The Washington times., 1916-03-03
Claims Government Work Cannot BE
Chased As Clerical.

To the Editor OF THE TIMES:
have read with interest the letter OF
clerks, and the comments In Congress,
but there is one phase OF the matter
that has not been discussed.
Mr.. Borland says ut should be re-
membered that Government employees
are better paid than men and women
doing similar work in private lines"
The work performed by the great ma
iorIty of Government CLERKS has no
counterpart in private business. IL Is
true that both I'm the Government serV-
ice and In private employment tnere
will be found stenographers. file clerks,
and clerks doing ordinary clerical or
bookkeeping work. However, the WORK
performed by 80 per cent OF the So
called clerks" Is of quasi-judicial
nature. and not the class OF work per-
assigned to the "job" OF issuing or SELL
ing dog tags or hucksters' licenses.
As an example. the writer. n low sal
aried clerk, doing identically the same
work as a clerk sitting beside him,
who draws. however. much hlgnei
salary because of mere length o. serv.
| ice-or, to put 1t another way my
appointment Is more recent-iateiY mac
| for consideration a case involving nun
dreds OF thousands of dollars. wnicT
case required in its handling not tne
| five-minutes that NAV be required &c
| n
| fee. hut many days of several weeks
| consideration of volumtnous RECORDS
THE vast majority OF so-called clerks
are adjudicating questions involving
vast sums OF money. ana personal ant
property rights. public and private, ex
| cent in a few of the departments, where
| the work Is purely ministerial, stats
| tIcal or routine. For the class OF worl
| performed and the concentration re
| auired, the hours are now sufricienti!
| long. ,,,,,- -
too many cheap employees who do no
| 40 n fuil DAYS work" Most of tn
clerks have known are conscientious
| Many adiudicatingc'erks take pride u
their particular assignment. and TAX
work home with them to be considere'
ut their leisure after they have ha'
vslking home. or riding to the suburbs
their evening dinner. and little &C
uuaintance with their families. 1t Is
well known fact among Governmep
employees that while the reviewing an
supervising officers in all the depart
ments are charged with responsibility
and the clerks are supposed to be re
soonsiblr onlv for the correctness o
facts. the clerk II expected ana ~
duired to surmise and anticipate. m
action OF the higher officers. VIII
usually adont the matter prepared ia
|, their signature. although sometime
modifying same. the expression Of th
nodifica tions. however, to be made b
the clerk
> My advice to Mr.. Borland and otf
ers OF similar opinion, Is that the
nay a visit some day to some of th
: departments and have tho neads cor
, duct them Ground to few OF the clerl
| and some of the records. cases. and le
ters on the desks of the so-called clerk
and ascerta'r whPthe~ II is mere ord
nary clerical work that can be non
pared p'''h work rerforIDad In priva
offices. " will " found that even u
work performed bv the stenoRraphe
= is NJ n character recurring higher y
!, telliCence than IL demanded by u
usual business firm Even some OF Il
-. higher grade file clerks are exDected
be wslkinR enclycopaedias OF anciel
J: official history. -