Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-27

| easier than they are today.
The government clerk, under the law, Is
required to work seven full hours each
week day. BY executive order the clerks
are permitted in the summer months to
| leave their work at 1 o'clock Saturdays
| and go to their homes. In order that they
may have a half hours recess In the mid
die Of the day in which to take their
| i~-.:. Oil the departments open at .
o'cloc.. N t.c morning and close at 4:oo
o'clock Il, the afternoon.
Under Roosevelt Administration.
| Until Roosevelt's administration the
government employees went to work at
O'Clock in the morning and left, or were
allowed to leave. their offices at o'clock.
With half hour out in the middle of the
day they were therefore employed but
six and half hours. The departments
closed. too, at noon Saturdays in the sum-
mer months.
Twenty-Five years ago the departments
closed at 3 o'clock Saturday afternoon all
the year round There were many of the
government offices that closed at 3
o'clock each day. 1t is apparent. there
fore. that the actual hours of work re-
quired of the government clerks has been
increased considerably in the last twenty
five years.
Furthermore. while under the letter Of
4:3O o'clock every afternoon. there are
hundreds OF them In all the departments.
1t is said. who stay at their desks till D.
$50 and even o'clock nearly every day,
in order to finish up the allotted tasks
II they did not give these extra hours to
their work the government business
would get behind. With the work for the
government constantly increasing and a
constant cry from Congress for economy.
which prevents the employment of addi-
tional clerks to help handle the business.
the regular force is obliged to put in
many hours each year for which the en-
plOyes receive no compensation.
There are many government matters
| which have to do with live business con-
Germs and which must be settled as quick
| ly as possible to avoid a clash with the
| commercial activity of the country This
| Is true of the questions which come up
every day In the customs division of the
Treasury Department. and it is true of
many OF the questions which are con-
sidered in the divisions Of the Depart
ment OF Commerce and Labor. The
clerks to whom these questions are as
signed for answer cannot let them ac-
cumulate on their desks. The fact that
they do not have time in the hours be-
| tween 9 In the morning and 4:3o in the
afternoon to consider them is not re-
garded. They must finish the tasks be-
| fore they leave their desks. even IL they
| remain there until or o'clock.
Expansion Of Business.
| AS the country has grown and ex-
panded the task of the government has
grown. There are divisions in the de-
partments which are doing 1o per cent
| more work today than they did twenty
five years ago. In some cases the rate
Of increase has been far greater than
that. and yet the number OF employees in
these divisions is practically the same.
The chief of division in the Treasury
Department says the clerks under his
| supervision are doing nearly SO per cent
more than they did a dozen years ago.
yet he has In his division today thirty
| employees where he had thirty-two twelve
years ago.
Such conditions as to the duties OF the
! clerks are to be found in all the depart
| ments, It is declared. There is a great
visions of the government. as there is in
| the worlds work outside the government
| departments. So true is this 1t is claimed.
/ that there are thousands of clerks EN-
| ployed In the departments who are ex-
perts In their one line OF work. They
are enabled to do more In certain line
| by this specialization. but il one clerk
Sanv mas to tbe desk OF
man in another division he would be
comparatively slow.
Government a Monopoly.
The government has become a monopoly
| so far as the supply and demand of men
| and women for certain duties are con-
cerned. II this were not true. 1t is said
the government could not keep these men
| aud women at the salaries which are now
paid them. II there were a private bust
ness house who wanted these specialists
| 1t could afford to pay them far more for
their services than the government now
I ia
| hear of a mans leaving the government
| service to take place with private
concern at salary far In advance OF
| tina. which he had received from Uncle
/ Sam. This is where the government and
the business world touch each other close
| ly. But there are thousands of employees
| who are laboring just as hard for the
| government as are their fellows who
leave tine service to take big jobs outside
| and who will never have an opportunity
| to take outside employment merely be-
cause there is no other business which
demands the same kind of expert work
| which they do for the government.
Have Greater Responsibilities.
| The responsibilities put upon the gov
eminent employees have been much i'm
| creased, II is conceded as the volume of
| responsible work has increased. All of
their work ultimately goes TO the head of
| the departments for approval. theoretical
| ly, but the department heads must, be-
| cause Of the great volume of business.
rely to a great extent upon their subordi-
mates. and their signatures are affixed to
| the orders and papers with little more
than cursory glance In many instances.
These clerks are held responsible. there
fore. by their superiors. and II they fail
to make good or a mistake slips through
| off go their heads, or. at the least, they
4 lose all chance of advancement.
/ The discipline under which the clerks
| labor is much more severe than 1T was
twenty-five years ago, say the clerks
| who have been long in harness. Under
! the law they are all allowed leave of
thirty days each year and thirty days
| sick leave in addition If they are ill or
| IL circumstances of great Importance
| over which they have control force
1 them to he absent from their desks. But
/ il clerk is sick and wishes to have
/ the time he loses from his desk cast up
/ against his sick leave he must bring to
the department a sworn statement to
i the effect that he was too i'll to go to
his office. and also PHYSICIANS GER