Evening star., 1941-03-19
u. S. Stoggers Hours Of rs, 600 Workers
To Relieve District Traffic Congestion
Offices Are to Open
From 7::30 to o:15,
Close 800 to 5

creaSingly serious traffic conges-
ton" in the District, President
Roosevelt today ordered the
staggering of working hours for
approximately $4,000 of the 160,-
900 Government employees in
Washington.
The new schedule, which will be-
come effective March 81 distributes
the opening hours of departments
and agencies of the executive branch
at 15-minute intervals over the
period from 7:30 to 9:l5 am, with
closing times being similarly spread
between $3.50 and S pm.
In announcing the change Budget
Director Harold D. Smith said the
new system of staggering working
hours was the elimination of a
study by the District Highway Plan
ming Survey under Traffic Director
William A. Van Duzer and Capt.
H. G. Whitehurst, director of high
ways.
Summer Hours" Eliminated.
Mr.. Smith said the new schedule
will be in force on a year-round
basis. eliminating the previoSs
practice of some agencies of observ-
ing earlier summer hours during
the warmer months.
THE spread of hours makes 1t
impossible to move those of isolated
agencies without destroying the bal
ance of traffic provided by the stag
gered schedule" the budget di-
rector declared.
The change will affect the work.
ing hours of 81 departments and
agencies, while % ofices will con-
tinue on their present schedule.
The existing peak of over 10000
employees reporting for work at 8
am. will be reduced to approx
mately $4,000, under the new plan
The setup calls for the greatest peak
to be at 8:15 am, when approx
mately 10000 employees of the War
and Agriculture Departments will
report for work.
Indorsed by Transit Lines.
Mr.. Smith said the District Com.
missioners and ofiicials Of the Capt.
tai Transit Co. and suburban transit
lines have Endorsed the plan.
He quoted President E. D. Merrill
of the Capital Transit Co. as say.
ing the plan will make possible
very substantial improvements IN
the transit service rendered the
public"
The text of the order sent to the
heads of executive departments, in
dependent establishments and agen-
cies by the budget director follows:
In order to alleviate the increas-
ingly serious traffic congestion in
the District Of Columbia and to pro-
vide for a more effective operation
of the functions of the Government,
the President has directed that, ef-
fective March 81. 1941, the ofiicial
working hours OF the executive
branch of the Government in the
District shall be as provided in the
attached schedule.
Approval Required for Changes.
This should not be considered as
preventing the establishment of
hours of duty differing from those
in the schedule for employees (such
as messengers or mail clerks per-
forming duties requiring that their
working hours be different from the
regular hours of the agency or of
night shifts where they have been
determined to be necessary.
After the requested changes have
been put into effect, all regulations
or amendments thereto further
altering the established working
hours for any department, inde-
pendent establishment, or other
agency in the District of Columbia,
shall be submitted to the director of
the Bureau Of the Budget for con-
sideration and approval by the
Officials Express Approval.
Enthusiastic approval of the new
system was expressed by municipal
government officials and District
civic and business leaders, many of
whom long have advocated further
staggering of working hours as q
means of reducing congestion.
All three Commissioners expressed
high approval of the plan, declaring
they believed it should improve the
general traffic situation by reducing
congestion.
I'VE are deeply appreciative of
the cooperation which President
the Budget Bureau and
Federal departments have given us
in putting this new schedule into
effect" said Commissioner Melvin
c. Hazen.
Commissioner John Russell Young
said he hoped more private business
establishments would follow suit in
staggering working hours.
The city heads recalled that the
program Of staggering hours in Gov
/C..