The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-02-26
TREASURY CLERKS
TO BB CARED FOR
Will Be Distributed Among
Two Other Departments.
A BUSINESS METHOD" PLAN
Practical Illustration of Way Gov
eminent Inquiry to stamp Out oh
sOIete Systems VIII Work shown
In Promise of War and Commerce
Heads 10 Take the Clerks.

/ Practical illustration Of the way plans
for the governmental business methods
commission will work out was observed
yesterday in the fact that the IL clerks
to be relieved from duty in the Treasury
Department will be distributed as rapidly
as needed 10 nj vacancies as they Oc-
CURED IN the departments of War and
Commerce and Labor.
II is also expected that the seventy en-
ployes of the Philadelphia mint who are
to be laid of. as a measure in the econ
ony programme of the administration. as
announced exclusively in The Washington
Herald yesterday, will be taken care Of
among other departments. In the case of
the Philadelphia mint employees. it was
said at Mr. Norton's office yesterday, au-
tomato adding and weighing machines
which are being installed make # possible
TO eliminate a substantial part Of the
clerical force. The result will be a saving
Of 100000 a year for this item, and the
order viii go into effect on March l. This
saving Of $l00,000 year and that Of $4,000
a year covered by the laying off OF IL
clerks I'm this city. 1t is said. makes clear
the necessity for the government business
methods commission proposed by Senator
Aldrich.
The only difficulty apprehended by SEN
ator Aldrieh, Senator Bourne. Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury Norton. and
others interested in the work Of stamping
out obsolete methods of doing government
work, which is to be undertaken by the
commission as soon as the Aldrich bill be
comes a law. has been the responsibility
OF caring for employees whose services
are found unnecessary.
VIII BE Tried Soon.
The plan Of filing vacancies In all the
departments from among employees re-
lieved from duty as a consequence Of the
work of the commission. instead Of fill
ing such positions from the rolls Of civil
service applicants. explained in The
Washington Herald yesterday morning.
will be tried as soon as possible in the
case Of the III Treasury clerks TO be dis
pensed with.
Chief Clerk SohOfieid yesterday declared
that the War Department VIII take care.
OF as many Of these employees as possible,
and the same information was obtained
at Mr.. Nagers department.
It is this plan. suggested to Senator
Aldrich for the benefit Of the commission
by those supporting the bill which viii
create the body, that is relied upon TO
make room for employees found doing
work being done by other employees or
carrying out obsolete methods which can
be dispensed with
The War Department has sometimes
as many as ten vacancies week. II is
one. IL not the largest, of the executive
departments, its rolls mastering 1900
persons in Washington. II is believed by
persons interested in the bill providing
for the commission that there is not as
great a percentage Of obsolete methods
and duplication of work in the War and
Navy departments as may be found in
some Of the other departments where po- |
litical employees are given positions.
Both the War and Navy departments |
have in force a rigidly carried out eff
fciency system, established under the |
regime Of President Harrison in 1892, and |
there is an investigation of records and |
switching Of employees in these two de-
partments every six months. Any en-
ploye who falls below certain average |
of efficiency is either denoted or elimi- /
mated.
Officers Prone 10 scrutinize.
In addition to this It is said that army |
and navy officers in charge of various /
bureaus are more prone to scrutinize and /
do away with old methods and prevent |
duplication, largely because these officers |
are constantly coming and going, sue /
ceeding each other in various details. than /
are the heads Of bureaus appointed as
political rewards for campaign work In the /
civilian departments Of the government
In addition. It is expected that the bust
ness methods commission will have little /
to do in the War Department in particu-
lar. where about half of the force comes
under the direction Of Gen. Ainsworth.
who. it is we'll known, has little use for
red tape and other unnecessary work
which the business methods commits
sion VIII cut down in order to
save the government some OF the mil
ions of dollars OF expense Senator Aid
rich, Senator Bourne, and others interest
ed in the bill have declared can be saved /
by the installation of modern methods and Il
he treatment Of governmental operations
Is If they were the operations OF a big II
in private business.