Evening star., 1918-05-31
STAGGERED HOURS
PLAN EXTENDED
War Trade Board Adopts
Scheme-WiII Serve
Breakfasts.

StaEgered hours for the opening
ana closing Of government depart.
ments, recommended by Traffic Ex.
pert Beeler for relieving congestion
on washington's street car. lines
voluntarily have been adopted by an
other government agency-the Waz
Trade Board.
This department. which is located
at goth and B streets. and has 1.70t
employees, will open at $3.50 in the
future and close at 4:30 Pm. except
Saturdays. when the closing hour will
1890 pm. The present hours are
am. and $50 pm. which means
that half an hour will be gained by
the employees under the new schedule.
To Serve Early Breakfast.
To accommodate employees who may
not be able to get breakfast at home
and report for work at the advanced
time, S. D. Maddox, director OF ad-
ministration of the war trade board.
has arranged to serve breakfast IN
the departments lunch room between
7:s0 and $50 am.
The Interior Department. located
on F street between 18th and iSth
streets. and the Department Of Com
merce, at 18th street and Pennsyl,
vania avenue were the first federal
offices to put staggered hours into
effect This was few weeks before
the Beeler recommendations had been
made officially.
Under the Commerce Departments
arrangement 500 employees now report
at $50 am. and 500 at s:45 a. M and
leave correspondingly earlier in the
afternoon. All of the Interior Depart
ment's employees, numbering 2,S2S. re-
port at s:45 am, instead Of am, as
formerly.
Conference to Be Called.
The Beeier recommendations for
staggered hours generally are to be
considered in the near future at a
conference of department heads,
which will be called by the Public Utili-
ties Commission.
Final action on the recommends
tions has been postponed until the
street car companies can work out
more flexible schedules to meet the
assistants and representatives of the
Capital Traction Company are now
working on new schedules for that
system. SO that more cars will be
provided for the early hours called
for under the stagger plan. Schedules
now maintained by the Washington
Railway and Electric Company SINH
lar1y will be altered.
So many government departments
have written to the commission ap-
proving the staggered scheme that its
adoption in the near future seems as
sured. Secretary Daniels of the Navy
Department gave the report his per-
sonal attention and wrote to the COM
mission that he was thoroughly in ac-
cord with the conclusion reached.
War Department Undisturbed.
Benedict Crowell. Acting Secretary
Of War during Secretary Bakers alb
sence abroad. was another who ap-
proved it. The report recommended
no changes in the present hours for
the War Department, as 1T was deem
ed advisable not to disturb the hours
Of those branches directing the most
urgent phases of the war work.
In his letter to the commission Mr..
Crowell stated that If in the working
desirable for the War Department to
change its hours it would endeavor to
Mai. Arthur Williams of the COM
y,1ittee Of the Army and Navy ap-
pointed to study the subject has
written to the commission as follows:
'"The acting chief OF engineers desires
me to say that this office is very much
pleased to find that you have been
able to make suggestions which will
reduce city railway congestion and to
do 1t along the lines which would be
most acceptable to this office. do not
see how any branch of the Army or
Navy can object to the propositions
YOU make.