New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-02

that such course must be pursued" The paragraph
continues 1t is claimed by the clerks that as soon
as the examinations begin, examining schools will
be established at which it will be possible for
outsiders to make themselves perfect in an exam
naton. while clerks in Office will be at their work
and only be able to study up forgotten lessons at
night Our hgh-school girls have eye to the good
salaries aud e.sy places and have been looking over
the questions proposed by the former Civil Service
Commission. Half dozen of them got together in
a classroom one afternoon last week 10 write out
the papers proposed to Treasury employees cOmpet-
ing for promotion The results were afterwards
submitted to a teacher for marking The lowest
average made 50 out of a possible 100 As SO
passes applicant. it will be seen that the girls
stand a good chance. unless the questions
are hard ones indeed"
However Startling" may be the proposition that
women shall stand on an equal footing with men, so
far Government clerkships concerned it Is by
no means new one. For q dozen years there has
been law in force authorizing the appointment OF
women, ''wbo may be found competent and worthy,
to any of the grades of cerkships known to the
law, in the respective departments" and providing
that women shall receive the same pay as men do
for like services. The necessity of passing such
Law WAS questioned. but its advocates showed that
she beads of departments and bureaus construed
the old law as shutting out women from any place
worth more than 5000 year. Among those who
voted against the proposition it first passed the
Senate was Mr.. Sherman, who nevertheless said
that If he had the power he would "Gve one
half of the cerksbi in the departments to ladies'"
W no. he believed, would discharge the duties las
we'll, as faith fully and as efficiently as men,"
AN ARGUMENT BASED ON ABsEyTEEIsM.
The opponents of tho law based their
argument mainly the assertion, which was not
very strongly denied that of the 313 working days
of the year a woman clerk will be absent two days
on account OF illness for one day that man will
be absent" The matter of abscnteelsm IN tho
departments has attracted tho attention OF Con-
cress from time to time, ana at its recent session
provision was adopted requiring that no clerk shall
be paid for any time during which he may be absent
in excess of thirty davs in any year. except the
absence be caused by sickness. 1t was freely ad-
mitted by the trainers and strongest advocates of
this provision that one effect Of il would eventually
be greatly 10 diminish tho number OF women in the
public service. The assertion is often made that
women clerks are absent twice as many days IN
year on account of illness as men are.
TRIBUNE correspondent in order test in some
degree the accuracy of tins statement has obtained
from an official source the figures showing the
average period of absence in 1882 of men and
women, respectively, IN the Treasury Department.
For men the average was 90 37-100 days;
| for women 35 days. These figures, however,
include absences for other reasons than on account
| of sickness lii November, 1882. q great many OF
| the men were absent-some FIVE DAYS, some ten
DAYS. and some fer longer timc-in order that they
might be at their homes in distant states 10 Voie
! This was duty the women were rot called upon 10
| perform; vet their abseateeism averaged III 40
per cent Of the entire year, while that of the men
| was about 3 6-l0 per cent. In round numbers
| there are about 800 men and 700 women en-
ployed 10 the Treasury Department. Last year The
absences OF the rnen aggregated AZ 192 days-equv-
alcnt to the absence oI 10 clerks during the en-
tire year aud the absences of the women aggrc-
gated abodt "a 800 days-equivllent to the absence
of 81 during the entire year. In July and August
about 10 per cent of the entire clerical
force was absent. the aggregate being about
| q 330 -days-eqUvaient 10 the absence OF
"a clerks during the whole year. Had the
average been as high IN the ease ct men as OF
women for tho whole year the total would have
| been equivalent 20 the absence, during the entire
year. o 800 clerks instead Of 1S2 clerks was tho
case.
| The regulations CT the Treasury Department re-
specting abscnteeism have probably beel quite as
| conservative as those Of any. other department.
| Under the new law the regulations Will be nuch
| more stringent