The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-05-06
WORK
BAN FEARED
BYCLERKS

gTeSS that employees OF the DIS
trict who receive salaries above
the $4,000 mark be forbidden to
seek outside" income are seen as
q distinct danger to Government
workers Of the more ambitious
type, in some quarters.
It is feared that the idea, II
carried out, will spread almost in
stantly to the Federal Govern
ment service as a whole by sue
ceSsive legislative action, fear
which employee leaders agree has
real foundation.
Further, it is feared that such
legislation would, within @ COM
paratively short time, be lowered
to include workers Of the 81. 440-
$3.50 class II the current eco
nomic stress continues with the
same force It has possessed for
the past six years.
While surveys have shown that
the large majority Of Federal
workers, perhaps as high aS IS
per cent. are content to live on
their salaries, there Is O definite
group Of employees who turn their
hands to part-time work Of many
types-either through desperation
or ambition to rise financially.
TaxicahS, either owned or rent
ed. selling, part time clerical work
or bookkeeping and tipping are
among minor activities INDUCED
by family heads who have no
other breadwinners to aid them
and struggling young workers
who would rather make q hobby
Of outside" work than bother
with string pulling for o puny
monthly raise, the latter effort
being more work than working
during recreation hours.
Then too. there is In every office
the "six for five" money lender,
the timekeeper or similar party
who sells silk stockings during
hours, the amateur bet taker
(who '1ayS Off" dangerous waSerS
with his professional backer) and
the numbers game representative,
usually messenger. These, how.
ever, are illegitimste businesses
which have survived, and will
probably continue to survive, any
laws.
Such o restrictive statute, how.
ever, would severely handicap an
employs such as the young man
at ReSettlement, who illegitimate.
" won o legitimate business. This
clerk happened to get into Q dice
rolling game one evening when
the stakes went high and when
one Of the kneeling circle wagered
onehalf Of his gas station the
Federal worker faded" it with
$500 mich he had already won.
He won again.
Els opponent has kept faith and
the clerk now is netting Q nice
sum weekly as @ partner La the
business in addition to his modest
salary. His profits are due in
some degree to his outside work
1t the gas station, however, as he
found 1t necessary to install and
maintain an accounting system
and gas pump guageS to make the
station pay.
But his partner says it's fine
stuff, adding that he's made more
money since the Federal workers
financial knowledge came into the
partnership than when he was
sole proprietor.
Holding Out
) Adds Ababa has fallen, but |
Federal Power Commission Is still
holding out against the Fedora
ton Of Architects, Engineers,
Chemists and Technicians, which
yesterday sent O delegation to
5FPC headquarters to demand that
Robert Durand, whom the fedora
ton declares was dismissed be-
cause Of union discrimination, !"
be reinStated.
: The delegation was told that
the commission was In session,
and, therefore, could not be dis.
'turbed, 50 1t will return today at |
t2:SO.
: In the meantime the group has
revived its drive against lay-offs in
stlae Treasury Procurement Divi-
sion, charging that additional dis
schsrges to the recent 400 are due
there within the next few weeks
due to lack Of money, though
Treasury says they have been
caused by completion Of specified
work. The r. A. e. c. r. revealed
that dismissal notices were ex-
tended to . fun two weeks as q
result Of protests at Procurement
eeand that a program dealing with
Burroughs, accrued leave, overtime
land preferential unemployment
has been placed before Admiral
Peoples, Procurement director.
Retirement Pamphlet
:, The many Federal workers in
tereSted In retirement problems
would do well to secure the new
Retirement Handbook" edited
and published by Robert H. Al
corn. chairman Of the Joint Com.
mittee on Retirement, Navy Yard.
The book is based on the Civil
Service retirement law and is
briefly and clearly written to pre-
sent salient facts. Mr.. Alcorn Is
distributing the books at cost
price from 1908 Second st. N. e.