Evening star., 1937-12-05
From The Stars Letter Mail
Government FiveDay Week Among Subjects Discussed
To the Editor OF The Star.

w YHY continue the six-day
vA/ week in the Federal serv-
w ice Does 1t not obviously,
belong to the "ox-cart"
period? With the equipment and
methods now employed it is prob
ably well within the truth to state
that an Office force of 100 can today
do the work which in Jackson's time
would have required 10 times that
number Consider a few of the "high
points by way of supplying con-
traSts: There was then no telephone.
by which scores OF matters are today
handled in ordinary conversation, the
parties practically meeting face to
face. Formerly these communica-
tions required letter, the services
OF a messenger or a personal visit.
Stenography was unknown, so that
the responsible official had either to
scratch over sheets of paper with a
quill pen or have an amanuensiS do
this, following dictation-a painfully
slow process in either case. If more
than one copy of a letter was de-
sired, the process of writing had to
be repeated-at least there was no
such thing as carbon copies. much
less the stencil or multigraph. The
making of 20 copies required the
services of an entire division. Our
present filing systems and appliances,
by which thousands of letters are read
lily made almost instantly available,
had not appeared, nor was there such
thing known as an adding machine
or comptometer.
Getting from place to place on
horseback or by carriage. especially in
the almost bottomless mud of the
National Capital, consumed much
time We employ today. in addition, a
thousand and one" minor labor -Sav-
ing devices, from pencil sharpeners
to fountain pens and clips, and were
the time thus saved computed we
would no doubt be astounded at the
aggregate.
With working conditions so changed
as to be almost revolutionized, I say,
why continue the six-day week in
the Federal service, except in case Of
emergency?
GEORGE A. WARREN.
Claims Saving
In the Five-Day Week.
To the Editor of The Star.
7 THINK that those who seek to de-
feat the proposal for a five-day
week for Government offices by stat
ing that it will cost the country mil
lions of dollars should come forward
and show how they arrive at such a
conclusion.
The five-day week would not cost
the Government one cent On the
contrary, it would save an appre-
ciable amount in the course of a
year. Heat, light and water costs
would be saved in all buildings. In
the new air conditioned buildings the
cost of maintaining the forced ven-
tilation and refrigeration in sum-
mer would be saved The work would
be done by the same persons at the
same rate of pay as at present.
I do not understand why certain
politicians wish to defeat this pro-
posal, but think the tax-paying pub
lie should be apprised Of the true
facts. If the employees are willing to
do the same amount of work in five
days that they now do in five and
one-half days there certainly should
be no objection from persons only in
directly concerned. NJ. DOWNER
Upholds the Need
OF Remaining Neutral.
To the Editor of The Star.
VOUR leading editorial of recent
date in which you quote a mes
sage to the editorial staff of The Star
by Lord Cecil voicing indignation at
national brigandage," together with
articles in the same issue by Con-
stantine Brown, the Englishman
James Hilton and others, all in line
with what appears in most conserva-
tive publications nowadays, cause us
who can remember even for a genera
ton or SO back to reflect we'll before
becoming unduly excited or Mortified
at what is now being done by whole
armies and peoples far from our
shores.
Few will deny that where the laws
Of democratic peoples prevail justice
is more evenly and impersonally dis
pensed from top to bottom OF the
social structure than 1t Is in the
paternalistic jurisdictions. but the
excuse of righting abuses is not much
needed. In this strange world, where
one animal lives by eating another,
the enlightened countries can al
ways find good and holy reasons
for smashing the benighted ones,
taking what they have that is de-
sirable and displacing laws and lead
ers for their own. Fixing blame for
actual outbreak of general warfare in
such cases appears to be about the
easiest problem there is to solve by
the victors. Lord Cecil, along with
others of his able countrymen, with
out doubt proved that he was worthy
of his line and title and citizenship
around the beginning of this century
as at all times, by trying to help
appease the sense of outrage in this
country reflected in the files OF The
Star and practically all other pub
locations and public bodies Of that
time throughout our land and other
disinterested-and interested-coun-
tries at the benevolent British as
similation of the Beers and their
government in the Transvaal. Will
the British fight? Yes, like all the
devils of hell, after it becomes certain
that others cannot be cajoled OF
euchered into winning their battles fol
them!
We can assume that everywhere
are patriots who fervently believe
theirs would be the best universe.
rule. II individuals here want to &c
and fight on either side in -eigr
row, let them; but we would be un-
worthy of country to govern if We
could by any series of the most crafty
| and lofty-appearing PROPAGANDA by