THE JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL'S OFFICE. STATEMENT OF CAPT. ROBERT L. RUSSELL, JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL OF THE NAVY. Mr. JOHNSON. Captain, you are not asking for any changes at all this year? Capt. RUSSELL. No change whatever. Mr. JOHNSON. And you do not know of any way you can reduce your force? Capt. RUSSELL. No, sir; I do not. The employees of my office are all kept busily engaged during office hours, and in addition do considerable overtime work. The work of the office is increasing in volume rather than decreasing. Mr. JOHNSON. The rules for keeping the efficiency records of clerks have not been transmitted to you, have they? Capt. RUSSELL. No, sir; no new rules. Mr. BURLESON. Are you gathering any data with a view to aiding the civil service in the preparation of this efficiency schedule? Capt. RUSSELL. We have gotten up a number of reports for the President's Commission on Economy and Efficiency. BUREAU OF NAVIGATION. STATEMENT OF COMMANDER R. R. BELKNAP, UNITED STATES NAVY. CHIEF CLERK. Mr. JOHNSON. I notice you are asking for an increase of $500 in the compensation of the chief clerk, and you are also asking for two chiefs of division at $2,000 each, and one additional copyist. Capt. BELKNAP. The increase of the chief clerk is asked for on account of the very much increased work of the bureau and an increase in the responsibility of that position. Mr. JOHNSON. How long has he been in the service? Capt. BELKNAP. Twenty years, I think, sir. Mr. JOHNSON. How long since he had an increase? Capt. BELKNAP. The present salary was fixed in 1899. Since that time the number of employees in the bureau has increased. The number of officers and enlisted men has increased by 150 per cent, the number of clerks has increased about 44 per cent, and the amount of business of the bureau measured by the mere number of papers handled has increased 170 per cent, and the money responsibility involved has increased from $500,000 to $3,700,000. Mr. JOHNSON. The man is an unusually efficient man? Capt. BELKNAP. Very competent, indeed, and very faithful. He is very energetic also. CHIEFS OF DIVISION. Mr. JOHNSON. You are asking for two chiefs of division at $2,000 each. Who is doing the work you propose to have these men do after they are called chiefs of division? What are they called now? Capt. BELKNAP. It is proposed to divide the work into enlisted personnel branch and officer personnel branch. Mr. JOHNSON. Do you propose, if we give you two chiefs of division at $2,000, to promote somebody in the bureau or go outside. to get some one? Capt. BELKNAP. We propose to promote some one in those bureaus. Mr. JOHNSON. What are they doing now? I do not see that you have dropped anybody here. Capt. BELKNAP. In the officers' division there is one man now who is the leading clerk. He takes the lead by reason of his greater familiarity with the work, and being a very able man, he would be the one to succeed to that place, and in the enlisted personnel the same way. Mr. JOHNSON. I am not able yet to determine where they are to come from. I do not see where you have promoted anybody from class 4. Capt. BELKNAP. I can explain that more at length. The bureau has estimated for two chiefs of division at $2,000 each, which will permit giving promotions to two very valuable clerks, and also a rearrangement of the organization of the bureau by establishing a division embracing all matters relating to the work of officers. Mr. JOHNSON. How long since either of those clerks had any pro motions? Capt. BELKNAP. I can not say offhand. I should say four or five years, or possibly longer. Mr. BURLESON. They are doing now substantially the same work they would do under this reorganization? Capt. BELKNAP. They are to a certain extent, but not entirely. Mr. BURLESON. You have simply subdivided the work. You now have practically these two divisions in your bureau? Capt. BELKNAP. We do; yes, sir; but we have no one for general supervision over them except such as the officers can exercise. I was going on to state that all matters relating to the work of officers will go to that division, and the other division will embrace matters relating to the enlisted personnel, which will tend to improvement; at the same time, this will provide for two promotions from each grade of clerks and tend to increase the salaries of employees, which are very low. These two chiefs of division, if allowed, will make two additional clerks in the clerical force. Mr. BURLESON. Why do you say these salaries are very low? Do you know what men doing that character of work in private employment are receiving? Capt. BELKNAP. I should think they would generally be receiving more than the men we have. Mr. BURLESON. Why do you say that? Capt. BELKNAP. I think the work we have requires more knowledge and care than is expected of men paid the same outside. They can not do it mechanically; it is not mere copying or dictation. Mr. BURLESON. If it was simply copying or dictation, they would not get more than six or eight or nine hundred dollars. Capt. BELKNAP. I mean it is work that requires a good deal of judgment and puts more responsibility on the man doing the work than his salary is fair pay for. Mr. BUKLESON. That is required of every man that does any sort of work in private or public employment; he must have some knowledge of the character of work he is going to do. Do you know what compensation is allowed men who are doing similar work in private employment? Capt. BELKNAP. I am not familiar with private employments. Mr. BURLESON. Then upon what do you base your bald statement that these men are receiving very low compensation? Capt. BELKNAP. The fact that we lose a great many of the men. Mr. BURLESON. Some have resigned, have they? Capt. BELKNAP. They are resigning for better positions outside, or transferred to some other department. Mr. BURLESON. Will you please make an investigation and put in your statement the number that have resigned during the last three years and accepted employment on the outside? Give me their names and the character of the employment. You can do that? Capt. BELKNAP. Yes. I know of one case since I have been in office. I have forgotten his name, but he got a position outside paying him, I think, considerably more than he got with us, with the prospect of promotion. We were very sorry to lose