The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1891-03-06

in The Oflce as clerk at SUD a month. But
she earlydeveloped remarkable adaptability
to the work and made so many successes
that it is not surprising she attracted the
attention of her superiors and was adj
vanced in rank and pay. Her first success
was in experiments with the Helleritb pop
ulation counting machines, which she oper-
ated with more skill and speed than any
one else. She demonstrated what the ma.
chimes could do, and the inventor offered
her a large salary to 60 to Australia to
help introduce the machines there, Mrs.
Smith, who is from New York, and related
to General Manager Hahn of the elevated
railway, gave evidence OF SO much ability
in mathematics and other difficult work
that she was frequently asked to 90 to one
or another division where intricate work
was to be done, and in this way she became
one of the best-informed and most useful
employees of the Office. Her division,
which gives employment to eighty clerks,
is the banner division of the bureau, and it
is the one generally called upon when
special feats of difficult or rapid work are
20 be performed. Mrs. Smith had charge
of the recount of st. Paul and Minneapolis.
Her division was called in to help adjust
the accounts of the thousands Of enumera-
tors. When Superintendent Porter
wanted circulars sent to all of the 70, 600
Postmasters in the United States, and
wanted the letters prepared and addressed
within twenty-four hours, he asked Mrs.
Smith division to do the work. Superin-
tendent Porter promoted Mrs. Smith to a
81 400 post, but eyond this he did not
have authority to go. The first appliea.
ton to Secretary Noble for promotion to
81, 600 was not granted, the Secretary
thinking it unwise to set the precedent of
giving a woman a chiefs salary. He did
consent, however, to having his chief CLERK.
Mr.. Dawson, make a special investigation
of Mrs. Smiths case, and this careful and
paipstakiDg official reported as follows to
the Secretary:
SAT a salary of 81 400 Mrs. Smith is per-
forming the duties of chief of division
(other chiefs receiving 81, 500 and go, COO
in charge of the branch of investigation
known as farms, homes, and mortgages,
requiring careful and difficult mathemat-
ical calculation and the exercise of unusual
executive ability. She has under her d.
rection and is responsible for the work of
seventy-fye clerks, men and women, a
number greater than that of two of the
bureaus of this Observation-Disclosures
and Railroads-and within ten Of
the number employed in the Indian
Office. These clerks she has trained
to a derr of efficiency which is
remarkable, as the errors found in the
work have not exceeded one-haif of one
pei cent. II would he only an act Of JUS
tice to grant her the increased pay she 50
well deserves, and her case cannot be cited
as a precedent by others. as it stands
alone. l cannot find another instance in
which one of her sex has been placed in a
position of equal responsibility. aud am
convinced that it would be difficult to find
any one who could render more efficient
service"
Mrs. Smith came from New York to
seek employment in the Census Ofise
without political influence, and passed q
creditable examination. She was recon-
mended by Mr.. Cornelius n. Bliss.-Amos
j. Cummings. Washington correspondence
N. Y. Sun.