Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-01
BorIand Scheme Will Be Con-
sidered at Gathering Under
Organized Labor's Lead.
GOMPERS AND OTHERS
ARE SLATED TO SPEAK
Efforts to Induce Government En-
ployes to Join Unions Also
to Be Made.

Detailed plans for great mass
meeting to be held Friday night
at 8 o clock at the National Rifles
armorv. oIo e. street northwest,
under the auspices OF organized
| labor. in behalf OF the govern
ment employees and i'll opposition
to the Borland rider pending in
the House. which would lengthen
their hours of labor. were an
nounced TODAY at the headquar-
ters OF the StenoSrap1ers. Type
writers. Bookkeepers and AS
sistants' Union. in the American
Federation of Labor building.
Gompers to Be Speaker.
Samuel Gompers, president of the
federation, will be the principal
government employees in Washington
will crowd the hall. The meeting will
be called to order by Edward Tucker.
president of the Central Labor Union of
Washington, and labor leaders from
out of town communities will be here.
One of the speakers will be President
Ferguson of the Mars.an State and
District of Columbia Federation of
Labor. Frank Morrison. secretary of
EnIn yryin L
and an address will be delivered by
Thomas F. Flaherty. secretary and
treasurer of the National Federation of
Post Office Clerks.
Considerable attention will be paid
the government employees to join the
unions and affiliate with organized
labor They have been doing so in
large numbers the past few days, but
today scare" story of some kind got
around town that they are not allowed
to afiIiate with organized labor. which
is officially denied at the federation
headquarters.
Have Right to Join Union.
1t was said that the so-calIed Lloyd
La Toilette provisions of the post Of
flee appropriation bill of the Sixty-sec-
ond Congress specifically allow gov
ernment employees to join labor unions.
and it is also pointed out at labor
Headquarters that their right to do SO
is proven by the existence of the Ma
tiopa] Federation Of Post Office Clerks
and the existence in San Francisco of
the Association of Civil Service En-
ployes. which is affiliated directly with
the American Federation OF Labor.
The meeting will be held under the
auspices of the Central La Dor Union,
Of which the Stenoeraphers, type
writer's. Bookkeepers and Assistants
Union is part. a committee OF the
Central Labor Union. headed by Henry
Nolda. is making arrangements for the
meeting.
Takes Issue With MI. Borland.
A government clerk who desires to
preserve his anonymity, but who has
close knowledge of conditions affecting
stenoRraphers and typewriters in the
government service. in an interview to-
day took issue with statements that
have been made by Mr.. Borland to the
effect that government employees receive
more pay for similar work than en-
ployes of private concerns. He said
the statement is mistake, so far as
stenographers and typists are con-
cerned.
when passed the civil service ex-
animation. about FIVE years ago. in
Buffalo. " " he said, the impression
was general among stenoeraphers IN
that city that the civil service exami-
nations were decidedly stiff and that
only about one-third of those who tried
succeeded in passing them. short
time after I came to Washington
looked into this matter. as set forth in
a report of the civil service commits
sion. and. if my memory is correct, only
about 35 per cent of those who tried
succeeded in passing the stenographer
and typewriter examination
Outside of Washington the idea also
is prevalent that government jobs pay
well and offer assurance Of reasonably
rapid promotion This idea induces. in
my opinion, the best stenographers in
the country to try the examinations. 1t
follows, then. that il only 50 per cent
of these pass. the government is get
ting the cream of the stenographher
Wide Gulf Between Glasses.
There is a wide gulf between the ste
nographer engaged in the usual kind of
commercial work and the government, ste
nographer.
Fresh from high school or business
college, without experience. setnog-
rapher can easily get salary OF $50 a
month in commercial work The civil
service commission specifically stated
when ! tried the examination that such
stenographers were not desired. The en-
trance salary of $9Oe is, it seems. what
the government is willing to pay for ex-
perience. a difference OF $500 a year. An
employer knows that experience is worth
the money However. though the civil
service commission advertised in bulletins
that the entrance salary was $500, yet
when / received notice that | had passed
the examination ! also received blank
form requesting me to name the lowest
salary / would accept.
There is no doubt that some govern
ment clerks will resign If the eight-hour
measure passes. and these will be mostly
young, unmarried men. The married men
and the government-acclimated men could
not afford to resign. They would have to
be requested to resign"
Many Pay Income Tax in New York
NEW YORK, March IAN estimate