Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-01
DEPARTMENTAL HOURS.
Old Lawyer Approves of the Keep
Commissions Plan.


.I think that the proposed recommended
ton of the Keep commission that the hours
OF work in the departments shall remain as
now fixed, from a m. to 1870 pm, the Sat
urday half-holiday continued throughout
the year. Instead of during three summer
months as at present, and that the annual
sick leave shall be fixed at ten days, will
meet with greater approval on the part OF
the individuals 1t affects than some OF the
other recommendations which have been
| made recently" remarked a chief of di-
vision in an uptown department to a Star
reporter.
THE statute which makes each Saturday
from the noon hour a holiday has been jul
| dicially declared TO be constitutional and in
effect In the District of Columbia, ana al
though 1t is observed by banks and other
institutions, it is not observed in the de-
partments. Being q lawyer l have often
considered this question. Although assum-
ing but not granting that the heads of the
departments may construe laws passed by
Congress as they choose, and although the
legality of their acts cannot be questioned
by the outside public nor the employees
within the walls of the department build
ings, 1t might and may still be questioned
| in the event of head of department en-
tering into contract or making an award
upon day declared by law to be holiday.
This question could be brought up by
dissatisfied contractor for government
goods, for instance.
In allowing the clerks In the departments
a half holiday, therefore, they will not be
granted any further concession than one to
which they are already entitled, but which
Is merely withheld from them. But in not
receiving It 1t is as good though not
granted at all SO for the sake of argument
It will be admitted that this concession will
be granted de novo Since it is improbable
that the closing hour in the departments
will be re-established at 4 pm, the clerks
with whom I have talked have generally
| expressed themselves in favor of this rec
ommendation.
THE Keep commission In this respect
| have found out what employers of large
bodies of clerks already knew-that In
creasing the hours Of labor does not IN
crease the total output of work; that en-
| ployes adjust themselves to their hours In
the execution of their work and expedite or
| curtail it the case demands, following
| well understood natural laws. While theo-
retically the government would be the gain
er in requiring the clerks to work every
Saturday, it would be theoretically the
gamer were it to extend the hours to twelve
day. as a matter of practice and fact the
working tension would be lessened with
corresponding lessening of the output of the
work.
THE half holiday has come to stay In
other cities where 1t has been found to
work to advantage to both the employer
and the employed, and 1 can see no reason
why it should not be put into practice in
the departments in Washington, such being
the tendency OF the times. But tnere seem
to be some officials who are opposed to any
concession to their forces. 1t is these Of
icials who juggle with the sick leave prop
| osition. They curtail It their individual
incinatons indicate while other officials
give their forces the full benefits of 1t. If
uniformity of action in all of the depart
ments in this city is arrived at in this
spect at least that will have been accom-
plished even though all of the parties who
may be affected are not entirely satisfied
There viii, of course, be objection on the
part of some of the clerks to the recon-
mendation, as 1t As impossible in such
large body of divergent temperaments to
secure unanimity of accord, but upon the
whole 1t seems to me, from a long expe-
rience in the departments, that the recon-
mendation is best fitted to the situation as
it exists. I think that the proposition to al
low cumulative sick leave allowance to such
clerks who may not be sick in any one
year, or who may be sick portion of the
allowance only, is very wise one. This
admits of an equalization of sick leave
which could not be obtained were the cur
tailed sick leave allowance limited arbtrar-
lily as is proposed and this provision will
go great way toward reconciling the
clerks as a great body to the further
croachment upon the privileges which have
been theirs for so many years"