(c) Penmanship.

  (d) Arithmetic—­fundamental rules.

  (e) Physical tests.

  This examination shall also be used to test fitness for the position of
  piler, stamper, junior clerk, or other places the duties of which are
  chiefly manual.

Special examinations.—­These examinations shall test fitness for positions requiring knowledge of a language other than the English language, or special or technical knowledge or skill.  Each special examination shall include, in addition to the special subject upon which the applicant is to be tested, so many of the subjects of the clerk examination as the Commission may determine.

  Noncompetitive examinations.—­Such examinations may, with the
  approval of the Commission, be held under conditions stated in General
  Rule III, clause 2.

2.  No person shall be examined for the position of clerk if under 18 years of age; and no person shall be examined for the position of messenger, stamper, or junior clerk if under 16 or over 45 years of age; and no person shall be examined for the position of carrier if under 21 or over 40 years of age.  No person shall be examined for any other position in the classified postal service if under 18 or over 45 years of age.

3.  Any person desiring examination for admission to the classified postal service must make request, in his own handwriting, for a blank form of application, which request, and also his application, shall be addressed as directed by the Commission.

  4.  The date of reception and also of approval by the board of each of
  such applications shall be noted on the application paper.

  5.  Exceptions from examinations in the classified postal service are
  hereby made as follows: 

  (a) Assistant postmaster.

  (b) One private secretary or one confidential clerk of the
  postmaster.

  (c) Cashier.

  (d) Assistant cashier.

  (e) Superintendents designated by the Post-Office Department and
  reported as such to the Commission.

(f) Custodians of money, stamps, stamped envelopes, or postal cards, designated as such by the Post-Office Department and so reported to the Commission, for whose fidelity the postmaster is under official bond.

6.  No person appointed to a place under any exception to examination hereby made shall within one year after appointment be transferred to another place not also excepted from examination; but a person who has served not less than one year in an examination-excepted place may be transferred in the post-office in which he is serving to a place not excepted from examination:  Provided, That before any such transfer may be made the Commission must certify that the person whom it is proposed to so transfer has passed an examination to test fitness for the place proposed to be filled by such transfer.

  POSTAL RULE III.