The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-27

shared also by the Department of Justice.
The Postoffice Department recently doubled
up with the new city postoffice, and the
Interior Department, besides overlooking
into the old Postoffice Department. extends
it's Jurisdiction over the great pension office
and occupies number of large buildings
rented for the clerks of the census and
bureau of education. The Department of
Agriculture rents annexes on practically
every street in its vicinity. but soon an
imposing marble structure will include it's
many laboratories and offices.
That Washington is "a city of govern
ment clerks can best be realized in the
spring and summer season, when baseball
games are always called at 4:SO p. m, TO
allow their best patrons time to reach the
grounds Throughout the year physicians
and dentists fix their office hours between
and p. m. and between those hours the
shopkeepers do their best business.
EASY HOURS OF WORK
No one can gainsay that Uncle Sans
hours are the most generous in the world.
His clerks can sleep until a. m, or even
until $50, in most instances. They need
not reach their desks until .. but are
pected 10 be there on the minute. In each
department the employees are given a card
or blank on which must be entered a record
of the minutes they are tardy or late each
cay. Recently an official exhibited to me
two of these time reports inscribed by a
wag who. giving the required excuse for
one minutes hardness, wrote:
1.-The preceding nocturnal precipitation of
CONCEALED atmospheric humidity and the
subsequent dissemination OF the crystalline
deposit by boreal disturbances necessitating
a reluctant compliance with obnoxious
municipal regulations conspired to cause a
slight hardness, to say nothing of the ply
steal lassitude consequent upon unwonted
manual exertion."
Anothers excuse for ten minutes tardi-
ness was this:
I'VE waited for the motor
While il refused TO mote
The language which was uttered
Was quite unfit TO quote
AS promptly as the time ball on the State,
War and Navy building announces the noon
hour a flood of clerks issues from the por-
tails of all government offices and sweeps
into the dairy lunch rooms lining each de-
partment square. In the attic of the State.
War and Navy building. in the basement Of
the Interior Department and treasury and
in hooks or corners Of the other department
buildings are well-patronized cafes with
counters spread with pies. sandwiches and
steaming coffee tanks. The proprietors of
these establishments receive generous con-
cessons from the government and do a
thriving business.
AT 1890 each clerk returns to his desk
and there remains until 4. In hot summer
he is usually allowed half day off each
Saturday In the course OF each year he
enjoys thirty days leave for diversion and
can be away thirty days more on account
OF illness without losing his pay.
In the Washington departments III diff
ferent salaries. ranging from s156.6O 20 $1,000
a year. are paid to the Presidents subordi-
mates.
The women OF the departments offer an
overhackneyed theme, but nowhere have
been presented 10 the popular mind figures
showing their dwindling chances for enter
ing the departmental service here. Last
year there were appointed as clerks four