The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-17

The Federal city where the Federal
servant is best understood and most APP
preeiated is agiow with sympathy for
the. old clerks who. having borne the
burden and heat Of the dag of service,
are now to be cast aside 10 struggle
through their remaining years as best
they can This sympathy is deserved
and the feeling is a credit to Washing
ton. but there another portion OF gov
eminent workers who deserve kind
thoughts, and. il possible, practical aid.
The great army of "temporaTies," who
season after season come 90 the rescue
of the government from congested con
ditions, trained clerks they are. of high
degree Of adaptability from serving
many times al many kinds OF work. but
who from belonging to the District or
nearby state, with overdrawn quotas
are unable to secure permanent places.
These people work faithfully for long or
brief terms. then appropriations running
out or work being completed, they are I'M
tremendously dropped until again the gov
eminent needs them. Ii is a precarious
and unsatisfactory manner Of life, but
the best that many can do, for as the
city was created for the government so
its citizens live through their services 10
the government or move away. There
Is practically no other means of liveli-
hood for an educated woman. outside the
professions, in this town but Uncle Sam s
workshops.
Just now this emergency corps is In
| full working array, attacking the vast
bulk Of population data that must be
| quickly gotten into shape as one OF the
initial moves in the getting into work
able form the returns from the enumer-
ators of the citizens of the United States
Bot instead of attacking the task be-
fore them with customary zeal anC
thankful hearts that pay envelopes viii
soon again be In order, this band OF
| trained workers are hard at il, but they
are working sadly, and discouragemen
is the dominant note and probably foi
the first time in the history of Wash.
linRton captions such as government
sweat-shops" and government worker
threaten strike" are appearing in leea
naners. echoes of sentiment exp&sse'
bv those clerks whose loyalty is temper
ariIy weakened by the nerve rack o
trying TO turn out perfect work unde
imperfect but quite durable conditions
Probably the public at large wonder
what all the complaint is about, an
never having been in a position wher
the impossible is required, doesn't under
stand the situation and is somewha
bored by the wall from the workers !
, the Census Bureau. 1t is also very lkel
lthat the officials themselves, those c
high degree and authority. wonder at tn
rife discomfort They have no persona
1 knowledge of the difficulty of punch
D ing" and have probably fallen into tn
D popular belief that the manipulation {
e the machines is work of the muscle rattle
than of the brain matter. 1t is bot
and in large proportion physical lab'
q and mental skill combined. Even With
the ranks Of other clerks in the buildir
whose work is with pen or pencil Il
..puncher'' is considered of the labor'
; class, while the typewriter takes his
: rank. This is unfair. for to assimila
facts from schedules and transfer the
to cards through a system of great
n abbreviated symbols, and to do this
+ a high rate of speed. is brain work
. high order. The task of typist or steno
rapher is far less taxing, for ii
straight-away copying. or composition,
! putting into form words as received. II
# punching is a constant matter Of a
h dition or enumeration. In one case. {
a snnumerator having left . blank. I