The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1920-01-05
Federal Jobs in Capital
NoU Stripped of Glamor
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has never percolated through the
halls Of Congress. The service has
never been taken seriously. Had 1T
been the testimony Of Congressman
Nolan, while appearing before the
senate committee in behalf Of his
own minimum wage bill. would not
nave gone into the records.
$4,000 Get Less Than IS.
This minimum wage biIl) is to
try In some way to improve a stu
alton in this country which has ex-
isted since 1884," said Mr.. Nolan.
As testified here, there were some
$4,000 employees when, the investi-
cation was first made and today
there are $1,000 throughout the
country and probably 10000 of them
In the District of Columbia receiv-
Ing less than So day. A number Of
these positions were created and
salaries adjusted and fixed in 1854,
and they have never been adjusted
except through the application Of the
bonus since that time" .
Year after year Congressman have
listened to appeals for reimbursement
OF salaries and positions. Some
times the "ins" have blocked re-
form and again the outs" but dur
ing all this time no dictates of hui
manity, let alone sound economic
reasons. were permitted to swerve
them from the path of Legislative
stagnation.
Truly wondrous System.
Attention has been called to the
fact that inefdciency, in more or
less virulent form, honeycombs the
departments. The marvel is that
there is not more of it. When 1t is
taken into consideration that COM
mon labor yields greater returns
than expert study it must, after all.
be a wondrous system which is able
to function at all.
In every trade and profession. the
lower the pay the more inferior the
work. A certain standard may be
kept up for a time but not forever.
The output, physical as well as
mental, is bound to deteriorate, both
as to quality and amount. AS the
premium on skill and intelligence
has been growing less and less the
inevitable trend has been to substi-
tute quantity for quality in the ad-
ministration of the departments.
That is the reason why the esti-
mates are dotted with requests for
extra help.
1t is a marvellous commentary on
the psychology of the country's rep
resentatives that they readily ac-
quiesce in the increase of personnel
but go into spasms when an addi
ton to the pay roll for those who
are already there is sought. Were
the latter realized there would be
no need, in many instances, for the
former.
Low Range of Salaries.
It is to be noted that recruits are
asked for principally in the lower
classifications. The motto seems to
be: Make up in numbers what the
stan lacks in talent"
In a division, already referred to.
there are 414 clerks of various
grades. An increase to SCI is re-
quested, or over % per cent. OF
course, the work is constantly in
creasing, but hardly at the rate in
Dictated could experienced help be
obtained and retained. The salaries
for the 414 range from $500 a year
to $500. Out of this number 346
are paid $1,000 or under. That is
ASSSs Oh GIL ave. oeSs Ahan lhC 4hdCy
Board awarded common laborers.
Those who are classified as carpen-
tiers, for instance. get Sc a day.
In this same department the es-
Inmates call for two compositors
and pressmen at $500, a machinist
at $1,000 and five skilled laborers
at $1,000 each. On the other hand
this follows:
twenty-five Oaborers) at $3.50
each increase of two submitted)."
This wage might be compared to
the Associated Charities budget Of
5000.
People of Education.
Many of the clerks and office force
workers are men and women of ed
ucation. A fair percentage have had
the benefit of a college education.
a large number have families and
the great majority have dependents,
of one kind or another.
In the main, salaries for clerical
work, that is as it concerns the
seven classes. have been fixed by
law at from $3.50 to $500. In the
Treasury Department. here and out
side. there were last summer 1O.672
employees of all grades who were
affected by the SO a day minimum
wage. A similar percentage holds
good for the rest of the depart
the war.
There are clerks outside OF Glass
who draw down as much as $4,000,
in fact, quite an army. The term
clerk" is and has been used be-