The Washington herald., 1907-07-14
COSTS $6,WO,OOO FOR REST
Uncle Sam Pays Well for the Leisure
Of His Employees.
Annual Vacations Expensive tn Gen
p1Oyers Are Far Behind.

It costs Uncle Sam in the neighborhood
of 100000 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 government pay roll about 5000
| employees, and their annual salaries .ap-
proximate about S66,0O0,00O. Most of these
! employees are entitled to thirty days va
cation annually. They are also allowed
to take thirty days sick leave annually
on full pay. II is estimated that IS per
/ cent of the employees take their vacations
| regularly. and many take their full thirty
/ days sick leave, says the Kansas City
/ Journal
| A Treasury official with whom statistics
are a hobby has made a careful compu-
tation. and says that more than $6.0oO 900
/ of good government funds go for 'loaiing
/ spells" of employees. AS he figures it, the
government work could be done with one
twelfth less the present number Of en-
/ ployes easily. Or, taken IN another form,
the present force can do all the govern
ment work in eleven months. probably in
/ ten, for which they now receive twelve
months pay He also suggests that If the
government work was done by contract
It could be done for three-fourths the
/ present cost.
There is one remarkable feature about
/ this vacation business" said ne, and
/ that is that the more salary a man draws
/ the longer vacation he takes The ordi-
nary employees get thirty days annual
I and thirty days sick leave, if they can
/ supply a doctors certificate. Many heads
Of departments take from three 10 four
months, and do not have TO account TO
anybody. It's a case where the little fish
/ get the worst of 1t, as usual. But the
subordinate employees have nc complaint
when compared TO employees Of railroads
and other concerns which are large en-
4 plOyeTs of labor.
In the Government Printing Office it is
necessary TO employ outside help TO take
/ the places of regular employees on vaca-
1 tons, and Congress annually appropriates
( SIS, 900 10 pay the bill. In other depart
ments the clerks double up the work or
| let it pile up during vacation time.
When confronted with the vast sum
paid out for leisure. government officials
say the nay roll is just the same whether
the employees worked ten months or
twelve; that there are just so many peO-
pie 10 do the work and just so much
work 10 be done; that If they do IL in ten
months Uncle Sam is none the loser.
STILL when a railroad or other big en-
plOyer of labor finds that fve-sixths Of
its present force OF employees can do all
the work, il doesn't hesitate 10 discharge
the other sixth. Uncle Sam is not so
harsh He discharges an employee now
and then for unfaithfulness. but never
simply because the employee has nothing
/ to do.
Some time ago Secretary Garfield began
| a ''retrenchment" policy IN the Depart
ment Of the Interior. He abolished two
or three divisions in his Office and Sent
the work to the Indian Bureau and Cen
/ eral Land Office. But many clerks in the
division which he abolished were trans
/ feTred to the Indian Bureau or Land
/ Office, and several of them had their
| salaries increased.
Another illustration is given. At the
recent session Of Congress an effort was
made, in the interests Of economy, to
wipe oht all the outside pensioners from
the Washington bureau When sifted
down il was found that the bureau in
tended 10 bring all the clerks at the out
side Offices to Washington at the same
or Increased salaries Figures were pro
| duced to show that instead Of being in the
interests Of economy il would really COSY
the government more, so the Senate de-
feated the bill.