304 HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 
My. Hirt. The money went back in the Treasury for a while. 
Mr. Grarr. Where is he? 
Mr. Huu. He did not exist. 
The Cuarrman. Never was created? 
“Mr. Hirt. We had one for awhile, you know, and after while we 
got him into one of the $1,600 places and-——— 
The Cuarrman. He did not leave the Department? _ 
Mr. Hitt. We promoted one of the $1,400 clerks and left a $1,400 
place vacant. We had the distressing experience of seeing the money 
go back into the Treasury. 
Mr. Grarr. I understood from you, Mr. Hill, that the $1,400 man 
was unsatisfactory. 
Mr. Hii. I mean if the matter was left as it is I would need to get 
in another man at $1,400, and that would not be satisfactory. I have 
got enough of that sort of help. 
Mr. Grarr. You had a $1,400 clerk and advanced him to $1,800? 
Mr. Hix. To $1,600. I have certainly got one of them that is 
good, but I can not get as good a man for $1,400 as I can for a higher 
price, you know. e showed himself to be especially worthy, and he 
was promoted at the first opportunity we had to $1,600. I still have 
one at $1,400, and in the course of time he will grow to be a very 
good man. ; 
Mr. Scorr. As I understand it, the pressing necessity in your office 
now is high-grade help, and in order to get high-grade work you must 
pay a decent salary ? 
Mr. Hiri. That is what I want. I want to keep and help the best 
men I have got, and to relieve them, and let us get more chance to do 
editorial work. J have 158 people in my division, and the purely 
administrative details of that are very exacting and constant. 
Mr. Bowre. Mr. Hill, let me ask you just one question there in ref- 
erence to that clerk at $1,400 that you say, technically, was dropped. 
That was really a reduction, for the reason, was it not, that you, prior 
to that time, under the statutory roll, was entitled to two assistant 
editors at $1,600? 
Mr. Hinz. Yes. 
Mr. Bowrr. And 2 at $1,400? 
Mr. Hitu. Yes. 
Mr. Bowrr. You gave 1 of your $1,400 men $1,600 and left the 
$1,400 place vacant? 
Mr. Hitt. Yes, sir. 
Mr. Bowie. You were entitled previous to that to 2 at $1,600 and 
2 at $1,400, and now you have 2 at $1,400 and 1 at $1,600? 
Mr. Hit. Yes. 
The Cuarrman. Who is acting as chief clerk now? 
Mr. Hix. Practically myself and Mr. Arnold—principally myself. 
I take at least three hours which is devoted to the chief clerk’s work 
by myself. With a force of 155 to 160 people that I have every year 
it means quite a lot of detail. 
Mr. Burreson. Would these same publications printed by private 
concerns cost as much as they cost the Government now? 
Mr. Hitr. I do not see how they could, sir. The Public Printer 
pays a third more wages, about, to what is paid generally, and he gets 
a short day. He pays about $4 a day on an average to men who in 
