Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-10
P[EAFOR WORKERS
QUICKLY GRANTED
Secretary McAdoo Orders g.
Hour Day and Six-Day Week
at Engraving Bureau.

An eight-hour day and a six-day
week, for both men and women, have
been ordered into effect at tho bureau
Of engraving and printing. After re-
cetpt of a report from the special COM
mittee OF Investigation. Secretary Nc
Adoo issued the order.
The report of the committee explains
the extraordinary demands made upon
the bureau by war conditions. greater
than at any previous time. and only ap-
preached during the Spanish American
war. It finds that this necessity for
overtime no longer exists. and makes
the recommendation which the order OF
Secretary McAdoo carries into effect.
Two days for adjustment before the
order Is effective also 10 recommended
by the committee:
Disallowance of Saturday haif-holi-
days. revocations of leaves OF absence
and refusal of. permission to take civil
service examinations for employment in
other branches of the government serv-
ice, matters also referred to the COM
mittee, are not at this time passed
upon. A supplemental report will be
made.
Committees Report.
The committee consists of Oscar T.
Crosby, assistant secretary OF the
Treasury; Oscar A Price. auditor for
the Interior Department. and ]. L. VII
meth. chief clerk Of the Treasury De-
partment Its report stated that the
come to the conclusion that. tn view
Of the advanced stage OF all OF the
emergency work recently imposed upon
| the bureau. 1t Is now feasible to place
np 70
eight-hour basis both for men and
women.
The operations connected with the
liberty loan have imposed enormous
and unprecedented demands for the
preparation of various certificates and
bonds ami in quantities which could
not be accurately Predetermined. The
number of documents Of given kind
that would be required could be made
known only after subscriptions were
in; but nevertheless large Prepara.
tions had to be made on the basis OF
assumptions concerning the different
denominations and terms OF payment
| that would be subscribed by the public
Since June Is some information on this
| subject was at hand. but not accurately
| in many respects until after Juno 2S.
| the date of the drat installment for
payments. The very great discrepancy
| between some of the anticipations In
these respects and the actual results
| have caused shortages OF one kind or
another in these papers and the bureau
! has been subjected to many instant de-
mands from various federal reserve
banks to meet the exigencies OF the
| situation thus created. There also have
been extraordinary demands for federal
| reserve bank notes. United States our
fency, checks of the various disbursing
onicera Philippine silver certificates
and stamps for both internal revenue
and the postal servica Some Of the
orders placed with the bureau have
been sublet to private plants on &C
count Of tho impossibihty OF meeting
1.-THE urgent demands of the government
by Tho bureau. even when working Its
force overtime
Pressing Orders Well in Hand.
| I'VE ind, however. that all pressing
| orders are now SO we'll in hand that
while certain Inconvenience and an In
| crease of expense may result in some
branches Of the work, 1t Ia deemed by
the committee best to have the whole
plant operated now tsay with delay
| Of two days for adjustment OF service
conditions) upon an eight-hour basis
! for six days week.
| It remains. however. that certain 9th
er matters. such as allowance of satur-
day half-holidays, revocation of leave
Of absence. and permission to take civil
service examinations for employment In
~
ice. are yet to be inquired into. and
made the subject OF supplemental re-
port"
made claims that they were compelled
to work In some cases as much as
twelve hours day. including Sundays
| Protests had been made to the Score
tary Of the Treasury by Miss Jean
nette Rankin. representative from Mon
tana. various labor leaders and others
Order Satisfactory to Director.
me" said Director Ralph today. I'm
doing my work here. and will do 1t the
best ! know how"
Director Ralph is resentful Of the
fear reported to have been tntimated
plainants among the woman employees,
that the girls who testified yesterday
may be disciplined by him;
They do not need Miss Rankins
protection from me for anything they
may have said" he declared. "There
never has been punishment inflicted
for criticisms OF my naturalization
and there will be none In this instance
or any other hope am too big and
| Assistant Secretary Crosby made 1t
known today that his efiioe. which has
supervision over the bureau, has been
to. e en' SOM. time With
to Tightening conditions at the earliest
possible moment. The committee had
prepared q report before the meeting
vas held yesterday afternoon. which
10 suppcsediy in form mueh a. it was
given out latsr in the day. following
hs hearing in the hyrssu: ,.1o ...,o.x
in the bureau. Mr.. Crosby. chairman.
vas not present, owing to pressure Of
his regular duties. The hearing was
conducted BY other members Of the
thS interior Department, and James l.
Wilmsth, chief clerk Of the Treasury
department. Miss Rankin was present.
re.timanv AZ "a Employes Taken,