Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-03
CLERKS ARE INDIGNANT
Time Clock Has Been Erected in Auditor
Castles Building.

There is CONSERVATION among the clerks
in the office Of the auditor for the Post
Office Department stationed in the Busch
building opposite the department. 1t is due
to the installation of a time clock system,
by means of which the arrival and depart
ure of each clerk is automatically noted.
Some time ago Auditor II. A. Castle In
vestigated the system which is in operation
in all the big post offices throughout the
country and was SO much pleased with Its
working that he decided to install the syS-
TEN in his department..
Nothing was known of the purpose of the
curious looking clocks which were installed
on each floor during the holiday recess, and
when the clerks were informed this morn
ing that each one was required to register
the time of arrival and departure, and later
vera given a number and key, there was
all kinds of comment, some OF Whlcn Woulo
not look we'll in print.
The clocks are known as the Bundy Sys-
tenn, and IL they work successfully In this
department, 1t Is understood, an effort Will
be made to introduce them in every de-
partment of the government. They cost
500 each, and beside being a perfect time
piece represent a Waterman who never
sleeps and always tells the truth.
The time clock is slightly larger than an
ordinary one of polished oak and with a
big, honest-looking dial. Some distance
under the face of the clock is keyhole
into which the key is inserted by the clerk
BY pressing the key to the right sharply,
bell rings and an automatic printing de-
vice registers the exact time. When the
clerk goes out a lever Is pulled to the right
and the key inserted. This puts star in
front of the time on the slip showing the
clerk has gone out. In this way the time
record Of each clerk is accurately kept, and
there can be no possible way of juggling
figures.
The work of recording the time of arri-
val of the clerks has heretofore been done
by a clerk or the Waterman, and many
times a point or two was stretched to help
out a tardy brother. But the clock plays
no favorites. 1t is not subject to the plead
II gs Of d sweet-voiced woman, who begs
not to be reported this once" The clock
ticks away unmindful of the pleadings. and
seems to say in the melody OF its ticking,
ION time. On time. On timer
Clerks are allowed half an hour between
noon and o'clock. The majority usually
take the noon half hour. This was evil
IDENTIFY the case today, for when reporter
of The Star visited the building shortly be-
fore the half hour arrived, the clerks were
coming in rapidly. AS the, half hour got
nearer and nearer to the registration mark
the clerks hustled. There was jam just
before time was up. and there was all
kinds Of hustling to ring up and be on
time. Some of the clerks were bit nerv-
Gus over the clock, and one old fellow, af-
ter expressing his opinion of the system IN
English with the veneer all taken on Went
back and taking out his pencil, made
record of the time himself, adding: I'll
trust no clock"
one lady. whose office was on the fourth
floor. entered the building just at half-past
II and made a Decline for the elevator.
Hurry, hurry" she exclaimed to the con-
ductor; 81 won't be in time to register
The elevator boy hurried, and the reporter
went along On the fourth floor she forgot
her number, and then she nearly tainted.
1t came to her in little while, and then
she gave a correct imitation of a drunken
man trying to put key in a key hole.
MY gracious, it's upside down.. and then
she reversed it, and, bang, went the bell!
She smiled, and then took her time about
getting to work.
The clerks cracked all sorts of jokes at
the expense of the clock. One clerk, rails
ing his voice to a high treble, rang in and
shouted in an effeminate voice CASH
Another, when his key had set the gong
going, called out Two beers, waiter: A
third, who had evidently specialized on
horse races. called out when the bell rang,
They're off,
All of the clerks are opposed to the sys-
tenn and many of them are outspoken in
their denunciation Of a system which they
say implies they are in the habit Of being
tardy.
The representative of the patentee was
on hand to explain the workings of the
system He opened the big clock and ex-
| Star Briefly by an ingenious arrange
nent of figures. operated by mechanism in
connection with the clock, the time is reg
istered in a long slip of paper each time
the key is turned. There is absolutely no
way to deceive the clock.