Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1910-11-26
SOME CURIOUS JOBS
Uncle Sam Employs People In
Many Queer Occupations.
Among Them Are Wastebasket In
sPectors, q Man Who Destroys $1,~
100000 q Day and Ono Who
Playa With Toy ships.

ments run in Uncle Sans service
necessarily there are many odd jobs.
some of which, though obscure, are
very important. There is the work
Of inspecting the contents of the
waste baskets in the treasury depart
ment. for instance. The two women
who perform this service occupy
room in the basement of the great
granite building and they spend the
entire day mulling over the scraps of
paper. red tape and other articles
that find their way into the depart,
mental waste baskets. They are ex-
perts In this humble calling. The
paper is sorted according to quality,
and all bits of Irvine and rubber band
are thrown to one side.
The chief purpose of this examina-
ton is to guard against the loss of
money and valuable papers. 1t would
be an easy thing for bundle OF bank
notes or treasury notes to slip into
waste basket. The women have
caught more than one valuable pack
age OF this kind. Also, they have =
keen eye open for official letters, re-
ports and other documents which have
come to their baskets through care
lessness. These women are paid $3.50
year each. Last year 81 600 was So
cured from the sales of waste paper
sorted by them.
On the top floor Of the same build
Ing is a chemist who tolls all day
long amid samples OF oleomargarine,
near-butter and fake WHISTLES. The
samples are sent to him by suspicious
government agents who think the but
ter manufacturers and distillers are
evading the law against adulteration.
In addition to being a high-class
chemist this man ia an expert wit
ness.
A slnecure.
The man who watches over the
plates and dies from which the gov
eminent paper money and bonds are
printed receives $4,000 a year for his
sinecure. The law makes the Secre-
tary of the Treasury personally re-
sponsible for this valuable property
The Secretary in turn intrusts 1t to
man in whom he has complete con-
ndence and who is responsible to the
Secretary and to no one else. At the
close of each day this man gathers up
the dies and plates. puts them in the
safe. and the next morning hands
them out again.
Then there is the man who does
nothing but write his signature from
morning till night When Secretary
MacVeagh took up his duties at the
Treasury Department he was appalled,
by mass of treasury warrants,
vouchers and other routine papers
which the law required that he should
sign. Other secretaries had been the
slave of the same custom. Secretarv
Manning came nearest to freeing MINI
self from the irksome requirement.
His name, save for the final letter G,
was written on all routine documents
by a clerk. Mr.. Manning supplied the
missing letter and the comptroller
said it was all right.
Secretary MacVeagh improved this
scheme by inducing Congress at the
late session to pass law authoriz-
ing clerk to do his signing Now
John Kiley attends to this Job, affix-
ing his name for Franklin Mac
veagh." Kiley can sign from 500 to
1900 documents a day.
At the Department of Agriculture
for the past two years three scient-
lists have been engaged in examining
the contents of the stomachs of birds
They are trying to find out whether
certain birds are the friends or enc
mics OF farmers. Special agents IN
the field Stay the birds by the hun
dred and ship their stomachs to
Washington in alcohol Some of the
results have been surprising It has
been discovered that hawks and owls
are not the wicked birds OF prey the
farmers thought them to be, and. In
stead OF shooting these supposed
marauders. the intelligent agricultur
list protects them. He realizes that
although they may occasionally kill q
chicken. they perform valuable serv
ice in hunting the voracious rodents
which destroy alike grain products
young trees and eggs of birds.
Three women who have recently
come to the front in the government
service by reason OF exceptional abil
ity or the performance OF unusual
duties are Miss Anna II. Shortridgt
OF the State Department. Miss Mar
garet Kelley OF the Treasury Depart
ment. and Mrs. Mabel p. Leroy of the
Interior Department. Miss Shortridge
Is the highest paid woman in the gov
eminent service. her salary beins
50 800 year. She is a lawyer and
an authority on international lega
points. She was formerly employed
In the Department OF Justice. where
her remarkable talents attracted tn,
q personal attention OF Mr.. Knox wher
he was the Attorney General. H,
frequently detailed her to prepar.
government briefs in important cases
When Mr.. Knox entered the Stat,
Department the first thing he did wal
to ask for the transfer OF Miss Short
; ridge from the Department of Justice
Takes Mans Place.