him. Mr. BURLESON. Where did he go, and what is the character of his employment? Capt. BELKNAP. He went as local manager of some concern which I do not recall, but I remember the circumstance distinctly. Table showing resignations and transfers in the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, since Jan. 1, 1912. Resigned Apr. 7, 1910.. Bowman, W. H. Burton, H. M. $840 Carter E. C. 660 Drake, J. P. 900 Hall, J. D. 1,800 Kind, H. W. 900 Keilhorn, L. V. 1,100 660 Mitchell, J. L. 840 Pollock, R. E. 660 Accepted position with Agricultural Department. Revenue Cutter. Construction and Repair. Bureau Supplies and Accounts. War Department. Naval Home. Enlisted chief yeoman. State capital, Wisconsin. War Department. Interstate Commerce Commission. Baltimore & Ohio R. R. Co. The Tabulating Machine Co. Bureau Ordnance. Bureau Supplies and Accounts. Commercial concern. Gregg Shorthand Co. It is certain that those clerks who were transferred to other departments received greater inducements in those departments than could be offered them here; otherwise they would have remained in this bureau. The clerks who resign very seldom inform the bureau as to the nature of the employment secured in commercial life. The following are the few cases in which the bureau has information: S G. Boykin, a clerk at 1,400 per annum, resigned to accept a position with the Tabulating Machine Co., Washington, D. C., at $1,600 per annum, with a promise of $1,800 per annum in one year and prospects for a still greater increase. Miss Paula Werning, who was receiving $840, resigned to accept a position with the Gregg Shorthand Co. at a large increase in salary and excellent prospects. C. A. Nickerson, a clerk at $1,000 per annum, resigned to accept a position at the State capitol at Madison, Wis., at about $1,800 per annum. H. F. Schebi resigned to accept a position with a bank, where his chances of advancement are excellent. G. E. Dennis, a clerk at $840 per annum, resigned to accept a position with a commercial concern in New Jersey, where his prospects were better than they were in the bureau. J. J. Gorman, a clerk at $1,000 per annum, resigned to become secretary of the Naval Home at $1,600 per annum. Mr. BURLESON. Is it not true that, as a general thing, men employed in your bureau are receiving from 25 to 40 per cent more than they would receive if they were engaged in private employment in the same character of work Capt. BELKNAP. I do not think so, sir. Mr. BURLESON. You say you do not think so. Do you base that upon information you have or just a general belief which you have? Capt. BELKNAP. From what I know of the way the clerks work in the service and outside the service. I think men who work as our men do and perform the character of work they do would get more pay outside. Mr. BURLESON. Now you can finish the statement you were making. Capt. BELKNAP. These two chiefs of division, if allowed, would make two additional clerks in the clerical force, and one other clerk is added in the estimates, the estimate being for 10 copyists at $840 each per annum instead of 9. The last Congress reduced the number of copyists at $840 per annum from 10 to 9, which had the effect of seriously crippling the bureau in its work. The chief of bureau and assistant have no stenographers, because there are so few in the bureau, and must depend on occasional services of clerks having other work. Mr. BURLESON. Is the bureau behind in its work? Capt. BELKNAP. The bureau keeps up by working overtime. Mr. BURLESON. Will you please give us a statement showing the amount of overtime? Capt. BELKNAP. I can give that now. During the first 10 months of this year only six employees were granted any sick leave. Mr. BURLESON. This reduction has only taken effect since the 1st day of July, and you say as a result of that reduction they have had to work overtime. The reduction did not take effect until the 24th of August, as a matter of fact. Who has worked overtime since that time as a result of that reduction? Capt. BELKNAP. The average for the 10 months is 604 days of overtime, or an average of 8 days for each employee. Mr. BURLESON. Who keeps that record, the employee himself? Capt. BELKNAP. I do not keep it; no, sir. Mr. BURLESON. Who does keep it? Capt. BELKNAP. It is kept by the chief clerk. ADDITIONAL COPYIST. Mr. BURLESON. Do you want to make any statement about the additional copyist? You want him to take the place of the one we took away from you last year? Capt. BELKNAP. We want to get the one taken away from us, and we would like to get these two chiefs of division, for the reasons stated. I would like to add, in regard to the overtime work, to show the spirit with which these clerks work, that the average of overtime work done is 6 days for every 1 day of sick leave-the records show that for 10 months or an average of 8 days overtime for each employee during the 10 months. Mr. BURLESON. What age are these people? Capt. BELKNAP. Some of them are very young people, and there is one man of nearly 70; but the average, I would say, is between 35 and 40-more likely 40. OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. STATEMENT OF CAPT. T. S. RODGERS, UNITED STATES NAVY, DIRECTOR, ACCOMPANIED BY MR. HARRY W. SMITH, SENIOR CLERK. PROMOTIONS. Mr. JOHNSON. You ask for the promotion of one clerk and for an additional laborer? Capt. RODGERS. Yes, sir; to promote one clerk to chief clerk-he has been there for twenty and odd years and also to raise the confidential man who has the archives in charge $200, and for an additional messenger. Mr. BURLESON. Is that clerk as efficient, now as he was when he came in? Capt. RODGERS. Yes, sir; both of them. Mr. JOHNSON. How long has he been there? Capt. RODGERS. Twenty-five years. Mr. JOHNSON. How long since he had a promotion? Mr. SMITH. The last promotion of the senior clerk was in 1902. The last promotion of the registrar was 1899. Mr. BURLESON. Has the character of his work changed? Capt. RODGERS. It has become more important. The office is grow ing larger all the time. Mr. BURLESON. But he does the same character of work? Capt. RODGERS. Yes, sir; about. Mr. BURLESON. Does he work overtime? Mr. SMITH. Whenever it is necessary he works overtime. Mr. BURLESON. You say whenever it is necessary, but is it ever necessary? Capt. RODGERS. I think he works later in the afternoon, when the hours are over, at times. |