The times., 1897-06-30
FEWER HOURS FOR CLERKS
Cabinet to Take Up the Question
at Fridays Meeting.
VIEWS OF THE SECRETARIES
The Proposition for Saturday Half
Holidays During the Hot Weather
Generally Commissioners
Evans Decided Opinions In o.
position.

Secretary AIger, with nearly Ill the
others OF the heads of departments, is in
favor of an early closing hour on saturday
Afternoon during the hot summer months
from now until Che 1st OF October He
went 10 the Cabinet meeting yesterday
priinod with statistics and prepared 10 put
the whole business before his colleagues
in Che Cabinet. He mentioned the sub
ject, bus went no further withit, as before
any discussion occurred President Mckinley
requested that he would hold the matter
over until Fridays meeting. President
Mckinley gave no reason for this request,
and nOre is sarnfised, except that perhaps
the President may consider himself not yet
sufficiently well up in the matter to de-
eide on IL.
IL Is consid cred probable throughout the
departments that this return 10 the Old
practice OF several years ago VIII be made
this summer. Only one or two or the
Cabinet are known TO be opposed to the
idea, aud most of them are strongly la
favor of 1t. President Mckinley also is
understood to consider this Saturday early
closlng In sunlnlef good thing.
Ii is said that the President has one
objection To the plan, or rather Ieeiing
not quite amounting TO an objection, per
haps. 1t seems To him rather unfair and
perhaps almost yerging on heartess Tor
the clerks in the departments here, ere
ceiying excellent salaries every month being
able TO work all the time with no lay
offs because business is slack and Zines
are dull, except for II long holiday with
pay, 10 receive in addition shortened hours
lust at this time W hen all over the country
SD many people are in so much less
enviabe position
A Tiues reporter made tour OF the de-
partments yesterday which included nearly
all OF them and some OF the bureaus, in
search of the opinions Of the secretaries
and the heads OF bureaus on this question.
Two or three refused TO make any state
ment, but there was only one gentleman
on the list VINO expressed himself strongly
in opposition to the pIan-the Commissioner r
OF Pensions. Mr Henry Clay Evans. Sec
Ielfry Gage said that he had not yet
made up lis mind, but seemed rather in
olined toward disapproval.
Secretary Gage said; II have not get
considered the matter fully enough To have
formed an opinion whether the short Sasur-
da can be given TO the clerks without in
ans way iniunng the service 1t may be
tba- it can he done AS a purely business
proposition, however. the clerks in the de-
pattmen,s here have very easy time com
pared with those employed by private
conceins ia other cities. The hours are
short and there is already large amount
t<x orn ta
thirty days for everybody, twelfth Of The
whole time; there is thirty days additional
which good many take as sick leave,
whiefi makes sixth of a whole year, and
o Secretary may, at his discretion, 10
faithful clerk who seems especially de-
serving, give still third months leave,
or. Ia all. q quarter Of the Whole year.
Commissioner Evans said: 'Eyerybody
takes the full thirty days leave; very
large percentage take a very large part of
our thirty days sick leave. I have clerks
IN the bureau here who have taken ninety
days leave In one year, and not long
ago, knowing something Of this, had u
record OF the amount of leave obtained i'y
each clerk In past years, / understand
that there was some objection made to
this, and that some OF the ladies thought
1t was mean OF me TO look into back rec
BIRDS. However IL is certainly impossible
for me TO look into the records OF the fu-
ture, and, as I was quite desirous OF find
ing out something of the matter, sawffo
other way.
"Tbere are Of course a great many peo-
pie who take their thirty days each year,
get thoroughly rested and prepared FOR
another year, and ask for nothing more.
1t is noticeable that as a general thing
these people are among the best OF our
clerks in every other way. do not ap-
prove OF This Saturday half holiday or
even of the shortening of the day. The
day is already shorter than is prescribed
by law. by half an hour, and is certainly
not an irksorDe one In any other business
than the Government business hours would
be longer every day and leave less.
'rI find that good many of the Con-
eressnen are OF my opinion, too. Remem-
ber that this law relative to the number
of hours service in the departmental day
looks both ways. tits permissible to give
the clerks shorter day, and it is also
quite within law to add an hour or two.
It seems quite possible to me that If this
subject is agitated some OF the people
up at the Capitol, who have been used
to longer hours themselves in the West,
or In business anywhere, for that matter,
and who have seen others work good
deal longer all their lives, rnaymak ke serious
objections, and even advocate the addi-
tion of time to the working day, rather
than the other thing"
These reasons given by Secretary Gage
and Commissioner Evans are the strong
ones, and the very apparent ones against
the short hour Saturday movement. The
reasons on the other side, urged by heads
of departments and by clerks alike are
strong ones, too. In the first place 1t
is contended very forcibly that the peopIs
who talk about the short day In the de-
partmental service have no right to com
pare it with days work in any other
business. The absolutely routine iulness
CT the Government work In most cases is
the same year iii and year out, the con-
finement. the discipline, the mechanical
character OF the whole thing ere terribly
wearing on the vitality OF the clerks, it
is said. Six hours and half for one day,
of for month, or q year, is perhaps
yer. easy thing, but when the clerks 20
through the same thing at the same desk
in the same room for many years the work
is far from su ch an easy thing as great
many outsiders seem to believe.
Tire particular arguments in favor of tho
shortened day at the end of the week are
that the CLERKS will work just as efficiently
and accomplish just as much in the short
ened day, as is said to have been proven
III former years, that 1t is very humane
Il q of har