The Washington times., 1906-12-08
SECRETARY ROOT
ASKS CONGRESS
FOR ASSISTANCE
More Clerks Needed to
Prevent SWamping of
Department of State.

we have reached the point whore
We have got TO have system. or The
department will be swamped."
IL was in these emphatic terms that
Itlihu Root. Secretary Of state. put
The case TO the House Committee on Ap-
ITopriations when he appeared before
that body TO ask additional employees
and higher salaries in the legislative,
executive, and judicial appropriation
5ill for the Department Of State. The
hearings held before the committee
were made public today.
lie was asking for an increase OF
twenty in the clerical service. especi-
ally an increase Of fourteen for slie-
cidc reform Ia indexing papers and
corresp spondence in connection with the
work of the Department. The Secretary
declared that the Department OF State.
in this particular. compared unfavor-
ably with the Department of War.
Expert Indexers Needed.
lie said, in asking for expert index
ers Of documents:
we are dealing today with matters
that have been going on during the en-
tire history of the Government EXPIRES
sions that were used by former SeCTe-
taries OF State a hundred years ago are
being pulled en- by us by foreign coun-
tries now. Take, for instance, the New
foundIand fisheries question. We are
involved now in dealing with questions
that have been discussed in various
places and In a multitude OF forms
since away back 10 the time or the
treaty of 1888; first 1888. then 1915, then
1854, then 1871: then the discussion Of
the Hay-Boud treaty and the Halifax
award. There is hardly a year 10 be
found for one hundred and twenty
years back I'm which there has not been
something on that subject.
Now, / have got to be able 10 get
hold of it. otherwise 1 might make a
most humlliating mistake III answering
fice IL / overlooked something that mas
been done and said in the State Depart
ment during the past century lake the
Tur-Seal fisheries question we S'Ie
hammering away at that II mas beeh
the subject OF enormous correspondence
ana discussion with Great Britain, with
Eussia. and with Japan, running over
great number Ot years, ana we are
having 10 deal with II now, and nave
got 10 be able 70 put my hand on lhe
laatters pertaining to It."
Mr. IIttauer-The necessity is eVI-
dent What ] want 10 get at in Conntc-
ton with this, Nir. Secretary is ms
or the twenty asked for, fourteen are
FOR iudexing. II my memory serves
me right, the work was back IN IAe
War Department, and when that index
ing was completed that force vas
5rS9rred and the head of that office
continues only his ordinary force year
after year with current work are the
fourteen which you ask Tor now 10 oS
permanent employees
Secretary RoOt-4es.
Need for Increased Salaries.
r,,rs,-trr, m his wish for increases for
the salaries OF eight bureau chiefs In
~
''The pot is boiling all the time, and
The questions are increasing constantly.
and the work that IS pressing upon tIese
bureaus and bureau chiefs IS lhcIeaS
ing cOrrespondingiy; and We nave 80
there a set of men most OF Whoih aIe
men of lirst-ETade ability. Ihey are men
who ought to be, II they were out IN
a profession, making from nNe 70
twenty times what they are getting In
The Department OF course we can not
regulate our Government salaries upon
such a consideration as that but We
do think these men ought 10 De puI
on as good a basis as the men who hold
similar positions in the other Depart
ments OF the Government"
There was some interesting data got
ten from Public Printer sullings by
Mr. Tawney and other members OF the
Appropriations Committee.
Sduings Gives Data,
Mr.. stulings gave the Committee this
accomplished in the Government Print
ing Office;
when + came there I found approx
mutely 1883 people regularly on the roll
and eighty-uiue tempOraTles called IN
for session OF Congress. The number
today is ACES regulars and seventy
eight tcmpOraries. Most of the tempo
rtries We're called in 20 help the SUI
periutendent of documents get his work
in shape and up TO date. The total
regular force has been reduced by near
5ustment Will, within a few months,
bring the force 20 q normal point.
Employees cannot enter the build
mgs after s o'clock in the morning
without passing by the captain or lieu
tenant OF the watch. Before / came
number possibly 2U0) OF them late in
The morning. / issued an order that no
cmploye should be allowed to enter the
place after o'clock In the morning or
l2.SO o'clock in the afternoon except
by passing through the front entrance
aud getting a 'laJe slip from the CAP
Tain or lieutenant OF the watch as the
case may be. When I first took this
action there was a perfect storm of pro-
test. Those people who were chronic
late arrivals have made other arrange
lnents and now il Is a case OF ''step
lively" the cars arrive there on time
and the people arrive there on time also.
Yesterday there were twenty-five per-
sons late IN all"
Air. BurlesOn-And when you took.
charge YOU say there were 200 of them?'
Mr.. Sullings-Ges, sir they could be
seen coming to work between and
o'clock Ia the morning; not clerks, but
per diem employees