Clerk examination,—­This examination shall include not more than the following subjects: 

(a) Orthography.

(b) Copying.

(c) Penmanship.

(d) Arithmetic—­fundamental rules, fractions, and percentage.

(e) Letter writing.

(f) The geography of the United States, and especially of the State or railway mail division in which the applicant resides.

(g) The railway systems of the State or railway mail division in which the applicant resides.

(h) Reading addresses.

Other competitive examinations.—­Such other competitive examinations as the Commission may from time to time deem necessary.

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 railway mail service if under 18 or over 35 years of age, except that any person honorably discharged from the military or naval service of the United States by reason of disability resulting from wounds or sickness incurred in the line of duty, and whose claim of preference under section 1754 of the Revised Statutes has been allowed by the Commission, may be examined without regard to his age.

3.  Any person desiring examination for admission to the classified railway mail service must, in his own handwriting, make request for a blank form of application, which request, and also his application, shall be addressed as follows:  “United States Civil Service Commission, Washington, D.C.”

4.  The date of reception, and also of approval, by the Commission of each application shall be noted on the application paper.

5.  Exceptions from examination in the classified railway mail service are hereby made as follows: 

(a) General superintendent.

(b) Assistant general superintendent.

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 after service of not less than one year in an examination-excepted place he may be transferred to a place not excepted from examination upon the certificate of the Commission that he has passed an examination to test fitness for the place to which his transfer is proposed.

RAILWAY MAIL RULE III.

1.  The papers of every examination shall be marked under the direction of the Commission, and each competitor shall be graded on a scale of 100, according to the general average determined by the marks made by the examiners on his papers.

2.  The Commission shall appoint in each railway mail division as many boards of examiners as it may deem necessary for the good of the service and the convenience of applicants:  Provided, That there shall be at least one such board in each Territory and not less than two in each State, except that the number may be limited to one each in the States of Rhode Island and Delaware.