The Washington times., 1909-07-06
Ten Per Cent of Clerks
Marked for Dismissal or
Demotion.
OLD EMPLOYEES
TO BE CARED FOR
Housecleaning Decided Upon by
Secretary Nagel, Assistant Mac
Harg, and Director Durand.
By JAMES HAY, Jr.

E. Dana Durand, the new Direc-
tor of the Census, is engaged in
completely recognizing the pennan-
ent working fierce of the Census
Bureau, and, although he has had
time to go over only half of the
personnel in his investigation, it is
assured that the bureau will go
through a severe shake-up within
/ the next two or three weeks.
For this there are two reasons.
One is the determination of Mr..
Nagel, Secretary of Commerce and
Labor, to have every bureau under
him reorganized so that if will be
keyed up to the highest point of eff
ficiency.
Bureau Disorganized.
| The other Is that the most thorough
| investigation by Mr.. Durand and his
assistants has convinced the new di-
rector that the bureau, as at present,
is in a lamentabiy disorganized condi-
tien. and that. as a result OF this. too
rlany inefficient clerks are now on it's
payrolls.
For the past TWO or three days the
clerks have believed that a general
shake-up was imminent and there have
been heard more or less wild rumors
about the shape it would take.
One story was that all the women
there would be affected by the reorgani-
cation plan. This. however is denied
| and the explanation is made that some
OF the best clerks are women. If it
! turns out in the last analysis that the
women affected are in a majority It
viii be because there are so many mOrs
women than men employed there.
The shake-up viii be accomplished
more BY disTnlssals than by cutting or
salaries, although the latter nenalty viii
be inflicted on a few Of the clerks who
have been found wanting. From the
inquiries so far prosecuted by Mr..
Durand l. seems safe 10 predict that
there viii be more dismissals than de-
motions.
When Mr.. North resigned from the
( dlrectorship, Secretary Nagei was con-
vinced that there was too much Iaxity
of organization in the bureau He was
also convinced that there was a great
number OF inefficient clerks on the rolls.
Began Reorganization.
Consequently, when Mr.. Durand wes
made director one OF the first instruc-
tions he received was to get busy with
the personnel and to aut Il in first
class business shape. lie was told to
get rid of the loafers and incompetents
and 10 secure closer and more effective
cooperation between the various di-
visions OF the bureau
He has had several conferences
within the last week with Secretary
Nagel and Assistant Secretary Mac
Harg, and has explained that the
shake-up would have been accomplished
! by this time but for the fact that he
has not had time TO do that work and
at the same lime STUDY the routine and
detailed duties of the office. In the
conferences with MI Nagel and Mr..
MacHaFg about one-half of the force
has been reviewed. and the results Of
this were enough TO make L certain
that the axe would have 10 be welded
freely in some quarters
In this bureau, as Ia all the others Of
the department, the aged clerks who
have done faithful work for the
Government viii be taken care of TO
the extent that they will not be dis
missed although they viii be denoted
/ If IL is found that their work is fall
/ ing on Only one class of the super
anuuated will suffer. This includes those
who, according to their records, did not
do good work while they were at an
age when the best service could have
be dismissed as quickly as viii the
Younger man or woman who has been
''loahng on the job.
No Political Jobs.
Short work viii also be made of those
who have secured their positions merely
by political pull and have not done their
work properly. The viii be fired
without cOmpuncti0n.
IN discussions pertaining 70 whether
the women or the men of the bureau
were the best clerks. If was said today
that some of the poorest clerks there
were 10 be found among the men of
young or middle age, and that their
penalty viii be dismissal without re-
dress
Although it is too early in Mr.. Dur
and's crusade to say exactly what per
centage of the clerks will be denoted or
dismissed, the general impression among
those who have looked into the matter
is that the number viii run Well above
10 per cent
This shake-up was decided on by the
Secretary of the department only after
the most painstaking and long. drawn
out inquiry. He has been wording on
il practically ever since he Went into
office. At first, the conditions were
found to be so unsatisfactory that he
and the men who were looking into 1t
thought that the appearances might be
deceptive and that an adequate expIana-
tion might be found for the apparent
laxities and shortcomings in the busi-
ness management and In some Of the
working standards of the bureau.
Difficulties Encountered.
F. 1t was only recently. after Mr.
Durand took charge. that it was
found impossible TO explain or excuse
the Objectionable features When
that was made certain the work of
deciding on the individuals who
would have TO go was begun
As ar indication OF the wide sweeD
the NOV ement for better service VIII
have throughout the entire Depart
ment Of Commerce and Labor III was
said today bv persons familiar with
the situation that tEis shake-up Will
not be worse than what is In store
Tor one or two othar bureaus.