306 HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 
man, and that was a very big job; but we have got to address all our 
own franks. We have 1,000,000 addresses in that room a month, I 
think, without a doubt. 
The Cuarrman. Is not this assistant in the document section one of 
the hardest worked men you have got? 
Mr. Hix. It is very hard, indeed. His Congressional mail alone, 
which he attends to himself, for me, is a big job during the session. 
The Cuairman. J have come in contact with him; that is the reason 
Task you the question. 
Mr. Hit. I want to give him an assistant at $1,400 that will relieve 
him of some of the minor details of that office. I want to say another 
thing, Mr. Chairman—to take this opportunity of saying it—it is a 
very difficult thing to get hold of a man who will run an office of 120 
people. He has 105 ladies in that department. 
The Cuatrman. What? 
Mr. Hiri. About 105 ladies in his section; and I assure you they 
require constant, judicious, and careful handling. He has got to be 
a sensible man and have a great deal of tact and judgment. 
Mr. Lams. He has that. ; 
Mr. Hiix. He has got that; but it takes time. Our force is a very 
good force; I am not saying anything against them. We have a little 
**deadwood,” but there is getting less and less of ‘‘deadwood” every 
year. But you can not handle 90 or 100 women with just the brusque- 
ness with which you can handle a force of 90 or 100 men. 
Mr. Henry. Will that remark apply to the other divisions and 
bureaus of the Agricultural Department? 
Mr. Hixz. I think so—in regard to the ‘‘ deadwood,” I think so; but I 
think there is a marked improvement year by year. 
The Cuarrman. You have a greater percentage of women than any 
of the others, with the exception of the Statistical Division. 
Mr. Hitt. I beat them all. They are cheap help; a great majority 
of them get but $50 a month. 
Mr. Grarr. You could not get men to do this work? 
Mr. Hiru. I do not think so; not perhaps as accurately. 
Mr. Henry. What salary do you pay them’ 
Mr. Hirt. We pay them $50; I think they will average $50 for the 
bulk of them. 
The Cuarrman, Do not some of them work at $30 when starting in? 
Mr. Hixx. When starting in, some of them get $30. 
Mr. Henry. Where is the periodical list of documents compiled? 
Mr. Hit. I do that in my office. 
Mr. Henry. Complaints have been made to me by a number of the 
members of the House that they are annoyed by early publication; 
for instance, of the horse book; it was announced édicousts your cata- 
logue several weeks before it reached the House folding room. I had 
20 applications filed upon my desk, and they all involved a reply to 
explain why I could not send them. 
Mr. Hitz. I think I can explain that. 
Mr. Havern. I had 157 requests before it was issued, before we 
had a single copy; it got into the newspapers about six or eight weeks 
ahead of time. How did it get into the newspapers? 
Mr. Hr. They were watching for it. 
Mr. Henry. They obtained it from your catalogue? 
