Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-06-07

is whether this business can or cannot
be discharged moro intelligently and
more quickly when done by skilled in
stead Of unskilled labor.
There is another thing to which !
desire 20 call the attention Of the com
mittee. Between the 4th Of March,
1875, and the 3D. OF February, 1876,
one hundred and twenty eight employ
es OF the Office have been discharged
and ninety-six new appointments made.
Now, II man should be permitted to
remain in the Office until be acquired
experience, that system might work,
but where il is political Office this can
not be done. Every time there is O
change Of political parties it is proba-
BILE large proportion Of the skilled
labor will be removed and unskilled
labor substituted. In a court of JUS
tice it would never be entertained for
a moment to permit man unlearned
in the law to SIT upon the bench except
in trivial cases; we always require
that legal question shall be decided
by those learned in the law. Now,
why not apply the same rule TO mill
tary questions in this case2 Is that
court whose awards annually disburse
500, ,000,0 900 too insignificant TO justify
the employment of skilled labor2 1t
would be more intolligently done. 1t
would also be more economically done.
With reference to economy, among
the greatest sinecures that evero
spread the country are the offices of
pension agents. Twenty men added
to the Pay Department of the army
might do the whole work, whereas
there are now ffty-eight pension
agents at cost TO the Government of
over sl26, 900. About 2l4, 600 vouch-
ers are filled and mailed quarterly to
the pensioners; one man can fill II, 900
vouchers quarterly, multiply that by
twenty, it will amount to s24O, 600,
and that is more than is required to be
done, for which the Government now
pays, including contingencies, over
s446,000.
These pension AGENTS some of them
draw salaries and Contingencies of over
s15 600 n wear Their svera "a saIarv
and contingent is 81 767 or about thai
The amount of their labor NAV he
illustrated by a statement | received
from clerk of one of these officers to
whose character for veracitv a mem.
ber of this House Il ready ~ certify
He states that with a salary of 5000
he did all the work that was done AZ
one of these agencies except signing
the checks which the pension agent
himself might do in twenty minutes a
day and for signing the check the
agent received over Sc 600 annually
Another agent in an adjoining city
after paving all expenses for rent fuel
&C.. received ss4 500 of clear money
There are fifty.eiobt of these men and
their average salary il over AZ O0d and
odd. All the EXPENSES of the Rureau
and agencies and the exnense 10 the
Government il over Nor cent and Il
could probably be done for ner cent
1t certainly can be done for half a mil.
lion les. ~ nrohab,, III ,Lroa ~, ea, es..h ',' ~
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