Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1907-07-18
GOOD TO LM?L0YES
UNCLE SAM TREATS HIS WORK.
ERs GENEROUSLY.
In Matters OF Vacations and Sick
Leave Ne Might Be Termed
"Easy"-Poiiey Of Retreneh-
ments a Failure.


II costs Uncle Sam In the nelghbor-
hood OF $6.000.000 annually for the
leisure OF his employees. Not many
employers treat their employees SO
generously. In fact. not many could
AFFORD TO do so. There are on the gov.
eminent payroll about $4,000 EN-.
ployes. and their annual salaries ap
proXimate about $50 100000. Most OF
these employees are entitled TO 80 DAYS
vacation annually. They are also al.
lowed 20 take % DAYS sick leave an
huaily on full pay u is estimated
that 80 per cent. o. 80 employees take
their vacations re .rly. aud many
taEc .n'.r an 80 Da.s s.,& leave
y ueasIr, oA.c.-i With ,,aom sta
ustics are a nuD0y has made a careful
enpt 3t' lat 1--we
than S6.OoO.0OO OF good government
funds so for "loafing spells" OF EN-.
ployes. AS he figures It. the govern
ment work could be done with one
twelfth less the present number of
employees easily. or. taken I'm another
form. the present force can do all the
government work in llmonths. prob.
ably I'm ten. FOR which they now re.
receive the Il months pay lie also
suggests that IL the government work
was done by contract IL could be
done for three-fourths the present
cost
There is one remarkable feature
about this vacation business" said
he and that is that the more salary
man draws the longer vacation he
takes. The ordinary employees get 80
days annual and 80 days sick leave.
II they can supply a Doctors certin-
cate. Many heads OF departments
take from three to four months. and
do not have TO account to ANYBODY.
us case where the little fish get
the worst OF 10, as usual But the sub.
ordinate employees have no complaint
when compared TO employees OF rail.
roads and other concerns which are
large employers Of labor"
When confronted with the vast sum
paid out for leisure. government of
metals say the payroll is just the same
whether the employees worked ten
months or 70, that there are lust so
many people TO do the work and inst
so much work TO be done that If thew
do II in ten months Uncle Sam is
none the loser. Still, when a railroad
or other big employer OF labor finds
that hve-sixths OF its present force OF
employees can do all the work II
doesn hesitate TO DISCHARGE the other
sixth. Uncle Sam is not so harsh He
discharges an employee now and then
FOR unfaithfulness. but never simpIv
because the employe has nothing 10
do
Some time ago Secretary Garfield
began 'retrenchment policy in the
''l tment OF the Interior lie aboI.
lshed two or three divisions in his OF.
nee and sent the work TO the Indian
bureau and general land office But
many clerks I'm the division which he
h)lshed were transferred to the
Indian bureau or land office. and sev.
aral of them had their salaries in.
creased.
Another illustration is given. At
ne recent session OF congress an Of.
ort was made. in the interests OF
economy. to wipe out all the outside
customers from the Washington Inn.
eau. When sifted down II was fouud
hat the bureau intended to bring all
ne clerks at the outside offices To
ashington at the same or increased
i'laries. Figures We're produced 20
that instead of being I'm the in.
e.. SITS of economy IL would really
cost the government more. so the sen
ate defeated the bill