Evening star., 1922-05-16
Question Understood to Have
Come Before Cabinet
Meeting.
SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS FIND
CLERK CAN WORK LONGER
Congress Reported flaming to Use
Dayight-Saving to Lengthen
Workshop Day.

whether the working day for gov
ernment employees should continue at
seven hours, which is customary in
most departments In the city, or be
Heightened to seven and a half or
eight hours. to correspond, with the
average working day in principal
der discussion In official circles here,
it, has been learned.
The problem has been discussed by
cabinet members and is said to have
been taken up In a formal cabinet
meeting. .F
High officials of the administration
privately expressed themselves as
convinced that. the working day in
this city should be lengthened for
quarters deeply concerned with the
matter, it was said that next to re-
allocation of the executive depart
ments into q, new system OF efficiency,
ono Of the most pressing problems be-
fore the government machine was
that Of longer hours.
Can Work Eight Hours.
Scientific investigations into 1.-THE
sd3ciency Of workers in various kinds
perts, 1t was said. and the number Of
hours which each class can work to
highest efficiency, without fatigue de-
termined. Six hours was found to be
the best length Of day for skilled
workers in certain branches of the
steel mills. where great muscular ac-
tivity was necessary. 1t was said.
Clerical work. however, which II was
pointed out, includes most OF the city
Of Washington, was found to be apie
to be continued through an eight
hour working day at efficiency and
without fatigue.
Striking an average throughout the
nation, 1t was said that, the average
days work was from $3.50 am. to $3.50
pm. with an hour for lunch.
D.sys 1aessfe asven Heurs.
The Department 81 Justice In the
shift from regular hours to daylight
saving dropped B3ck from q seven
and.a-half. hour day. % & seven-hour
dag, ~ ftSwaas1 thati department
could NO. longer discffmtnate against
it's employees. while gmDst Of the city
was working but seven hours. The
day at the Department Of Justice was
changed from . TO 5. to 3 to $3.50, cut
ting of half anshour. In making the
change, a longer day for all of Wash
ington was conndered.
The matter of longer hours for gov
ernment workers has come to the at
tention OF the bureau of the budget
and has been discussed earnestly by
members Of the committee for re-
orxanixation of the executive depart
been taken by the latter. 1t Is under
stood, however, that the committee
has In mind q serious consideration of
the problem as soon as Its major
problem OF. a reallocation of the de-
partments Is solved.
Congress Sees Opportunity.
Members Of Congress who have
been persistently working for years
to get Uncle Sans workshop on an
eight-hour day. are renewing their
efforts They are planning to use the
present daylight-saving program as
q wedge to make the earlier hour per-
manent. They are talking among
themselves In this manner.
THE bureau chiefs and department
heads and the District Commission
ers tried to force the hand Of Con-
gress to put through a daylight-sav-
ing law for the District. Congress
do with such a law. Then these Of
ficials went ahead on their own hook
and ordered the hour-earlier pro-
gram. Next they came to Congress
and said: You must pass a bill to
change the clock, SO as to avoid con-
fusion It is now being demonstrat-
ed that the earlier hour Is no great
hardship when the government clerks
want. to get of earlier for recrea-
lion. There are good prospects that
the earlier hour will be made per
foWards the economy and efficiency
,nrorram to which the Harding ad-
,ninistration is committed"