Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-31
GOVERN MENT CLERKS
The Question Of Their Being 0verworked
Discussed.
Views or the Subject Presented by
Several People in Communica-
tions to The Star.

| 10 Ihe star.
Since the discussion Of the hours of la
| Dor Of the clerks in the government de-
partments has commenced The Star has
received altogether too many communica-
tons on the subject to be printed. A few
have been selected and are given below,
and with these argument of the matter by
letters to the editor will be closed so far
| as The Star is concerned:
| Regarding Suggested.
| Another Clerk" after referring to for
| mer communications that have been pub
lished on the subject, says:
1t Is because of such clerks who are al
| ways trying to reduce the hours of work
| and create more holidays, that people, not
| In the government service, who work long
| or hours and get smaller pay are led to
| complain. They also cause members of
Congress to endeavor to make laws to reg
uiate the departments on a more economi-
cal basis. Half an hour is plenty for lunch.
and If any clerk desires to visit the Capt.
| tol, Library or other public building dur
ing ing the sso week they can do so by taking
granted. Thirty days annual leave thirty
days sick leave and thirty days additional
sick leave at the discretion Of the execu-
tive officer is the privilege extended to
clerks in the departments. 1t would be a
hard matter to find any corporations or
| private employers who grant the same
privilege to their employees. Now, it is a
well-known fact that all clerks, with the
exception of one out of a hundred perhaps,
| take their annual leave or most of it.
Many of them take advantage of the
thirty days sick leave, and some get thirty
days additional by request No wonder
the committee on appropriations call
| halt and threaten to-cat off the sick leave
altogether. 1t is brought about by clerks
who abuse this privilege and natural
result, when real sickness comes those
who really need the time must suffer 1
believe the heads of all the departments
should investigate the workings of their
| respective offices and reorganize the class
eS or grades in accordance with the eff
cheney of the clerks. This should be done
| by a committee Of officers Of the depart 1
ment. and on recommendation of the chief
| OF division, who is responsible for his divi-
sion and the work he has in charge. Sala-
ries should be graded according to eff
| cheney and merit. To have merit system
| that will be more than in name only it
| should not stop at the entrance into the
government service through a civil ser
vice examination, but it should be carried
on through the work of the department and
control advancement in the service. An
| efficiency record should be called for at
least once year, and recommendations
for regarding made according to merit or
efficiency. The recommendation of the chief
OF division should have full recognition in
| this matter, and he be held responsible.
He should have personal knowledge of all
| clerks in his division and know their quail
| ications. and therefore his recommended
ton enas should be taken above all other influ-
Il also believe the proper solution of the
| old clerks Question is to reduce accord
| ing to efficiency. This would be for the
good of the service and for justice to all.
Many clerks now in the departments have
! been drawing the highest salaries for
many years. Some are efficient yet and
| entitled to these salaries through merit;
bod L>n1o, 1,;E
able to do the work assigned to them
years ago and are now given easier work;
yet they iStill retain the higher salaries,
while the younger class OF clerks, who as
rule, are doing the actual work, are in
the lower grades. These older clerks no
doubt did the work when they We're in
their prime, bit they also then received
the highest salaries. Why not turn the Ia
bles and regrade them according to their
efficiency, and when the younger ones get
old in the service and inefficient let them
give way to others, and SO on? Give the
younger clerks a show where efficiency and
merit are shown by him, otherwise the
youngster is no better than the older one
l believe this would be justice to all Long
service should not count in this matter UNI
one thing, business another
Has No Kick to Make.
A clerk writes:
l have been in the government employ
going on six years, and. although / find
the work somewhat grinding, l still have
no kick coming, and l have noticed that |
it is not necessary for the government to |
advertise for clerks. AS few resign and |
none die, why don't some of the chronic |
kickers try battle at clerical work in |
some commercial house where the hours |
are from s to 6? And I'll bet a big apple /!
their grumbling would cause their dis |
charge in one week, and this is no messen-
gers talk either.
Let Them Resign. !
An old soldier gives his views as follows |
1 have read the communications in The |
Star signed CLERK" and "Ex-Clerk." The |
burden of their song is the terrible mo-
notony of their lives. No doubt the writer's |
have been so long in the service that 1t is |
monotonous to them. Why don't they re
sign? There are thousands Of good hon
est, deserving and competent men and wo- |
men who will be glad to fill their places, |
and fill them with just as much abllity as |
the present occupants who are rushing into |
print and always complaining of the lawful !
monotony' of their positions. Any one |
who has been SO long in office that the !
daily duties become $50 monotonous''
should resign or be removed, and give some
one else a chance to earn easy living |
for awhile. This plea Of the poor overworked |
clerk sounds tfresome to us poor devils who |
labor from daylight to dark, and some
times get paid for our labor and some |
times we don't. good way to pay the |
old soldier pension is to reduce the clerks
pay 20 per cent, and those who do not like |
1t may resign and be relieved of the ter
rible monotony" Of working as clerks.
Let the Tired Ones Be Relieved.
Verbum Sap says:
The thoughtfulness Of Taxpayer in COM
ing to the relief Of the poor, tired govern
ment clerk was certainly very gratifying
and deserves comment, while sixty years
of active life is borne out that they who
want most rest are easily the LATEST de-
spite the poor, tired clerks assertion re-
garding himself. Yes, truly, "he needs q
nice. long holiday, and he ought to get it,
let him, by a.. means, in charity to himself
send in his name and be relieved at once
To use his words, it makes me "heartsick'
that so many government employees are
suffering SO from overtask while there are
thousands equally competent, working