Report of the Bureau of Mines of the Department of Internal Affairs of ...

cviii MINING LAWS OP PENNSYLVANIA. Off. Doc.
to which this is a supplement, shall exercise all the powers granted,
.and perform all the duties required by this supplementary act, and at
the expiration of their term of otfice, and every four years thereafter,
the Governor shall appoint, as hereinafter provided, during the
month of January, two mining engineers of good repute and three
other persons, who shall have passed successful examinations qualifying
them to act as mine inspectors or mine foremen in mines generating
fire-damp, who shall be citizens of this Commonwealth and
shall have attained the age of thirty years and shall have had at
least five years of practical experience in the bituminous mines of
Pennsylvania, and who shall not be serving at that time in any official
capacity at mines, which five persons shall constitute a board
of examiners whose duty it shall be to inquire into the character and
qualification of candidates for the office of inspector of mines under
the provisions of this act.
Section 2. The examining board, so constituted shall meet on the
first Tuesday of March following their appointment, in the city of
Pittsburgh, to examine applicants for the office of mine inspector:
Provided, however, The examining board shall meet two weeks previous
to the aforesaid time for the purpose of preparing questions,
et cetera, and when called together by the Governor on extra occasions
at such time and place as he may designate, and after being
duly organized and having taken and subscribed before any officer
authorized to administer the same the following oath, namely,
''We, the undersigned, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that we will perform
the duties of examiners of applicants for the appointment as
inspectors of bihiiiiinous coal mines to the best of our abilities, and
that in recommending or rejecting said applicant, we will be governed
by the evidence of the qualifications to fill
the position under
the law creating the same, and not by any consideration of |)olitical
or personal favor; and that we will certify all whom we may find
qualified according to the true intent and meaning of the act and
none others."
Section 3. The general examination shall be in writing and the
manuscript and other papers of all applicants, together with the
tally sheets and (he solution of each question as given by the examining
board, shall be filed with the Secretary of Internal Affairs
as public documents, but each applicant shall undergo an oral examination
pertaining to explosive gases and safety lamps, and the
examining board shall certify to the Governor the names of all such
ai>j»licants which they shall find competent to fill
this office under the
provisions of this act, which names, with the certificates and their
l)ercentages and the oaths of the examiners, shall be mailed (o the
Secretary of the Commonwealth and be filed in his office. No person
shall be certified as competent whose percentage shall be less