Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-07

PER DIEM MEN WHO ARE PAID OUT OF SPECIFIC
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PRACTICE OF THE CON-
MIssIoSERs-ITs DIscoNTINUAScE WILL 1T Is
CLAIMED, BE COSTLY AND EMBARRASSING.
The per diem employees of the District who
are not provided for on the regular rolls, but
who receive their compensation out of the diff
ferent appropriation bills for the District gov
ernment, are shaking in their shoes over the
resolution of Senator Plumb, which passed the
Senate on Thursday last, and which provides
that the Commissioners furnish Congress with
the names, date of employment, and CON-
pensation of all employees who are not
paid out of funds appropriated for the
purpose OF such employment There are a
large number of employees who will come under
this head, and the list includes several chiefs of
divisions whom Congress failed to provide for
in the last appropriation bill. Recently there
has been growing sentiment among a certain
class of people in the District against the pay
ment Of employees out of specific appropriations.
STREET IMPROVEMENTS AND PERMIT WORK.
For instance the appropriation for street inn
provements carries with it the employment of
aiarge number Of clerks, some Of whom are not
directly connected with the improvement of
streets. Then, again, there is thepermit fund.
small percentage of the money appropriated
for this necessary work goes to pay employees
in the District building. If Congress decides
that these per diem employees shall not receive
their pay from the specific appropriations for
street improvements and improvements gene
rally, and does not make any further provision
for them, the District will be in a sad plight,
for the force of clerks employed in the District
government is small, as It is, and if they are
further reduced work will be very much
delayed. Heretofore it has been understood
that the Commissioners had such power in the
employment OF persons as was necessary to
execute the work for which appropriations
were made by Congress, and to a
reasonable extent could detail employees
from one branch of service to another.
as the requirements of the service demanded
II Congress decides to take this discretion
ary power from theCommissionerswitho other
wise providing for the employees mentioned il
will put the District to an unnecessary ex-
pense, it is claimed, for during the wear the
engineer department is called upon to employ
LARGE NUMBER OF TEMPORARY CLERKS
whose services expire when the work which is
under contract Is completed In the improve
ment of streets generally the engineer depart
ment finds 1t necessary to employ number of
temporary clerks, assistant engineers, rodmen.
axmen, inspectors, subinspectors, laborers
DC. These men are employed during the time
the work is actually going on and when il
ceases their pay ceases They receive their
pay from the appropriation for the work In
question. Now If this discretionary power Is
taken away the Commissioners will have to ask
Congress for an appropriation to pay force
sufficient to carry on this work, and Il win be
necessary to pay them for the whole wear.
although the services performed extend
through period OF only SIX or seven moptbs
1t can be readily seen that this state of AFFAIR
would put the District and Congress to un-
necessary expense.
The Commissioner, in pursuance of the reso-
luton, are now engaged In preparing the re-
port which win be submitted TO Congress the