The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-07-11
INDEX CLERKS WORK
CHAIRMAN FISCHER RE-
SENTS UNJUST CRITICISM.
Big Noise over One charge-staF Being
Diminished as Cataloguing
Proceeds.

After the meeting Of the finance com
mittee Of Common Council last night some
criticism was made I'm regard 10 the
passage OF a resolution calling for the
payment of the salary of David d. Keefe,
one of the clerks in the document room. 1t
was pointed out hat Mr.. Keefe was al
lowed twenty-five days pay for June.
when he only worked twenty-three days.
having been absent two-days at a G. A.. r..
encampment. It was said that an invests
| cation would be asked for at the Common
Council meeting tomorrow night. The
matter was not taken up at the meeting.
Alderman Frederick ]. Fischer. who Is
chairman of the committee on stationery.
which is I'm charge of the document clerks,
was indignant Mt an account of the incl
dent, and particularly at a statement con-
Meeting City Clerk Connolly with the
matter.
I'VE have no fear Of any investigation"
said the Alderman. IT am not afraid to
have the work of the index clerks ex-
amlned: in fact, we invite people and Off
clals to Inspect the work. The people who
are critlcising do not know what Is being
done; they have not even been to the doe
ument room to see. and this is 80, espec-
Tally of the Aldermen. It would be a wise
precaution for them to investigate before
they c~riticlse.
"The work is being done under the d.
~reotlon Of Theodore Umbscheiden, who has
proved very competent and thoroughly UNI
derstands his business. He has introduced
system into a place where chaos existed.
When he took charge papers were piled
away in all kinds OF miscellaneous reccp-
t~ncles-boxes. cases and packages. There
WAS no way of making these papers Of
use. unless they were properly filed away.
To file and index them It Is necessary to
examine every paper and every book or
pamphlet. When the indexing is done,
papers and books can be gotten immedi-
ately.
"The force of men attending to this is
being gradually diminished as the work
progresses. At the present time we have
two men less than were employed last
year.
''Since the work was commenced, Decem-
Der Z. last, Mr.. U~mbscheiden has had a
time book, showing every day that any
of the men worked, and showing the over
time they did. All the men employed had
1t explained to them hat II they did not
work they would not be paid. Some Of
them. when they stayed off a day or 81
few hours, made up the entire time by
working overtime.
"In the case of David d. Keefe, who
attended a G. A. r.. e~ncampment, he will
have to work overtime or stand the loss
of the two days he was off. As to the
allowance of full pay for him for June.
the conditions were these: The meeting OF
the printing and stationery COMMITTEES
was held June Is, to take up regular busi-
ness, including the matter Of paying the
men. This was In order to have things
ready to present TO the finance : commit
tee, which met on JUNE 2S. The meet
Ing Of the board at which the recon-
| mendations OF the committees will be
acted on will take place next Friday,
| having been postponed from last week.
| The meetings of the committee nave TO
be held prior to those of the board, so
that the men can get their pay for the
| month authorized by the board. This was
the course taken In the case criticised.
AT the time the meeting was held Mr..
Keefe had not been to the encampment,
and we did not know positively he was
going. He was told he would lose his pay
IL he went and did not make up by over
time. The money would be deducted from
the July pay. In order to cover the pay
for the whole month we had to make out
the vouchers in advance. Mr.. Keefe was
| included, because he thoroughly under
stood the situation. MIR. Keefe is a Re-
| publican, and therefore politics does not
enter into this matter.
II have never said that l depended on
City Clerk Connolly for information re-
garding the work the men did. What |
cid say was that l had to rely on my
clerk meaning the document clerk, j. G.
| Taylor, who has been in that office for
years. and Is very conscientious and dill
gent IN his department"
II have nothing to do with that room"
said City Clerk Connolly. II do say, how
ever, that the work that is being done by
those men has paid the city ten times over
what 1t has cost"