News Items from The Kansas City Journal ~ Old News That's New to You from Vintage Kansas City.com

May 24, 2025

HE CHANGES HIS UNIFORMS.

Letter Carrier Who Believes in

Cleanliness and Neatness.

Should all of the men in the civil service of the United States follow the example of a well known mail carrier in Kansas City the work of tailors would treble and the men would gain fame for their general appearance. The man who sets the pace in neatness is found in the city directory in the following short history: "Harry Feaman, Carrier, P. O. 3217 East Eleventh Street."

This firm believer in the old proverb of "Cleanliness is next to Godliness" works for Uncle Sam for eight hours every day. He carries a mail route in the North End and the city hall. The mail bags are heavy but become burdensome when stuffed with letters and papers. A carrier is constantly waling and is compelled to climb many pairs of stairs in the course of a day.

There is considerable dust flying in the air in the neighborhood of city hall and when Carrier Feaman's work is finished he feels dirty and grimy. He changes his uniform from three to five times a day and tops each change with a cold water bath. In consequence of these many changes this mail carrier always appears neat and tidy, in fact one would believe that he had just stepped out of a band box.

When Feaman gets up in the morning he refreshes himself with a dip in a tub of cold water, dresses and goes to work. Returning home for lunch he again indulges in a plunge and dons clean clothes and a freshly pressed uniform. The work of distributing his mail in the afternoon musses up his garments and so it is bath and change of clothes No. 3 for Mr. Feaman.

Labels: city hall, civil service, clothing, Eleventh street, North end, post office

April 12, 2025

MERIT GETS THESE JOBS.

Uncle Sam Wants Photo Engraver

and Other Skilled Men.

An examination for a photo-engraver to fill a vacancy in Manila, at a salary of from $1,800 to $2,000, will be held in this city by the United States civil service commission, April 30. The applicant must be male, of sound bodily health, and able to stand test on spelling, arithmetic, letter writing, penmanship and experience. On May 5 there are to be examinations for the following civil service positions: Mechanical assistant, with knowledge of refrigerating machinery; food and drug inspector and assistant chemist, at salaries from $900 to $2,400 a year.

One of the requirements for the applicant for the mechanical assistant to consider is that of size. Large men need not apply, for one item mentioned on the announcement reads:

"It will be necessary that the appointee be of slender physique on account of the limited space available in which some of the work must be done."

Labels: civil service, employment

January 4, 2026

TEACHERS FOR INDIANS.

Must Be Men, and Preference Will

Be Given Married Ones.

Civil service examinations to fill positions as teachers in Indian schools in New Mexico, Washington and the Dakotas will be held in the federal building, January 20. The positions pay about $720 a year. Men only will be allowed to take the examination, and maried ones will be preferred. On the same day examinations will be had to fill positions as goverment freight clerks at Chicago. These positions pay from $80 to $100 a month.

Labels: civil service, employment, federal building, Native Americans

November 16, 2025

GOVERNMENT POSITIONS OPEN.

Many Civil Service Examinations

Scheduled for December.

On December 29 to 30, civil service examinations will be held for the purpose of securing eligibles as teachers in the Philippine service. This position is open to both men and women and the salary ranges from $900 to $3,000 a year. Among other positions open in the government service are those of computer in the nautical almanac office, at a salary of $1,000 to $1,600 a year. The examination for the position will be held on December 9 and 10.

Telephone operator, at a salary of $480 a year, is a position open to men only. On December 9 will be held an examination at which time applicants may qualify for the position of inspector of shoes and leather, at salary of $1,200 a year. A position is also open as office engineer in irrigation and drainage investigations. This office pays a salary of $2,000 a year and the examination will be held December 2.

Application blanks for the various positions may be obtained from the United States civil service commission at Washington, D. C.

Labels: civil service, employment

April 29, 2025

CAN YOU PREPARE FOSSILS?

If So, the Government Needs Your

Services at $75 a Month.

There is an excellent chance for somebody to get a $75 a month government job by tking a civil service examination. Notices reached here yesteday calling for a "Preparator of fossils (male)."

Nobody around the government building knows whether the fossils to be preparated are to be exclusively those of male or what the notice means. Anyhow, the examination is to be held in the federal building on May 20.

Labels: civil service, employment, federal building

December 30, 2025

STENOGRAPHERS ARE

HARD TO FIND

GOVERNMENT STANDS IN PRESSING

NEED OF THEM.

Special Examination Will Be Held

Here in January 27 -- There Are

Many Other Vacancies

Under Civil Service.

Difficulty is being encountered by the United States civil service in securing eompetent stenographers and typewriters, according to a bulletin issued by the government, through the district secretary in St. Louis. Competent persons are urgently requested to file their applications for positions with the civil service commission at Washington, D. C., immediately. A special examination will be held in many cities, including Kansas City, on January 27.

Examinations for applicants to thirty or forty other positions, chiefly in the Indian service, will also be held this month in Kansas City. Twenty grade teachers are wanted for positions in South Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico and Arizona at salaries ranging from $50 a month upward. These will be held on January 22. On January 15 there will be an examination to secure men eligible to serve as physicians in the Indian service. The number wanted is not stated.

If more candidates pass the examinations than there are positions immediately vacant, the names will be kept for later vacancies in the same line of work. Full information may be obtained at the Kansas City post office.

Labels: civil service, employment, Native Americans, post office, St Louis

March 26, 2026

JOBS BY CIVIL SERVICE.

Politics Overlooked in Choosing

Men for Consulships

Oh, what a shock for the old guard! W. B. C. Brown, Senator Warner's secretary, is home from Washington with the news that Clarance A. Miller, who not so very long ago was carrying a newspaper route, last week took a civil service examination in Washington for appointment to the consular service, and he stands a good chance of landing. Miller is not known to any of the city or county committeemen, nor even to the precinct captains nor the Missouri Republican Club. Another young man, also unknown to the politicians, Walter Reed by name, took the same examination and is supposed to have passed. There was a class of eleven candidates. Missouri furnished three. These were Miller, Reed, whose home is near Eighteenth and Harrison, and a man named Delchman, of St. Louis.

"It is not what it used to be," said Mr. Brown. "The old custom was for the big fellows to knock down the plums for themselves or their friends. Now the departments are being put into the civil service and thus it happens that obscure but more capable men are getting the places.

"It is as much now as a senator can do to appoint a private secretary to be paid by the government. At least it is easier to do this and no more."

According to Secretary Brown, it is a matter of doubt if Senator Warner will be in Kansas City this summer.

Labels: civil service, employment, politics, Senator Warner, St Louis