The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-06
WORK 3 YEARS BEHIND.
THIS, IN THE AUDITOR's OFFICE OF
THE WAR DEPARTMENT.

i
| A Change of Auditors Works n Revoiutisn-
| Clerks Who Spent Most Of Their Time In
Lonfing and Gossip Arc now Required
| to DO Certain Amount of Work n Day.
WASHINGTON. Nov. 5-For the last few
months there has been inosssant complaint By
soldiers and widows OF inability to get thsir
claims against the Government settled. The
Secretary OF War and the Secretary OF the
Treasury looked into the matter and found tho
Auditors ofIlce OF tho War Department three
years behind In the work OF many OF It's de-
partments In August last the pressure grew
to be so great that Secretary Root and Treas
urer Roberts asked that Auditor Frank II.
Norris OF the Navy Department, whose once
was up to date. be assigned to duty In the
Auditors ONCE OF the War Department. The
exchange i'm IN cdiately took place.
Ofcourse Mr.. Morris has brought the usual
volley OF abuse upon his head by trying an
innovation In the of'ce-that is. to have the
offlco turned into a workshop for seven hours
every week day. inotead Of headquarters for
drawing pay. interspersed with a little work
for pastime. and rushing business In desk
calls. hall consultations and debating societies
about social. business and family AFFAIRS.
Il expected the abuse" said Mr.. Morris. Il
should be surprised II no com plant was made
there Is an innovation In an ONCE. and sspeci-
ally when the working capaclty OF the clerks 10
Increased. We are three years behind in some
branches OF work in this offlce. and there 10 q
reason for II. 1t is urged that the force Is in
adequate for the work. and would have to DO
greatly increased. looked into the matter
and found that most OF tho hardness was not
from the lack OF sufficient force. but from an
indisrositlon to work on the part OF a large
number OF the clerks. With the assistance OF
Mr. Brown. chief clerk. began to gradually
increase the work OF the force. He made
motto OF the amount Of work done by the best
clerks: from this he m ade nm average amount
that should he required from each clerk. II
was such startling innovation that lowered
It several degrees. The clerks who dawdlsd
through their work and managed to write As
or 80 cards day are now required to write 100.
and tho number will be gradually in
creased. woman who formerly wrote
on an average Of % cards now writes
from 200 to 2l2. Others keep very much
higher There was no reason why ths clerk
done 1t before. IL was simply a lack Of APP
rlication to business during business hours.
Tha CLERK who formerly managed TO do
through with a.. ana this IL rapidly In.
as the other was. and thsn lowered from So
to a lines. May clerks have done twice the
work and not complained"
against men cerksf"
In this case. yes. though an increase in
They are ,less likely to LOAF and talk during
Dusinest hours than women They depend
inluonce. as thoy call their political backins.
Wa have In this ONCE as In all Offices under the
government, several womsn who actually pride
ani the weakness OF their work. Men
understand bct,cr that tho work OF an
ngensral thing stick closer to II. / like women.
i thlnk me hours and pay Of q Goyernnspt
G s sna hs nsy sSu ID
them: but they should he made TO realize that
only through their work can they retain
What abou, those who fall .hort,"
Their removal 10 imperative, II Is not a
an argent and lust demand 81 Tho. people. and
onn that can no longer be ignored"
crossed since the new regime"
VERY materially, mn getting moro work
out OF ninety clerks: under the new rule. than
not working out 81 hours. either We are Just
s smn,E a. .i,.I them to work to their full
hours."
and more m M With "'i the ide. % aRss
liz NAV haR IN eycTy braneh & To2 Gn SIGs
and from that standpoint he an exec ent clrrs
but there IL n art that tho Civil serv ce does
not. cannot. look 10. and that Is his caranity and
intelligence for general Office work. An
rth"o feature OF civII service that stands
much In the way 81 heads OF d.rnrt-
m"nts IN the progress ~ their work 10 the Sc
cur. seiing that tEiye'nnc The clerk who has
only, requisite. md when com bined with
pull their removal Is impossible. They may
have capaHty Inr ras'ing exam nations. but
not for work. They may have sufficient intel
" you would hunt m their rreyious record you
would md that thew never would work There
Ia lot OF material OF this kind in Government
onir"s ard Il ought to be gotten out.
best who gets into ONCE by good management
and hHrl work nnd who strives every day 10
make record that will keen him In. There
nle now too many Cd p.opic IN the orlces who
unable to work, is cheaper for the Govern
ment 10 pension them. after they have given
the best oi their lives ~ the service than to
snn nw 'hnm TO remain as an imnediment to
Asked whom he thought the work Of the
Auditors oftice would lr brought ur TO date
Mr. Morris Sail he thought II would take 4 year
All ot T." heals o. depe,tmen,s sustain
have no lohfng In hts onlce, and In many Of
them II has caused a snall-sizad revolution
Tn" women clsrks, who formerly promenadcd
the hills and visited outside Of every door. who
day or 40 and lay on from work. have begun
70 cast steaifaSt glances about to see II au-
thorty IA In sight. There Is n steady watch
kent upon their once record. not only in Audit
tor Morris's ofllc. hut in every iepsrtment
And the time h's come In other Offices as we'll
hs IN this when the idcr must de spend more ON
work and less on influence.