Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-07-09
SEVEN HOURS PERD|EM
Construction of Law Govern
ing Department Service.
NO EARLY CL0SIN G
TWO CABINET OFFICERS REFUSE
SATURDAY PRIVILEGE.
War and Navy Employees Must Remain
on Duty Until 4 P. M.
Each Day.

Each Day.
Secretary Root and Secretary Moody,
after full consideration of the subject, have
concluded that they are prohibited by ex-
listing statutes from reducing the hours of
labor in the War and Navy Departments
below the limit Of seven hours day fixed
by the legislative, executive and judicial
appropriation act approved March 10, 1893
The immediate consequence of this joint
action on the part of the heads of the war
and Navy Departments is the disapproval
of an order prepared for their signatures
providing that the departments named, like
some of the other departments of the gov
ernment in Washington shall be closed at
3 o'clock Saturdays during the months OF
July, August and September. The secre-
taries are personally desirous of granting
the employees of their u t5artments the priv
ilege of shorter hours Saturday during the
heated term, but feel that they are posi-
lively prevented from doing SO by the ex-
press provisions of the statutes governing
the subject.
The statute on which they base their
action is contained in the act Of March 3,
1898, and provides as follows:
Sec. Z. That section 5 of the act making
appropriations for legislative. executive and
judicial expenses, approved March 8, 1888,
Is hereby amended to read as follows:
Hereafter it shall be the duty Of the
several executive departments, in the in
terest of the public service. to require of
all clerks and other employees, of whatever
grade or class, in their respective depart
ments, not less than seven hours Of labor
each day, except Sundays and days de-
clared public holidays by law or executive
order: Provided, that the heads of the de-
partments may, by special order, stating
the reason, further extend the hours of
any clerk or empIoye in their departments,
respectively; but in case of an extension 1t
shall be without additional compensa ton:
Provided, further, that the head OF any de-
partment may grant thirty days annual
leave with pay in any one year to each
clerk or employe.
In Case Of Contagious Disease.
"'And provided, further, that where some
member Of the immediate family of clerk
or employe is afflicted with a contagious
disease and requires the care and attend
ance OF such employe, or where his or her
presence in the department would leopard
ize the health of fellow clerks. and in ex-
cepttonal and meritorious cases, where a
clerk or employe Is personally i'll and where
to limit the annual leave to thirty days in
any one calendar year would work peculiar
hardship 1t may be extended. in the dis
cretion of the head OF the department, with
pay, not exceeding thirty days in any one
case or in any one calendar year.
This section shall not be construed to
mean that SO long as a clerk or employe is
borne upon the rolls of the department in
excess Of the time herein provided for or
granted that he or she shall be entitled to
pay during the period Of such excessive alb
sence but that the pay shall stop upon the
expiration Of the granted leave.
Hereafter 1t shall be the duty of the
head of each executive department to re-
<s,,Sr - H. a. II
to the condition Of the public business in
the several bureaus or offices of his depart
ment at Washington; and in each case
where such reports disclose that the public
partment in which such arrears exist shall
require, as provided herein, an extension
of the hours of service to such clerks or
employees as may be necessary to bring up
such arrears Of public business"
What Footnote Contains.
In a footnote in the volume or Revised
Statutes containing the above provisions it
is explained that the amendment made by
the act in question consisted in taking away
the power of the head of the department
to limit the hours of labor below seven, and
confining it to the power to extend the
hours. The amendment also reduced the
sick leave from sixty to thirty days, and
added provisions to prevent an accumula-
ton Of arrears of business. These same
footnOtes give a history of other legisla-
ton on these points.
By an act of February "a, 1899, 1t was
provided that the thirty days annual leave
of absence with pay shall be exclusive of
Sundays and holidays, and by the act of
July Z, 1898, 1t was provided that nothing
contained in the act shall be construed
to prevent the grant Of thirty days annual
leave with pay to a clerk who has already
had during the same year thirty days sick
leave with pay.
Similar Acts Passed.
Other acts have been passed granting
leaves Of absence to government employees
as follows:
June n. 1884, fifteen days to letter car
riers:
March 1. 1899, government or Districtof
Columbia officers or employees who are
members of the National Guard, shall have
leave of absence on parade or encampment
days without loss of pay or time;
August %. 1880, thirty days to per diem
employees Of the customs service;
October 1. 1880. fifteen days to clerks
and employees in first and second-class post
ofaces and employees of mail bag repair
shops:
July 6, 1892, thirty days to employees of
bureau OF engraving and printing. includ-
ing piece workers. extended by act Of Jzne
8. 1896, to compositors and pressmen in the
awards division of that bureau:
June IL. 1896. thirty days to employees of
ployed by the piece or otherwise, with pay
for pro rata leave OF absence;
February 10, 1897, to medical officers of
the Marine Hospital service the same leave
Of absence granted to officers of the army,
which is (by act of July %, 1S7O sixty
days once in two years. three months IL
taken only once in three years or four
months If taken only once in four years;
Employees Outside Of Washington.
March 1. 1899. to weather bureau en-
ployes outside Of the city of Washington
the same leaves of absence as are author
lied to employees in the office of the chief of
the weather bureau. which are the same as
those allowed to all clerks. ETC., in the de-
partment at Washington.
March 1. 1899. fifteen days to railway
postal clerks working six days or more
per week.
Other acts limit leave of absence with
pay to diplomatic or consular officers and
to Indian agents. interpreters. ETC.. to six
ty DAYS.
Leaves Of absence to officers and en-
ployes of the District OF Columbia are gov
erned by a paragraph in the District appro-
- - n