Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-17

S~sFa nan nour daily.
Heads Of six departments today stated
definitely that they did not intend at
present to issue orders for an extra half
These departments are State, War, Treas
ury. Pose Office. Agriculture and Interior.
Heads of two departments are still un-
decided. These departments are Navy
and Commerce and Labor.
The head OF one department-the De-
partment Of Justice-has already issued
an order that the clerical force OF the
department shall work until o'clock in
the afternoon. and this order has been
in force for some time. During the sum
mer months the hour Of closing has been
4:sO O'Clock.
The action Of the President and the
cabinet yesterday in leavlng-eo ZACH d.
partment the discrimination whether IN
extra half hour should be asked In his
department did not change the situation
at all, except that 1t made clear that no
general order for all the government de-
partments to close a half hour later Oh
open a half hour earlier would be issued
for the present.
No New Powers Conferred.
No new powers were conferred upon
the heads Of the departments by the de-
cision. Under the law they are empower
ed to keep their clerks at work just a.
long as there is work for them to do And
in all Of the departments many Of the
clerks are kept overtime every day dur
ing the busy periods Of the year. This
practice will be continued by the heads Of
the departments.
The Attorney General, however. took
advantage of his power to order the
clerks to remain until o'clock several
months ago.
While no general order for an extra
half hour for the clerks is to be issued
at present. this does not mean that i'll
the future, II the work Of the government
seems to demand such an order, the gen.
eral order will not be issued.
In the two departments where the mat
ter is still undecided it does not appear
likely that the extra half hour will be
added.
Statements by Secretaries.
Secretary Meyer of the Navy Depart.
ment said today that he had been en-
gagged at the Capitol during the discus
sion of the matter by the cabinet yester-
day. and until he had fully informed him
self on the matter he would not make 4
statement in regard to the closing.
Secretary Nagel stated that no decision
IN the matter had been reached in his
department. 1t rs believed, however that
he will issue no general order putting the
clerks In his department to work beyond
the usual hours.
Like other departmental executiyes.
however. he will put his employees to
work beyond the usual hours if be finds
II necessary to do SO. Mr.. Nagel has al
ways taken the position that a general
order making all the departments work
haf an hour longer was unwise.
He has pointed out that there are MANY
bureaus I'm the various departments that
are fully up with their work. These bu-
reaus should not be required to put in
any more time than now. Bureaus that
are behind with their work should, in his
opinion. be required to keep up with
their work by such extra hours as neces-
sary. Again, he has pointed out, some
classes of work in the departments is
quire extra hours, such as tabulating in
the census. Secretary Nagel has also
stated that in his department, and pre-
sumably in all others, he has found that
where bureaus are behind the clerks
make no objection to doing extra work,
frequently volunteering to do SO.
State and War Departments.
Secretary Knox said this morning in
response 10 q direct inquiry that no
change whatever was contemplated in
the existing system Of hours Of work
In the Department Of State. The cleri-
cal force is efficient and conscientious, IL
was stated, and appeared to be able to
keep Up with current work under the
existing system
Secretary Dickinson was most emphatic
In his declaration that there will be no
change in the working system in the
War Department SO long as present con-
ditions prevail. He explained that the
chief Of every bureau and division In the
War Department had reported to him
that the work In his ONCE was up-to.
date in every respect, and that there was
no occasion for extending the working
hours OF the clerks and other employees.
Under the present system, which has
prevailed for a long time. the practice
has been to exact extra work from the
employees Of any Office or section of an
Office where the work had fallen behind,
That system Is authorised by existing
law and will be continued whenever the
arises. It In made plain. how.
ever, that the exaction Of additional