1910. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE. 2455 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. .Mr. MANN. Well, ·1 thlnk the gentleman on a moment's reflection will know that the eight-hour law is not applicable SATURDAY, February ~6, 1910. either to Members .of Congress- The House met at 12 o'clock noon. Mr. BARTLETT of Georgia. I know it is not as to Members Prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D. of Congress. The Journal of yesterday's proceedings was read and ap­ Mr. .MANN. Or to the employees of the House, whose duty proved. it is to be here, many of them as long as the House is in session. DISPOSITION OF WORTHLESS PAPERS• . Nor do I understand that the folding room closes at 4 o'clock. It ought not to at least. Mr. HUGHES of West Virginia.. Mr. Speak~r, I desire to l\Ir. BARTLETT of Georgia. tt does generally in the sum­ offer a privileged report (No. 561) from the Committee on mer time, when Congress is not in session. Accounts. Mr. MANN. It may in the sum.mer time, and they are closed The Clerk read as follows: a good part of the time then. House resolution 873. Mr. CURRIER. I will state to the gentleman from Illinois Resolved, That the Doorkeeper of the House be, and ls hereby, au­ that this caused these men to l-0se their vacation. They worked thorized to employ 10 laborers for a period of two months at a com­ from 7 o'clock in the morning until 6 o'clock in the evening, pensation at the rate of $60 each per month, to be paid out of the con­ tlngent fund of the House, said laborers to be employed exclusively in sometimes the hours were longer than that; and their work the handling and disposition of worthless documents, in compliance expedited the business of removing the books so that it was with House resolution 220. not necessary to renew the lease for one extra quarter, other­ Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, may I ask the gentleman how long wise the G-Overnment would have to pay $1,250 for a renewal are these employees to be paid for? of the lease for a quarter. Mr. BARTLETT of Grorgia. Sirty days. Mr. MANN. I certainly would be the last man to make any Mr. HUGHES of West Virginia. Sixty days, and no longer. reflection upon Captain 1.\lcKee. He is in every respect a most The question was taken, and the resolution was agreed to. efficient man in the business; and, of course, if the commlttea say that h~ ought to be paid extra, very well; but I do protest TRANSFERRING DOCUMENTS..,'.1'0 HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING. against paying an employee of the House extra money simply Mr. HUGHES of West Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I also present because at some one time he happens to work a full day's work, the following privileged report (No. 565) from the Committee when at another time he does not perform a full day's work. on Accounts. Mr. HUGHES of West Virginia. If the gentleman will allow The Clerk read as follows : me to make this explanation, I will say that the people who House resolution 413. did this work are employed in the folding room. Their hours Resolved That there shall be paid out of the contingent fund of the are from 9 o'clock until 4. There is no law, of course, to that House to J. M. McKee 154, to P. L. Coultry $118.80, to August Rup­ pel $102.37, to 8. L. Wilson $76.68, and to John Morrisey 76.68 for effect, but that has long been the custom. In addition to that services rendered in transferring doeuments and other. material from these employees work on piecework, and most of them, if they the annex folding room to the House Office Building, pursuant to the are energetic and active, get their work done in less time than authority contained in the urgent deficiency act approved August 5, 1909. that Now, in order to save something over $1,400, these people agreed to work these extra hours with this transfer company, Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I think we ought to have some and in other similar cases it has been the custom to _pay th-.; little explanation of that. employees for the overtime they work. l\1r. HUGHES of West Virginia... Ur. Speaker, I will ask that Mr. BARTLETT of Georgia. When these books were moved the report of the committee be read. up from some other place a resolution on the same basis was Mr. BARTLETT of Georgia. Will the gentleman yield to passed by the House. me for a moment before the report is read? Mr. HUGHES of West Virgini~ Mr. Speaker, I will with­ l\Ir. HUGHES of West Virginia. Yes, sir. draw the demand for the reading of the report of the committee, Mr. BARTLETT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, as ·a member of because, in view of the explanation which has been made, I do that committee, after investigating this resolution very thor­ not think it is necessary. · oughly, and having the matters before the .committee which the The question being taken, the resolution was agreed to. report· will disclose, these are the facts upon which the com­ mittee acted, upon which I acted, and upon which I apprehend HANNA OOB.BIN. the committee acted. These documents were stored in the Mr. HUGHES of West Virginia. 1\Ir. Speaker, I also present annex folding room, which had to be surrendered on the 1st the following resolution (H. Res. 404) from the Committee on of September last, and transferred from that place over to the Accounts. Office Building. Proposals were submitted to three companies The SPEAKER.. The gentleman from West Virginia [Mr. that do that kind of business in this city to transfer them HUGHES] presents from the Committee on Accounts the follow­ from that building over to the House Office Building. The ing resolution, which will be reported by the Clerk. (Report hours of work of the transfer company were from 7 until 6. No. 562..) . Under the law of the United States an employee of the United The Clerk read as follows : States does not work but eight hours. The hours of the office House resolution 404. force here 1n the folding room were from 9 until · 5. Now, Resolved, That there sh.all be paid out of the contingent fund or tht House to Hanna Corbin, widow of Richard T. Corbin, late messenger· when the bids were submitted, the disbursing clerk, Mr. Brown­ janitor to the Committees on Reform in the Civil Service and Levee11 ing, informed these three bidders that the otllce would furnish and Improvements of the Mississippi River, of the House of Representa· these men to work overtime, in order that the work might be tives, an amount egual to six months of his salary, and an additional done; and with all of that information before them the lowest amount not exceeding $250, to defray the tune.ral expenses of sai<I bid was a thoUBand and odd dollars lower than the next lowest Richara T, Corbin. bid. These gentlemen made a statement, which will be found The question being taken, the resolution was agreed to. ln the report, which probably better be read after my state­ MESSA.GE FROM THE SENA.TE. ment. These gentlemen mentioned in the resolution worked A message from the Senate, by Mr. Crockett, one of its clerks, overtime in the folding room in the arrangement of the books. announced. that the Senate had passed bills of the following Now, the employees of the transfer company~Messrs. Little­ titles, in which the concurrence·of the House of Representatives field, Alvord & Co., who obtained the contract-are not skilled was requested: people, so far as handling this immense number of books ls S. 3638. An act to provide for. the payment of overtime claims concerned. It required somebody familiar with their arrange­ of letter carriers ex.eluded from judgment as barred by limita­ ment in order to ha. "e the books properly transferred and tion· cared for from the office which is known as the " Southern S. '5752. An act to correct the military record of Charles ;J. Railroad Building" into the Office Building. These gentlemen Smith; frequently worked overtime up to 7 o'clock p. ro. in the day in S. 4274. An act to provide for second homestead entries; Ute removal of these books, and it is for the performance of S. 3752. An act for the relief of the owners of lighter No. 128; this service that this claim is made, which will amount to a S. 5835. An act for the settlement of conflicting claims of the little over $400. · State of Wiseonsin and its grantees, and the La Pointe and Lac Mr. MANN. Will the gentleman yield for a question'? du Flambeau bands of Chippewa Indians to certain school and Mr. BARTLETT of Georgia. Y.es; of course. swamp lands in the reservations of said Indians in Wisconsin; Mr. MANN. Does- the gentleman state tbat the employees of S. 4473. An act for the relief of Rasmus K. Hafsos; the House ar~ covered by the eight-hour law? S. 5905. An act to authorize the Lawton and Fort Sill Electric Mr. BARTLETT of Georgia. That was the statement made Railway Company to construct and operate a railway through lo the committee. · the Fort Sill -Military Reservation, and for other IJUrposes; 2456 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD-HOUSE.