HIGHEST PAID U.S. WOMAN OFFICIAL.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 15, 30 December 1911, Page 1 (Supplement)

HIGHEST PAID U.S. WOMAN OFFICIAL.

AHSS KELLY, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF AMERICAN MINT.

OOAIE misguided men in the United States have the idea that their wives boss their incomes, salaries, or wages—different xvords to use in pr >- portion to the amount they receive*. -.i:s money they receive in bills or com. Tho person legally responsible for 't is the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, who is charged with making all of Uncle Sam’s money. But, getting clown to real facts, it is somebody else who bosses all their money — Aliss .Margaret V. Kelly, Uncle Sam s highest paid woman official. She gets £6OO a year. She is Assist-ant-director of the Mint. Actually the Secretary of the Treasury has little io do with the coin. Aliss Kelly attends to that. There are but four persons between her and the Secretary of the Treasury, and in their absence she runs things. Really, she does that, anyway, every clay in the year.

Miss Kelly is a native of New Hampshire, a product of Boston ediieation.il institutions, and an example of how hard work, when one lacus political pull, v, ill bring sure advancement in tho great- civil-service legion that keeps in motion the intricate machinery c f tho Federal Government.

As Assistant-director of the Alinr, Aliss Kelly holds such a high official position in tho Treasury Department that it can be truly’ said that there has never been her equal in the service.

Fifteen years ago, fresh from the Boston schools, Aliss Kelly tackled a civil service examination. She passed, and II years ago entered the service of tho Alint Bureau as a .stenographer. Since thnt time she has been successively private secretary of the Director, adjuster of accounts, examiner. Assistantdirector, and now, when the Dirt ctor is absent from Washington, she signs herself Acting-director. To see her sonic day Acting-secretary of tho Treasury of the U e : tcd States is no stretch of the imagination, for, if the Secretary and the two Assist-ant-secretaries. the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Treasurer of th<( United States were to absent themselves at the same time, and Miss Kelly were thc-i; Acting-director of the Mint, 't would be “Margaret A". Kelly, Act-ing-secretary, Treasury Department.”

Officials of the departments are scarce in AVashington during the summer months. Those who arc not big enough, like Cabinet officers, to go off bravely on a two or three months’ vacation, make official inspection trips, and it is not infrequent that/he Director of the Mint is Acting-secretary of the department. Director Roberts never had —and, n fact, no other Director of the Mint has over had—nn assistant until President Taft recently appointed Miss Keliv to that post. Now (says the New York “AVorld”) tho Director can take ns many official trips ns may be necessary, for there is much inspection work to be done. Under him are three coinage Mints, and nine other minor Mints whom bullion is bought but no money coined. He has just returned from a long trip

Where there are 1400 employees in the Alint service, and the responsibilities of the management are great. Miss Kelly held her own as Acting-director for the last few months. She is an expert in the manufacture of coins, knowing every detail of the msnuraeture of the pennies, nickels, and silver and gold coins that are turned out to the value of millions of dollars auiri-

ally. Tho salary that Miss Kelly receives is £OOO a year, which is large pay as Government salaries go, far L'ncki Sr.in does not believe in paying too well for any service rendered, no matter bnw valuable, unless you happen to he a legal shark and hire your talents to the Denurinu nt of Justice: Miss Kelly hates notoriety. Wb.m-t ■she was appointed by President Taft and thus be-ai.ie a unique figure m tho Government service, she refused to give any personal information ab;>-:t lierselt, end forbade her friends to talk about her. She announced then tbs! she had no photographs »;f herself, amt sho stiecvSEfully dndgt-d all efforts y< snapshot her until quite recent:y. Tho Government “.due Bool,’’ doo:uni give the ages of Federal emph>.><'C.» The Civil Service Commission has Mi--: Kelly’s age on record, but it is sacred there. And Mis* Kelly, as is woman's immemorial privilege, refurcs to speak upon the subject. When the Innc-hmm Lour arrives M:-. ; s I Kelly, Hico rd! Government ofiir-ials. baa I hers served in her office. She and he.woman stem grapher s:t at a I table and cat n:v together.

As has been said. Miss Kelly docs not- tai.- about herself. And Director Roberts will not talk about her, saying. when asked : — “Xono of us here can do anything with Mbs Kelly." By this, rtf i-i-ir- -'. Director Robot fs inrant nothing derogatory to Mi-s Kelly, for the detorniinatiMi, not to say ohstina-v. v-ith which she shrouds her personality in an impenetrable v r :l is one of vlio qualities ti,.,. peculiarly lit her for this position of tremendous responsibility. Her lips, that are locked upon her private affairs, can !-c trusted implicitly to remain lor-k-d upon those of T'ncle Sam. Her brain is a

burglar-proof safe in which ’ Government secrets repose beside the scerefs of her own heart in absolute and inviidable security. The Treasury cf-i ficials “can do nothing with Mi's Kelly,’’ neither can anyone else, an-1 (says the “World”) that is why Sheholds the iof>.