The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-05-10
POSTOFFICE ASKS
ONE HOUR EXTRA
OF AUDIT CLERKS
Rush of Money Order
Receipts Cause for
Temporary Order.

Consideration reisned among the 100
employees Of the chief inspecting division
OF the auditor FOR the Postofiice Depart.
ment when Chief Of the Division Bennett
A. Allen informed the clerks this week
that they would be required until further
notice TO report at the office a half-hour
earlier and leave a half-hour later.
The dictate carrying with it an adj
ditional hour Of labor, when for years
the clerks have worked under the gov
ernmental hours OF 9 to 4;3O, came like
a bolt Of lightning out of a clear sky.
Hence for the time, the employees were
scarcely able to realize what had hap
uened and all wore a Where do l
stand?" expression.
Feared Reform Measures.
The thought Immediately presented It
self that some drastic reform measures
were to be introduced in the account
ing department. as a fitting sequel to
the recent law at the Government Print
ing Office that all mirrors must go. and
the docking" OF the employees on the
per diem roll of the Land Office. In order
that the per diem appropriation might
cover thirty clerks and an extra "rela-
tive In lieu Of the regular thirty pro-
vided for
Naturally. some Of the more sensitive
OF the inspecting division clerks felt
hurt and it Is understood that vigor-
Gus protest was entered al several in
dignation meetings held in Hobbies.
around the Postofrice building steps. and
on street cars.
The auditing department officials. how
ever. give a very lucid explanation OF
the matter, and now that the full pur-
port Of the new rule has become under
sttod. the excitement is subsiding and
the clerks are yielding with good grace
70 the inevitable.
Their uneasiness may be excused
however, when it is recalled that II is
me nrsl time In six years that any
OF the departments under this parti-tl-
lar branch Of Government service have
Iound y necessary to lengthen the hours
even Tor a short period of time. Audi
tor Ernest G. Timme and CHIEF of IN
specting Division Bennett A. Allen To-
Seth6r made the following explanation
OF the reasons therefor this morning:
Statement of Officials.
This division has in charge the check
ing of all money orders. The past quar-
ter has been the heaviest in the lis
tory Of the service, owing to the I'm
mense holiday trade among the mail
order houses The orders for January.
February, and March are now berg
checked up, the Office was overwhelmed
with work and all the extra clerks that
could be spared from other divisions
were enlisted to help out but the force
was still insufficient.
Therefore. we found il necessary TO
add an additional hour to the DAYS
work until the work is caught up again
This should not take more than three
weeks at the most and we have heard
@ or no special objection on the part OF
teS clerks They are in the main con-
scientiOus and understand the exigen-
cies of the occasion. There NAV of
course, be a few dissatisfied ones, who
object TO the extra hours work without
additional pay or course the civil
service rules do not permit any paw for
this additional time, but we officials
cannot help that. The majority Of the
clerks understand the situation and II
IS no more than would be required of
them occasionally were they working for
private individuals or firms.
First Time in Several Years.
This is the first time in several years
that such a thing has become neces-
sary. although several years ago the
clerks worked an additional hour and
also some at night without serious com
plant. just as the clerks in the War
Department worked days, nights. and
Sundays during the Spanish-American
war
I'VE can appreciate how some OF the
less experienced clerks may have mis-
taken the order for a permanent one
and become somewhat indignant. but
nothing like this is intended and as
soon as the current work Is caught up
the old hours Will be restored The
work, by the way, will be much lighter
during the summer and. taking into
consideration the fact that Government
clerks work only from 9 TO 4.3O OrdI-
narily, with a half hour for lunch and
thirty days annual leave. their lot is
not such hard one, after all"