Evening star., 1917-01-24
CLERKS PAY Off
S154 SINCE 1855
At Same Time Cost of Life's
Necessities Has Been Mount
ing Steadily.
STATISTICIAN GIVES FACTS

| Salaries paid government employees in
| the clerical groups have declined S154 per
, year since 1855. according to Ethelbert
Stewart, acting commissioner of labor
statistics of the Department of Labor.
The salaries of employees of the United
States Treasury Department employed in
Washington have been made the subject
OF special investigation by Mr.. Stewart.
and what he finds true of them is true of
all employees of the government service,
he says.
There have been some increases in
salaries in the administrative force Mr..
Stewar; said today. but it will be noted
that these are among the very high sal
aried officials and these are more than
offset by the large number of clerical po
sitions IN the lower grades"
Contrast in Living Cost.
Contrasting the decline in the salaries.
the statistician resorts to cold, hard fig
ures which he has collected to give the
other side of the picture, showing the in
crease in prices of foods and other ma
terials which family consumes day by
day
In 1855 the predominating salaries were
Sl,4OO and Sl,6G0, with less than 20 per
cent of all the positions paying $1,000
or less, Mr.. Stewart continued The
average salary in the Treasury Depart
ment in 1855 was S1.434: in 1916, the aver
age salary in the clerical department was
Sl.2S0, reduction of Sl54 per year in the
pay of clerks in 1916 as compared with
1865.
Men Got Raise of SO a Year.
There were no women employed in
1855 Comparing the salaries of male
clerks. it will be seen that the men
alone have received the munificent in
crease of 50 per year in their average
salary. which was s1.434 in 1855 and
S1.443 in 1916. The figures of this table
show very clearly that the government
that the amount Or depression acted as
a total reduction of the average to the
extent of 1854. The average pay of fe-
male clerks in the Treasury Depart
ment in the District of Columbia in
1916 was S1.0S3, and 1.176 are SO en-
pioyed.
The tendency of the government to
depress salaries is also seen in the next
group, that of messengers. The pre-
dominating salary in 1856 was $40,
while in 1916 the predominating wage
group in this classification is $720. Con-
sidering only the male messengers, the
table shows that the average salary of
the messenger has been reduced from
1928 in 1855 to $707 in 1916.
"Watchmen have Jared little better"
continued the speaker "All watchmen
in the Treasury Department were paid
$500 each in 1855, while in 1916. sew
enty-one of the seventy-three employed
are receiving the munificent sum of
$50 per month. In 1856, but one man
1ah He
1915. The predominating wage in 1915
in $500. but, as an Offset to this munifi-
cence. three lower grades have been
established. the lowest one. $3.50 a
year.
Tables Show Salaries.
Elaborate tables have been prepared
by the statistician showing minutely
the salaries of employees of the Treas
ury Department employed in the Ma
tional Capital in 1855 and in 1916.
According to these statistics, the ad-
ministrative force in 1865 was com
posed of thirty-nine male employees
the highest salaried of which was
$4,000. and the lowest salaried. $500,
the thirty-nine averaging s2,63S. In
1916 the administrative force was COM
posed of 129 male employees. of which
the highest salaried is $4,000 and the
/ ID
airy of s3,255.
Statistics of the clerical force reveal
total Of 3S5 male employees in 1865.
with an average salary of S1,434, as
of 2.565 male and female employees. of
which 1889 are male and 1.176 are fe-
male. The present male force gets
an average salary of s1,443. the female
force an average of s1.os9. and the
average salary of the combined force
is given as $3.50. The figures reveal
49s clerks. divided about half and
half" between men and women, receiV-
ing a salary of $1,000 today. There are
4s4 women getting $1,000, as compared
with ninety-three men, and 237 women
getting $500. as compared with eighty
six men
how Messengers Fare.
Messengers. assistant messengers and
messenger boys totaled twenty-three in
1855. with an average salary of s723.
Today there is a force of 10 males and
five females. the men receiving an aver
age salary OF $707 anC the women an
average of s76S, making total aver
age of s709.
There were sixteen watchmen in
1855. getting an average of $500, while
today there are seventy-four watch
men. getting an average salary of ST34
There was but one laborer in 1855 as
Mr.. Stewart pointed out, and he got
S316 for his yearly labor. Today there
are SO male and thirty-two female la
borers. with an average of ss92 and
$500. respectively. There are l46 char
women today. earning $345 per annun
each. As the statistician pointed out.
10 onset the larger wages paid laborers
today there have been created several
lower grades. one as low as $3.50
Table of Pay in 1855.
transcript of the salaries paid in
the Treasury Department to employees
in the District as OF the date of Sep
tember 80. 1855. as shown by the Off
cial register. is summarized as follows.
sl.so0 clerks .-....- IA s25.20O
sl,too clerks ..---.... lol 16l, 800
S1,4o0 clerks -.-.-..... 11S 2i9.200
$1,000 clerks 1900
$1,000 clerks ..... 20 81 900
S1.100 clerks ..... . 200