The Washington times., 1906-03-11


Government business find that there is
no reason TO question the efficiency of
clerks OF this age
Especially Efficient.
Actual investigation OF the service,
efficiency, and reliability OF the elder
clerks develops that thev are In most
cases especially efficient and reliable
Their long service Is given as one
reason, and their regular habits OF at
tending to business as another
The man who has had a long serv-
ice, and has become especially familiar
with the duties and requirements Of his
position is naturally more useful than
the one who, however well qualified,
has not had so much opportunity TO
familiarize himself with his duties, -
is the consensus OF opinion among de-
partment executives. The older clerks,
according 10 the preponderance Of tes-
timony, average just as high in eff
cheney and usefulness as the others
Thus at the War Department It was
stated that there are only two clerks
over sixty-five years. and they are
just as efficient as any We have" was
the statement. 'fOur efficiency board
takes up this whole question every six
months, and there is no favoritism or
Judging Mems efficiency is carefully
recorded and compared. and men are
retained and promoted strictly on their
merits. If mans work does not keep
up TO grade. his marking goes down.
Better Than Younger Ones.
"Our two men who are beyond sixty
Eve years are, as a matter Of fact. both
eFf nd hot rT1y-
in attention to duties. in their hours.
and in keeping up with their work They
are both better in all respects than
many of the younger clerks.
And to keep up to the efficiency
standards Of this department is no easy
thing. for we actually have less cIeri-
cal force than before the Spanish war
We are pushed with work all the time.
and men who keep up with our require
ments ought certainly to do II any
where. The question of age as a factor
in determining efficiency is not consid-
cred at all so far as our experience is
concerned
Secretary OF Agriculture Wilson said
yesterday that there was no question
about the efficiency and value of the
services rendered by the clerks in his
department. who had passed the Con-
gressionaI dead line Mr.. Wilson said
that because the question is now before
Congress. he did not consider IL advis-
able to discuss it at present.
Besides" said the Secretary. Il do
not think It would aid the cause of the
old clerks any to discuss the matter
while Congress is agitating reduction
in their salaries
In Life Saving Service
Victor H. Metealf. Secretary of Com
merce and Labor. said he believed some
of the most valuable employees of the
department were in the neighborhood of
sixty-five. Mr.. Metcalf spoke of several
of the employees Of the life saving ser
vice, recalling from memory men in this
branch who are in their sixties. and
whom ne considers as efficient as was
possible He said he did not wish to
express any positive views. as the de-
partnent will shortly collect data with
a view of ascertaining just where the
old clerks stands in efficiency.
Edward NJ. Dawson, chief clerk of the
Interior Department. said that several
OF the clerks directly under him were past
sixty-five years of age. while several of
them were nearly seventy These
clerks, Mr.. Dawson said were not only
valuable to the department. but their
degree Of efficiency was of the highest
Mr.. DaW Wson said there was not an old
clerk in the department who was not
only doing his work well but was doing
all the work that could reasonably be
expected Of him regardless of his years
At the Department of Justice II was
said that ''the purpose of the bill had
not been given much consideration - 1t
was admitted that the department was
in sympathy with the movement TO pro-
vide some SORT of a retirement plan for
superannuated employees. but as to the
reduction Of such employees, such a thing
was not given much thought.
Most Competent in Treasury.
At the Treasury Department, which
will possibly be affected as much. II
not more than any other branch of the
the officials maintain grim
silence. One of them went so far as to
say:
-@The chiefs OF divisions and bureaus
affected by that bill are among the
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