The record-union., 1896-12-29


one man with the aid, when necessary.
of the nine other clerical employees at
the desk, can do all the duty required of
an Engrossing and Enrolling Clerk,
which consists simply and only of hold
ing copy while one Of the committee
reads a bill from the original, and this,
too, after the same process has been
gone through by the proof readers in the
State Printing Office.
The two bill filerS recommended are
absolutely useless. Such offices were
not known a few years ago when clerl-
cal legislative labor was very much
greater than it now is. Just why there
should be a bill clerk is inexplicable
when there is such a wealth of Secreta-
ries and other clerks at the desk and
assistants to Senate officers; yet the
committee reports in favor OF Dill
clerk and an assistant to that useless
attache The office of messenger to the
Printer is recommended, but it would
seem that as the office of the Printer is
in the same building with the Senate
Chamber, the duty of transmitting pa
pers to the Printer and taking his re-
ceipt therefor, could be done without
imposing great labor upon the numer-
Gus clerks, Secretaries and assistants
provided for.
But this is not the worst of it. The
Secretaries, minute clerks, enrolling and
engrossing clerk, and history clerk
who is useless as anyone of the Secre-
taries can post the daily history of bills
and another copy them for the printer
and neither be worked hard-are listed
to receive SS a day each, but the at
legislative work is required, who must
be most skilled, who must be more than
clerks, skilled shorthand writers whose
places can be filled only by thorough
competency, and after long experience,
namely, the skilled stenographers,' "
are listed to receive but So day.
crowd in extra clerks under the title
"stenographer." We know Of but few
Instances in which these persons were
highly capable, some of them were
wholly incapable, so much so that when
genuine stenographic work was needed
skilled men from the outside had to be
called in at SO day and 20 cents a
folio for transcribing. Wisely the COM
mittee now proposes to have five highly
skilled, regularly employed stenograph-
ers for one house and six for the other,
these to serve in any stenographic ca
pacity to which called, no matter
whether it is reporting arguments,
speeches or testimony; and they are
also to be skilled typewriters and are
to transcribe without folio payment. 1t
would be supposed, therefore, that the
committee would grade such ability
well above the level of ordinary clerk
ships.
A Chaplain who tosses off five min
ute prayer once a day is to receive So
by this report, but long list of clerks
of whom no special ability or experience
is required, are listed to receive So a
day. These clerks have no laborious
tasks to perform; they are not required
to have special scholarly qualification,
nor to study long years to fit them
selves for the discharge of the duties
imposed upon them, yet they are to be
be paid So day more than the skilled
stenographers who must devote years
to the requirement of their skill; must
night and day, and must transcribe
their work laboriously upon machines
that cost them 500 each.
1t is proposed to pay the Postmistress
and her assistant S4 a day each These
two have a lob" so easy that they
have to fill in the time by reading and
sewing, but skilled" stenographers,
meaning men able to take 200 words a
minute of speech, examination or re-
port, and transcribe the same neatly
and with remarkable celerity, are to
receive but 81 more. Ten committee
clerks, some of whom we have known
to be unable to write three consecutive
lines dramatically or in a legible hand
are to be paid 81 each per diem, while
the skilled stenographer (not a make
shift and a bungler), who ought 10
have $40 a day, and who will be re-
quired, we apprehend, to do more
responsible and laborious work than
any other attaches, and at unusual
hours at that, are to receive but 81
more.
There is the usual list Of porters and