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Show PAID FOR DOING NOTHING. areat Ingenuity Displayed by Clerk to the lleparlments at Washington. A Rrc&t tnauy younif men secure place In tho departments merely for tlio purpose, of supporting tUcmaelvcn while they nro studying In the great schools of law and tnediclno hero, say tho Washington Star. Matters arc so irnuifrod ut these Institutions that n slerlt who stops work nt four p. tn. can ot dinner nnil bo on hand for tho evening even-ing locturcs, which bogln at six. Tha house has voted to rcduco tho annual vacation of tho clerks from thirty to fifteen fif-teen days. In addition to which they ura allowed thirty days sick lcavo In each year. Whoncver. thcro la a legal holiday there Is usually a half-holiday on thcslay previous. The clerk takes tho working part of that half day off. This gives htm two days clear. Hut, on the day before tho half-holiday, ho goes to tho chief of his bureau and asks permission permis-sion to leave at two thirty p. m., so as, to catch n train. Thus tho slugle day's holiday Is expanded Into two days and a half. Tho Ingenuity with which such nlTnlra aro managed Is 8ald to bo won-Jorul. won-Jorul. Howover, It should bo explained that two-thirds of tho employes rarely taka a day of the sick leave allowed thcni. If n clerk Is absent on account of IllnccA over sixty.days In any year lie or sho must pay n substitute. Tho civil service commission provides all tho Bub-Blltutcs Bub-Blltutcs that aro wanted. Itlsprovlded that the clerks shall givo to tho substitute substi-tute a certain proportion of tho pay, usually amounting to about five per cent, Uy thushlrlngasubstttutcnclcrk might retain his ploco In tho lorvleo of the government for years, though him-telf him-telf blind, paralyzed and conQnod to his bod. In all cases of sickness n phyal-cl.in'i. phyal-cl.in'i. curttllcate Is required. Not long ago tho treasury department made a rulo to tho effect that such certificate must always state the nature of the complaint Hut tho local medical coclcty resolved In forin.il council that uc,h a thing was out of the question, and so the regulation fell to tlio ground. Oiii! gets a vivid notion of Jho magn), tudu of thu departments from 'tho vast luantltles of Ice which aro required to luench tho thirst of tho Jwcnty-lhroe thouwiud clerks. Tho treasury continues con-tinues a ton and n half of Ico dally, taking tak-ing on avcrago tho year around. An eciinl quantity Is usod In tho war, state and navy buildings. Hut tho department depart-ment of the Interior Is the great do-vourer do-vourer of lee. Including tho pension ofilco It gobbles up from llvo to bis tons jvcry twenty-four hours. Tho quantities quanti-ties utilised lire variable. Kadi' department depart-ment makes Its own contract for ler, bills being odvortlscd for annually. No dcflnlto amount to bo provided Isagrcod on. Tho contractor gets so much for supplying all tho frozen water required, whatever It may bo. JU the departments, depart-ments, together with thtlr branches, onniimc twimtv-f j-ir thousand ikiuihIi ovcry c'ny. Any sccri tury con by n simple sim-ple order I..ereiso tho w r Ing hours of tlio rlorKs m his ilcpart'nent to any ex-'.out ex-'.out which bo thlnka dwslrable. |