Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-24
New Rule fer Post Office De-
partmeat Clerks.
TO CHECK AN ABUSE
EXCESSIVE ABSENCE ON TIE
PART OF EMPLOYEES.
Application for Sick Leaves Must Be
Sworn to and Physician's State
ment Must Be Submitted.

| After January i any clerk employed In
! the Post Office Department who desires an
| extension Of annual leave on account OF
| illness will be compelled to fill out blank
| and make oath as to the disease with
| which he or she was afflicted, and the same
must be substantiated by the physician
| who attended each case. This course was
decided upon today by Postmaster General
| Payne after an extended conference with
the first assistant postmaster general. Mr.
| Wynne, at which the whole question was
gone over thoroughly.
| For number of years. 1t Is declared, the
sick leave made possible by law has been
abused to great extent and since the IN
| PRODUCTION Of rural free delivery many OF
the clerks employed in that bureau have
| abused 1t flagrantly. Women particularly
| in that service, It is said, have been imbued
with the belief that 1t was perfectly proper
| for them to insist on sixty days leave OF
absence, the thirty days that are granted
| for a vacation and the full thirty days TOT
illness, whether i'll or well.
1t is understood that not few OF the
women clerks in the rural free delivery
! have religiously used the full thirty days
| intended by law only In case OF Illness ana
| In some instances have spent the time at
| the seashore. the mountains or otner sum
mer resorts where persons usually go IN
summer to nave a SOOQ Time He ucPdit-
| ment claims to have evidence OF where IN
| number of instances clerks who remained
away from their. offices were about the
streets in an apparently happy frame OF
| mind. 1t Is because of this that Inc POST
| master General has taken the action noted
The New Regulation.
The text of the rules that will become ef-
| fective after January follows:
The annual leave of thirty days can only
| be extended in case of sickness. in the dis
| erection Of the head Of the department. with
pay, not exceeding thirty days in any one
| case or in any one calendar year.
When an application for extension OF
| leave because of sckness) is made on the
| ground that the case Is exceptional and
| merftorious, it will be considered only when
! presented. approved in writing. to the chief
| of the division OF appointments Secretarys
| office. Treasury Department., by the admin
| istrative officer having jurisdiction, under
whom the applicant is employed, together
| with a full statement of the facts said to
make 1t exceptional and meritorious.
I'm cases where an extension OF leave Is
| asked for because some member OF the
immediate family Of an applicant Is az
| f1icted with a contagious disease and re-
| quires the care and attendance of such en-
| ploye, or where his or her presence In the
| department would jeopardize the health OF
| fellow employees. a physicians certificate
| so stating and giving in addition the name
| and relation Of the applicant to the person
80 afflicted must be filed Immediately upon
| return to duty.
"Such certificate must also contain
| statement that, in the opinion Of the ply
| sician, the return of the employe to duty
| Will not jeopardize the health Of fellow en-
ployes Only those diseases will be recog-
| nized as contagious under the provisions OF
| these regulations which the authorities OF
| the District Of Columbia quarantine against.
when desired and practicable, the de-
partment will investigate and report the
| facts in any case of sickness.
"Al statements as to absence on account
Of sickness must be made under oath before
some officer duly authorized to administer
the same.
"All applications must be made on the
| form provided by the department and be
| accompa MED by q certificate of the attend
| Ing physician, where one was employed;
| and in all cases where the period OF sick
| ness exceeds Ave days, II no physician was
| employed, the specific reasons for not en-
| ployirg physician must be stated.
From Practicing Physician.
1.-THE Issuing Of sick certificates by clerks
| and employees in the service OF the Post
| Office Department, as physicians for their
| fellow clerks and employees, will not be al
lowed In all cases tho certificate Of
| sickness must be made by a regular prac-
| ticing physician
| 'The certificate of sickness required by
these regulations must be filed with the
Is employed within five days from the date
| of return to duty and Immediately for
warded by that officer with his recommen-
| dation to the head of the bureau.
| 'All applications for leaves OF absence
| and all applications for extension of leave
| on account of sickness must be properly
briefed before forwarding to this office
| (chief clerk Post Office Department.. A
| failure to so brief them will necessitate
| their return for that purpose.
stoppage Of Pay.
'In all cases where the time records show
| ALI absence in excess of thirty days. during
any calendar year of any clerk or employee,
| and such excessive absence has not been
| authorized by an extension of leave, the
administrative officer having Jurisdiction is
| hereby directed to make the necessary
| stoppage of pay on the pay roll for the
| month in which such excess occurs, noting
| on the pay roll, and the monthly time
report. the amount OF money and number
| of days stopped: this is to be done before
| the pay roll is sent to the division of ap-
| pointments for approval.
| In view of the apparent disregard of
| former circulars on the subject of deduct
| ing pay for excessive absence, administra-
| tive officers are hereby directed to require
| this circular to be placed in the hands of
| the clerk in their respective offices to whom
| the keeping of the time account is assign
| ed with instructions that the provision for
| stoppage of pay for excessive absence must
| be observed in every case, and that SAID
| time clerk will be held responsible for any
| failure of such observance.
! The time records in the department in
| the office Of the appointment clerk shall not
| be examined by any one not having au-
| thorty to do so, and changes shall be
| made therein except by direction Of the
| chief of the appointment clerk after proper
| representations have been made by the ad-
| ministrative officer in whose time report an
| error has been shown.
| Inquiries by Individual employees In re-
| gard to their time records must be made of
| time clerks In charge Of the records
] of their respective bureaus. offices or divi-
! sions. and not of the chief or the appoint
| ment clerk