Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-30
DELAYS TEACHERS PAY
Ruling Against Method of Pre-
pairing the Rolls.
DUTY IMPOSED ON CLERKS
Appeal From the Decision by Dis
trict Officials.
DECLARED TO BE INJUSTICE
Requirement Not in Conformity
With the Practice Of Federal
Government Departments.

Public school teachers will not receive
during the present school year, unless the
controller of the Treasury comes to their
rescue.
Upon his overruling a decision of the
auditor for the State and other depart
ments which requires that the pay rolls
must be prepared by the clerks of the
board of education depends the prompt
payment of the employees of the public
school system.
Should the task of preparing monthly
pay rolls be required of the clerical force
OF the board of education, it would be
practically a physical impossibility to Sc
cure the payment of school salaries by
the 1st of each month without seriously
sacrificing other important administra-
tive work of the board of education"
This is the view expressed by District
Auditor Tweedale and by Louis c. Will
son, District disbursing officer.
The teachers were paid time last
year because the preparation of the type
written pay rolls was carried out, under
contract, by an outside firm.
Disallowed by Treasury Auditor.
When the bills for the work from Janu-
ary 1 to March 81, which have been paid,
came up to be audited by the auditor for
the State and other departments, he dis
allowed the payments, holding that there
was no authority for such expenditures.
In view of this ruling, the board of edu-
cation and the District auditor and dis
bursting officer have stopped the prepara-
ton OF the payrOlls by an outside firm.
The result Is that the teachers will not
get their October pay Monday. November
| i. There Will be delay of several days
in issuing the pay checks, and this, ac-
cording to Secretary Harry o. Hine OF
the board of education, will continue un-
less the controller overrules the quoted
decision and permits outside work on the
| payrolls.
Insufficient clerical force at school head
quarters. Secretary Hine declared this
| morning, makes 1t impossible to carry or
| the proper administrative work OF the
| schools and the preparation of the pay
rolls in the Office OF the board Of educa'
ton. r.
In the interest Of the prompt paying o.
, the teachers salaries an appeal from the
| decision of the auditor of the State and
other departments was filed with the con
| troller of the Treasury today by Auditor
| Tweedale and Disbursing officer Wilson
1t points out that the disallowance OF the
| claims for outside typewriting was made
! on the ground that Congress has made
| provision for a clerical force and the roll:
should have been made up by that force
Magnitude of the Work.
when it is considered that the prepa-
| ration Of one months school pay roll
involves in the neighborhoed of 1000
names the magnitude of the task Is ap-
parent" the appeal states. School pay
rolls must be furnished in at least three
copies..-one. the original, to be transmit
ted In the accounts of the disbursing Of
| n officers
| treasury; the second, the duplicate, to
be filed in the Office of the District audi
tor: and the third. the triplicate, to be
filed in the office of the board of educa.
| tion.
| Should the task of preparing monthly
pay rolls be required of the clerical force
of the board OF education it would re-
suit, so we are informed. in the work
devolving upon one employe. who hap
| pens to be the only stenographer and
typewriter in the executive office of the
board, the District officials state. and
| the sacrifice of other important admin
istrative work.
"Adverting to the reason advanced by
| the auditor for the State and other de
partments in disallowtng the expenditures
made by the District government for the
typewriting of school payrolls. that Con
gress has made provision for a clerica
out by this force" the communication
adds. 'your attention is invited to the
| fact that this view does not hold good
with respect to the preparation of pay.
| rolls of the federal departments by the
| clerical forces provided by Congress fol
those departments.
Custom in the Departments.
I'VE find upon inquiry at the govern.
ment printing office that payrolls of the
following departments and bureaus of the
| federal government are printed. and no,
prepared by the clerical forces of those
departments and bureaus: Senate House
| of Representatives, Library Of Congress
superintendent of Library building. Treas
ury Department (separate payroll fol
each bureaD, Post Office Department,
separate payroll for each bureau: New
York city post Office, clerks and carriers
| Interior Department, including pension
office, patent Office, land Office Indiar
| office. bureau of education and also the
government printing Office itself
If the rule of law is to be adopted tina
the payrolls of the public schools are tt
be prepared by the clerical force OF tn,
| board Of education we are unable to set
In what manner. without gross discrimi
! nation, the present practice of printins
| the payrolls Of the departments and bu
| reaus OF the federal government above
mentioned can be continued. II the pra
| tice is a proper and legal one with re
spect to the departments and bureaus o
the federal government 1t is likewise
proper and legal one with respect to tn,
| DayrOllS Of the DIIhlic schools