The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1910-12-17
ADDS HALF HOUR
TO WORKING DAY
President Gets In Bad With
Washington Clerks.
FLOODED WITH PETITIONS

Employees Of Retail and Department
Stores Draw Doleful Picture Of
What VIII Happen II Government
Employees Are Obliged to Join or.
dlnsry RsbbIe In Rush For Six
O'Clock cars-Taft Asks Pertinent
Question Of Visiting Delegation.
Washington, Dec. II. 49, President
Taft authorized his cabinet officers,
in their discretion, to add half an
hour to the working day of the 10000
or more government clerks under
their control. This is another move
on the presidents part in the inter
est OF economy, and 1t has been
taken in the face of the usual storm
Of protest that arises in Washington
whenever the question OF lengthening
the hours for government employees
has come up.
The government clerk used to go
to work at o o'clock in the morning
and remained on only until in the
afternoon, with half an hour for
luncheon. This made working day
of only 61z hours. The clerks in ad-
dition had vacation Of 30 working
days with pay and 30 days sick leave
each year. together with all national
holidays and half Saturdays during
the months of July, August and Sep.
tember.
A great howl went up when Presi.
dent Roosevelt tackled half an hour
onto the government clerks working
day four years ago, making the clos
ing hour In the afternoon at 4:30. At
that time the government clerks had
the support of the Washington mer-
chants, the department store girls,
the chamber of commerce and nearly
all the civic organizations In the
Washington directory. The Washing
ton newspapers published columns
explaining how the poor government
employees would be ground down and
how the business OF the city would
be ruined because the departments
would not close early enough to give
clerks a chance to do their shopping
before supper time
However, the half hour was added,
and everything went along as smooth
ly as before, with many thousands OF
dollars saved annually to the govern.
ment. When further addition TO
the working hours was suggested in
President Taft's cabinet the hula
balloo began again. Committees have
been stumbling over each other on
their way to the White House TO pro-
test. The old picture of the happy
family circle broken by the failure OF
the government clerk to get home in
time for supper has been revived
and painted anew. The narrowing
details of the crush in the trolley
cars when the government employees
are obliged to join with the ordinary
o'clock home-going throng have
been presented to the public again.
A delegation of retail salesmen and
saleswomen called at the White
House to protest. So also did a COM
mittee from the Retail Clerks Inter
national Protective association, who
In part represented the retail mer-
chants association of the chamber of
commerce. The department store
employees complained that If the
hours OF government clerks were in
creased they (the retail salesmen)
would have to remain behind the
counter later.
One set of resolutions presented
declared that the government clerks
had spent years of toll and much
money in obtaining the shorter hours
and improved conditions they now
enjoy. Some of the visiting delega-
tions are said 10 have been surprised
when the president inquired whether
or not the government was to be run
for the benefit OF the clerks in the
Washington stores.
Polls have been taken on the prop
osltion of an extension OF the worl,-
ing hours, one Washington news
paper having made a poll of the gov
ernment clerks themselves on the
proposition. The clerks voted against
IL.
The president and his cabinet con-
sidered the proposition for about tw
hours, and finally decided In favor Of
the increase, but agreed to leave it
optional with the heads OF the de-
partments as TO when the additional
half-hour rule shall be applied. When
the departments are crowded VITA
work il will be up to the clerks to
remain on the job until o'clock in
the afternoon They will receive IL
same pay that they get for the short.
er hours,