Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-09
WORK OF the FLY SKATERS
GOOD AVERA4ES MADE BY q. p
o. CHIEFS.
Ordinary slapping at the Insects
Proves to Be Ineffective, a.
Usual.
Special Dispatch to the New York World.

Special Dispatch to the New York World.
WASHINGTON. November s.-Public
Printer Stillings creation of the offices Of
chief dy-killer and assistant fy-killer in
the government printing Office has given
much satisfaction to bald-headed printers
there. Chief Larkins and Assistant John
son have been on the job today with little
bats made of sticks of wood and with
wire fy-screens. Larkins has a batting
average OF 800, while Johnson is about
seventy-hve behind. but gaining
Inc weather has been so warm here
tnat the flies have shown no disposition to
quit their regular routes. AS Is well
known. fly has no sense. Most people,
after alighttnE on a bald head and find
ing that 1t contained no nutriment would
go somewhere else. but a fly after thor
oushly exploring shiny surface will re-
turn to 1t moment later and-begin It's
studies all over again.
Estimated Loss to Government.
1t has been estimated that the govern
ment loses In the case Of each printer as
| much as seventeen minutes week In
slapping, and the total loss in a year is
enormous. 1t is. of course. a historical
fact that no one by shaping has ever
been able to destroy fly or to prevent
one from returning to its Investigations
the next moment, but 1t Is impossible to
induce men to refrain from slapping.
Hence the appointment Of Messrs. Lar
kins and Johnson Is expected to produce
great results in the way Ct bringing the
department up to high standard of eM-
cheney
Mr. Johnson, II not yet so expert as Mr..
Larkins, Is more enthusiastic and swats
a fly whenever he sees one. This led to a
number of misunderstanding with print
ers today. Many printers asserted that
they would rather have the most fuzzy
legged fly In the world crawl over their
bald spots than have Johnson startle
them by banging them suddenly on the
brow with his bat. Mr.. Stilings finally
compromised the matter by ordering
Johnson to confine his labors to flies that
were temporarily absent from the per-
sons of printers.
MIR. Stllings pays so much a head for
fiies. and has taken measures to prevent
the importation of deceased flies from
outside on the pretense that they fell
victims to the prowess Of the f1y-killers
He will pay only for those actually slain
in combat, and they must all die in the
house.
Sternly Refuses.
A boy In the Office slew eighteen flies
in his home yesterday and brought them
to Larkins, Offering to add them to that
officials stock II Larkins would divide the
fly bounty with him. Larkins sternly re-
fused and reported the youthful CRATER
to Mr.. Stillings. who reprimanded him
In order to prevent such attempts in fu-
ture the flies are now left where they
fall. and at the close of the day A.r.
Stillings makes round of the Office and
counts up the dead.
The new regime has added variety to
the monotonous life In the printing Office
a "a Int
hearing the steady swat-swat-swat Of the
fy-slayers on their rounds. Whenever, as
often happens. one of the fy-kiilers
misses his footing in Wild dive at fly
and smttes the government printing Of
f1ce with his brow 1t cheers up the rrint-
ers for q whole afternoon