Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-12-18
TAFT REDUCES OFFICE FORCE
President Orders Clerks Hours to Be
Heightened Half Hour.
CHANGES CHARACTER OF STAFF
chief Executive Takes Another step
In Movement Tn Direction of Econ
Omy and Greater Efficiency
In Government.

WASHINGTON, Dec t7-President Taft
Yesterday authorized members Of his cab.
met TO increase the working hours OF va.
rious department clerks in Washington by
requiring them to report half an hour
earlier in the morning or to remain hall
an hour later in the evening.
As to putting the new order Of things into
effect, however, Mr.. Taft left tho matter
to the discretion of the various department
heads. Just what the outcome will be Is
problematical. Some of the cabinet off
cials are said to faver the longer working
day. while others are not so sure Il would
prove advantageous.
Because OF the character Of the fight re-
Gently waged against adding half an hour
to the seven-hour day, the president was
disposed to put the new order in effect at
once One of the arguments against re-
quiring the clerks to work until instead
Of 4:SO was that It would prevent them
from going to the base ball games in the
summer The merchants of the city made
concerted protest saying the later hours
would require them to keep their shops
open until late in the evening.
The cabinet spent some time on the sub
ject today. In some bureaus of the govern
ment II was gaid the longer hours already
are being observed. In some Of the de-
partments the problem was said to be not
so much an increase in hours as the cut
ting off Of unnecessary employees.
Executive office Force Cut.
Adjustment OF the office Of assistant
secretary to the president and \ complete
reorganization Of the executive office force
at the White House are provided in the
l.,
pending in congress. The changes sug-
gesied by Secretary Norton to put the
executive force on a permanent and non
political footing have been approved by
the house committee on appropriations and
probably will become a law.
The plan contemplates placing the execu-
tive office force in the same position as
other government departments, and instead
Of having two assistant secretaries to the
president. it is proposed that there shall
be an executive clerk and a chief clerk
1t is Mr.. Taft's idea that the secretary 10
the president should be a personal aid.
rather than chief clerk. The civil ser
vice does not apply to White House en-
ployes Under the new scheme, however.
conditions would be practically the same
as though the clerks were in the classified
service. How many of the present clerks
will be retained cannot now be said.
Nine Employees to Go.
At least nine employees are slated to 20.
Efforts are being made to take care of
these in other departments Instead of
two assistant secretaries to the president
at 5000 a year each, the new bill provides
for an executive clerk at 5000 and a chief
clerk at $1,000 An appointment clerk at
$500 takes the place Of the present execu-
tive clerk at $500.
Two expert stenographers are provided
for at $500 each, an accountant at the
same figure; and two correspondence clerks
at $3.50 each. Other clerkship salaries run
from $4,000 down to $1,000 a year.
The total appropriation for the executive
office, including the secretary's salary at
5000 year. is s70.S2o. a decrease of $500
from the current law.