delivery). If the application be favorably considered, the First Assistant Postmaster General will make requisition on the Civil Service Commission for a certificate for reinstatement.
Where an applicant for reinstatement is an honorably discharged soldier or sailor of the late Civil War or war with Spain he must give the number of the company and the regiment in which he served, and, if possible, transmit through the postmaster the certificate of his honorable discharge from the military or naval service.
Transfers from the grade of clerk to that of carrier in the same office may be made, provided they are effected by exchange of positions, and the clerks to be transferred are physically able to perform the duties of a carrier, but transfers from the clerical force to vacancies in the letter carrier force will not be permitted, except in cases where, in the judgment of the First Assistant Postmaster General, the best interests of the service will be subserved.
The transfer of a carrier from one office to another will not be permitted unless it is shown by the sworn statement of a reputable physician that the health of the carrier or of a member of his immediate family requires a change of climate, and that the transfer is desired on that account. Applications for transfer must be indorsed by the postmaster and transmitted by him to the First Assistant Postmaster General (Division of Free Delivery), with a full statement of the circumstances surrounding each case.
Resignations of letter carriers and substitute letter carriers must be made in writing and forwarded to the First Assistant Postmaster General (Division of Free Delivery). No resignation requested by the postmaster, or by anyone for him, will be accepted.
Letter carriers will not be removed except for just cause, upon written charges filed with the First Assistant Postmaster General (Division of Free Delivery), of which they shall be given due notice and allowed full opportunity for defense. The charges shall specifically set forth alleged delinquency or misconduct, giving the date and place of the occurrence.
Every letter carrier shall give bonds, with sureties, to be approved by the Postmaster General, for the safe custody and delivery of all mail matter, and the faithful account and payment of all money received by him. Each letter carrier and substitute letter carrier shall, at the time of his appointment, give bond in the sum of one thousand dollars. It is preferred that bonds furnished by one of the surety companies authorized to act as sureties on official bonds be given. The original bonds of two or more carriers or substitutes, appointed at the same time, may be given on a blanket or schedule form. Letter carriers transferred from one post office to another, and substitutes promoted to be regular carriers, must file new bonds, their former bonds terminating on the date of such transfer or promotion. A list of the companies authorized to act as sole surety on official bonds will be furnished upon application to the First Assistant Postmaster General (Division of Free Delivery). All bonds of carriers must be filed with the First Assistant Postmaster General (Division of Free Delivery).
Every carrier, before beginning active service, shall take the official oath prescribed in Section 207, which oath will be retained on the files of the local post office, subject to the call of the First Assistant Postmaster General or to inspection by a post office inspector or other officer of the Post Office Department.