Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-29
FEMALE CLERKS STICK
Less Apt to Quit the Govern
ment Than Men.
THE MALE STENOGRAPHERS
Bureau Chiefs Prefer Them for Clerl-
cal Duties.
RISE OF THE "FORM-LETTER"
Few Expert Shorthand Men Have
Much Inducement to Stay in
the Departments.
THE MALE STENOGRAPHERS
RISE OF THE "FORM-LETTER"

the LHlcuIS.
"While there has been and will continue
to be a steady demand for stenographers
and typewriters in the executive depart
ments in Washington said an official TO
Star reporter, yet a word to those inter-
ested in the matter on the outside, and on
the inside too for that matter, will be of
service.
Several years ago there was much said
about the dearth of good stenographers and
typewriters in the departments in this city
on the part of the officials. This was no
doubt taken up by business and correspond
ence schools who devote attention to turn
ing out qualified graduates for the kind
under discussion. and many stenographers
engaged in business places, together with
these graduates. took up the problem of
preparing for and passing the necessary
civil service examination for admission into
the service. Also. many persons took up
privately the specific study of shorthand
and typewriting with like intent.
I'm any event during recent years there
has been heavy increase In the civil serV-
ice eligibles in this branch of the clerical
governmental service, and there nave been
hundreds of certfcations thereof from the
civil service commission to the various de-
partments. 1t is not difficult matter Tor
expert stenographer and typewriter 10
pass the required examination, though II iS
not any easy task for man or woman to
begin de novo and get on the government
rolls. it takes long preliminary study,
application and practice to attain the speed
and accuracy demanded in the examina
tons With one who is already expert it is
another and simpler matter.
Women Will Stay.
while this demand for stenographers is
constant and will continue the fact
that there have been number of resigna-
tons among male stenographers lately in
several of the departments would seem in
congruous with such a statement, for, if
there is a demand, why are there resigna-
lions in this particular branch of clerical
work?
There are, however, very few, if any,
designations among the female stenogra-
piers except to enter matrimony, and the
reason for this difference in the sexes is
simple. In outside employment the female
stenographer considers herself we'll paid
If she earns $40 week-the average. under
stand, and thousands upon thousands get
still less. Once the female stenagropher gets
on the government rolls she commands $500
year, $40 n month, or S1I.20 a week at the
outset. with prospects OF advancement in
the succeeding grades up to 81 800, though
they will inger many years in the interme-
date grade before attaining this practically
maximum grade and pay for the female
clerk i'll the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES receiving
N,Soo may be counted on the hand in all
the departments. And a great rule the
women in the departments who receive this
latter high grade clerks of long and
specific experience. and they are clerks and
not stenographers. who receive this high
salary for peculiar skill and individual quail
ifcations along special lines of government
work Hence, let us place the maximum
grade at $1,000. and not forget that this
grade comes only after long years of service
and not in comparatively short time and
then only to the few.
Therefore. to the female stenographer as
with her sisters in general. government
service offers to her the greatest induce
ments. and this largely accounts for the
anxiety of women to get upon the rolls of
the government. But with the male stenog-
raphers IL Is different if the man is at all
ambitious to get ahead. as he usually is He
passes the examination. is certified at 5000.
perhaps in year or two is promoted to
Sl'o. and there he sticks. He feels the
Years going by while he remains stationary
in sa airy. or feels himself too slowly pro-
NOTED. He becomes restless, for opportuni-
ues are open to men in outside callings
which are closed to women So he quietly
hunts around on the outside for such op-
portunity finds it and resigns
Assigned to Other Work
A stenographers speed is quickly duIled
by lack of practice slow dictation or assign
ment 10 duties other than shorthand writ
ing. and here is where the great trouble
comes in with the male stenographer-the
assignment to other clerical duties He is
put at filing or other regulation clerical or
desk work. and he finds that all the prelim-
mary efforts he has made to acquire a tech
meal knowledge of a difficult calling have
been wasted; he might just as well have
taken. from his standpoint, the clerks ex-
animation since he has been placed at
what he considers merely clerical duties
so he quits. He is dissatisfied. The woman
80 "a zinc chn t
Is the salary and not the duties which inter
eSts her most. 1t is the reverse with men
But don't understand me as saying that
women stcnographers are in demand in the
departments; they are not. Passing entire
!y the question of the respective merits of
the two sexes to perform a certain class of
work-and 1t is another questionable fact
remains that the chiefs of division turn in
acquisitions TO chief clerks of the depart
ments for "A male stenographer.' and the
chief clerks in compliance with this re-
quest. ask the civil service commission to
certify to their department "a male stenor
rapher from the eligible list and they
don't ask in these instances for n female
stenographer.' though when the latter is
requisitoned for they likewise comply with
the request of the chief of division
This makes heavy draft uDon the a,ig;
BILE list of the male stenosraphers at the
civil service commission, precisely as ii
rams TO make inroads upon the list OF fe-
male stenographers. Then when the chiefs
of division get these men they have. of
course. no stenographic work for them to
do and they are placed upon the regulation
clerical desks.
The Form-Letter.
THE chiefs of divisions should call for
male clerks but they don't in most in
stances probably proceeding upon the
theory that they would rather have in their
divisions men who are stenographers and
who can be used for that purpose when the
emergency arises. than those who have
merely passed the clerks examinat ton
who are very much of the same general
material and can do the work assigned to
them. but who cannot, Of course accept
dictation when needed and who not given
the concession of possessing peculiar skill
and adaptab!lfty, as are experienced short
hand writers. The fault lies in the chiefs
OF divisions striving to get the very best
material available wherever possible
whether 1t pleases the best material or not
which 1t usually don't do.
Then the form-letter has in many in
stances largely superseded the stenographic
letter. The business of the government has
expanded to such gigantic proportions that
an army of shorthand writer's and still