Evening star., 1923-09-09

was gone.
his former distinction to Secretary
Work.
such leadership, certainly is large
ly responsible for boosting govern
ment departments punctuality to
within .ooa5 of perfection" Chief
Clerk Regar of the Post once Depart
ment stated.
'sThe late beginning OF the govern
ment working day Is another factor
which promotes punctuality," Ben G.
Davis. chief clerk of the State De-
partment, said. Nine am. Is late
enough to make punctuaiity easy. As
a boy I started to work at am.
and was on time always"
s. J. Gompers, chief clerk OF the
Department of Labor, does not agree
with Davis.
start the government working day
at s am. instead of 9 am. and pune
tuality would be even nearer perfect
The long time between sun-up and
9 am. encourages US to take an extra
nap, shop, or recreate-things which
increase our chance of being tardy,
Gompers said.
"I worked in the government print
ing office. where the day starts at s
am, twenty years, and was tardy
only three times. I've worked here,
starting at 8 am, much shorter
time, but have been late three times
already"
For the .eo25 of his force, which
can not be inspired to be on time,
Uncle Sam has a prod. He gives the
task OF eliminating tardiness from
government ranks to officials who
appoint, promote. denote, and dis
charge his workers.
stamping out OF tardiness we re-
gard as one of the most essential
eficient. A person who Is late for
work is apt to be lax at work." de.
clared H. C. Pollock, chief OF the
appointment division, internal revenue
bureau, the largest bureau in the
Treasury Department.
Some persons do not try hard to
curb tardiness. Given a free trip to
Europe, they would miss the boat. The
government service is better without
them"
WHILE chief clerks supervise nota-
w ton and punishment Of tardiness,
they turn over all but fragrant cases
to appointment clerks, personnel chiefs
or division chiefs.
Employees must be at their desks as
well as inside office buildings by 3
am, all departments require.
To detect violations of this rule, the
Department of Justice uses its ablest
agents, William ]. Burns investigators.
They check the honesty Of Time of
Arrival" sheets, filed out by clerks
themselves, by noting the time en-
ployes enter the building and reach
their desks.
When and how these Investigations,
lasting one or two weeks, are conducted
is known only to Chiefs Burns and
Strong and their men.
The Department of Agriculture has
similar investigation service. COM
nanded by Chief Clerk Robert NJ.
Reese.
The Treasury Department is the only
one which every day arrests tardiness
at building entrances. Promptly at
am, all doors of the Treasury build
! ing. except the central entrance of
18th street, are closed to employees.
Miss Tardy Treasury Clerk is not
allowed to pass through this entrance
until she has signed a trady slip,
furnished by watchmen, the minute
at which she arrived has been stamped
on the slip by a time clock, and the
! slim has been sent to her chief by the
watchman.
Furthermore. her absence from her
desk at am is reported to her chief
by the division time clerk. Thus
Miss Tardy Treasury Clerks arrival
| is doubly noted.
| Because the many clocks in the Post
once. Department follow the habit OF
the four large clock faces at the top OF
| the post office tower-differing in time
registered-a bell is rung at 9 am. in
| this ONCE. Hearing the bell. time
clerks note which employees are not at
desks and report them to chiefs.
Notation of employees not at desks by
4
| time clerks is the method Of observing
hardness employed in the War, Post
Office, Agriculture and Commerce de-
partments and in some Department Of
Labor offices.
In other Department OF Labor ofices
employees themselves, punctuai and
tardy alike, sign the time they arrived
on sheets posted below or near clocks.
This practice is followed also in the
state, Justice. Navy and Interior de-
partments.
| Time sheets, both those made up by
/ time clerks and those signed by indi-
vidual employees, are sent to depart
ment chief clerks soon after am.
Then comes consideration of en-
ployes' excuses for tardiness.
I'VE hear odd excuses for tardiness
| sometimes Ben G. Davis, chief clerk
| Of the State Department, recalled.
zone young lady in the State Depart
i ment reached her desk about two min
utes after o'clock several mornings in
| succession. When asked to explain, she
| said that the street car she boarded
regularly never reached the State, War
and Navy building before 3 am. and