The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1907-07-18
GOOD TO EMPLOYEES
UNCLE SAM TREATS HIS WORK
ERs GENEROUSLY.
In Matters OF Vacations and SICK
Leave He Might Be Termed
"Easy"-Poliey Of Retreneh'
nent a Failure.

II costs Uncle Sam in the neighDor'
hood of S6.0OO0O0 annually for the
leisure OF his employees. Not many
EMPLOYERS treat their employees so
generously In fact, not many coniu
afford TO do so. There are on the gov
eminent payroll about 05OOO EN-
ployes. and their annual salaries APP
proximate about $6O,000,000. Most OF
these employees are entitled to 30 days
vacation annually, They are also al
lowed to take 80 days sick leave an
nually on full pay II Is estimated
that IS per cent. of the employees take
their vacations regularly, and many
take their full 30 days sick leave.
A treasury official with whom sta
tistics are hobby has made careful
computation, and says that more
than $6.O00.0O0 of good government
funds go for "loafing spells OF en-
poyes As he figures it, the govern
ment work could be done with one
twelfth less the present number OF
employees easily. Or taken in another
form, the present force can do all the
government work in 1lmonths, prob
ably in ten, for which they now re-
receive the ~ months pay. He also
suggests that ii the government work
was done by contract 1t could be
done for three-fourths the present
cost.
10 nFan RON NlIslgl
about this vacation business" said
he, and that is that the more salary
man draws the longer vacation he
takes. The ordinary employees get 30
days annual and 80 days sick leave,
If they can supply Doctors certifi-
cate. Many heads of departments
take from three to four months, and
do not have to account to anybody.
It's case where the little fish get
the worst of it, as usual. But the sub
ordinate employees have no complaint
when comra ed 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
ficials say the payroll is just the same
whether the employees worked ten
months or IL; that there are just so
many people to do the work and Just
so much work to be done: that If they
do 1t in ten months Uncle Sam is
none the loser. Still, when railroad
or other big employer of labor finds
that fivesixths of its present force of
employees can do all the work il
doesn't hesitate to discharge the other
sixth. Uncle Sam is not so harsh He
discharges an employee now and then
Tor unfaithfulness, but never simply
because the employee has nothing to
do.
Some time ago Secretary Garfield
began "retrenchment" policy in the
department of the interior. He abol
lshed two or three divisions in his of.
nee and sent the work to the Indian
bureau and general land office. But
many clerks in the division which he
abolished were transferred to the
indian bureau or land office. and sew.
eraI OF them had their salaries in.
creased
Another Illustration is given. At
the recent session of congress an eff
Tort was made, in the interests of
economy to wipe out all the outside
pensioners from the Washington bu.
reau When sifted down it was found
that the bureau intended to bring all
the clerks at the outside offices to
Washington at the same or Increased
salaries. Figures We're produced to
snow that instead of being in the in.
'eres's OF economy it would really
cost the government more, so the sen
ate defeated the bill.