Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-27
From the New York Tribune

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Work.
From the New York Tribune.
WASHINGTON, Dee. 23.--Investiga-
tions into the expenditures of the Elk
ecutiye departments, continued from
day TO day, disclose many ways in
which money may be easily saved. Be
ginning with the Executive proper, it
has been discovered that not only the
salary of the President but all the ex-
pensos of the Executive Office have been
doubled dniug the present Admins
tration. In 1866 the appropriations
made in the regular Legislative, Exec
utiye, and Judicial bill for the Execu-
tive Office dpling the year l867-the
last Of JohnSon's admimstration-were
as follows: Compensation of the Pres
ident, S25 900; salaries Of private secre-
tarie, assistant secretary, clerks, stew
ard and messenger, So, 100; contingent
expenses, $1,000; total, S35, 100. This
year the estimates for the same are:
Compensation of the President, $50 coo;
salaries of private secretaries, clerks,
steward and messenger, SIS ,000; con-
tingcnt expenses, Sc, 900; total, 81 300.
Tie duties Of the President are to-
day no greater thsA hey were in 1867,
and the amount Of business to be trans
acted in his Office requiring the services
of secretaries, clerks, etc, has not H.
creaAed. Besides, the decline in the
prices Of almost every article that en-
tiers into the contingent expenses of the
executive office makes it necessary to
make q smaller appropriation now than
then. 1t must not be supposed that
the figures given above cover all, or
even a large share OF the expenses Of
the executive Office. They are simply
corresponding items for the two years.
Mr.. Dawes few days aga, in a speech,
placed the perquisites and allowances
Of the President at $50. 900 a year, and
he did not include in this estimate,
probably, the necessary expenses of
the office such as have been referred to
above.
Mr.. Orth, Of the House Foreign
Committee, is spending the recess of
Congress in Washington, examining
the expenditures in the consular and
diplomatic service. He is assisted in
this work by the State Department,
and though it is far from complete,
the investigation thus far made SHOWS
that much more than 100000 a year
can be saved. Mr.. William Will
hams, Chairman Of the Committee on
Expenditures in the War Department,
gives it as his opinion that 100000 a
year can be saved there by a more
economical organization Of the work.
Thus it viii be seen that, despite the
assertion that il ID impossible TO cut
down the expenses in Washington, it
can be done, and prominent and infiU-
entail members Of Congress say that
it VIII have to be done. One represcn-
tativc remarked to-day that if the
members Of the Cabinet supposed that
they could cut dQwn the amount of
work i'll the several districts where
the constituents Of members were
directly interested, and reduce appro-
priations for public buildings,
etc, without making consid-
cradle reduction Of the force in
the QepartMentg here, they were
HUGH ullStthCus IHtt TIC HcuuB OF uG-
partmcnts," he said, get little more
work out Of their subordinates. They
are now in their Offices but six hours
day, and half an hour is deducted from
that for lunch. They each have thirty
days leave Of absence, with pay, in the
summer, 10 days more at every State
election; at least u day and half for
each holiday, and several days for some.
Take the present holiday week for in
stance. Clerks do not work on Christ
mas or New Years, and only three
hours day during the remainder of
the week, | haze counted Up he 4um-
Der Of holidays with pay, which the
clerks OF one of the departments had
last year. 1t was 81, or more than one
fer each week in the year. In other
words, they were on duty but $50
hours in the year, or 1855 days of ten
hours each; less than half the time
given to their cmploycrs'Ey other clerks,
no less competent and no better paid.
Ii there must be economy, let the clerks
IN the departments be made to work an
hour later each day, and then, if they
gave their whole attention to their work
when they were in the office, the num-
Der who could be discharged would be
very great"