130. Investigation.-The chief of bureau shall carefully consider the merits of every application for sick leave, in so far as the actual sickness or exposure to contagion is concerned, shall cause to be investigated those employees who habitually apply for excessive sick leave, and, if abuse of the privilege be found, shall report the facts, with recommendation, to the Secretary for appropriate action.

131. Penalties for Deception.-All employees will be held to a strict accountability for statements made by them of inability to perform duty. When sick leave has been obtained through misrepresentation, it will be charged to leave without pay, even if the employee has not exhausted his annual leave; other appropriate disciplinary action may also be taken.

LEAVE WITHOUT PAY.

132. When Granted.-Leave without pay may be allowed on account of sickness when the regular leave has been exhausted; but otherwise it will be granted only when, in the opinion of the chief of the bureau, the public business will not suffer by the absence and when satisfactory cause is shown.

Leave without pay will not be granted to employees to enable them to engage in private or commercial undertakings or to pursue courses of study at educational institutions. In such cases, employees will be required to sever their connection with the department.

Each application for leave without pay must be supported by a memorandum setting forth the reasons for which the leave is requested and must be approved by the chief clerk of the department. In no case shall such leave be taken until the applicant has been advised of its approval.

133. Leave or Furlough Without Pay.-Application for leave of absence without pay for 30 days or less must be made on the form "application for leave" prescribed by the department and shall be forwarded with the recommendation of the chief of bureau to the chief clerk of the department for approval. Applications for leave of absence without pay in excess of 30 days must be accompanied by a formal recommendation addressed to the Secretary and forwarded to the chief clerk of the department for consideration and transmission to the Secretary. The application or recommendation must state the reason for taking the leave without pay, the length of time the applicant desires such absence to continue, whether the applicant expects to engage in outside work during such leave and if so, the nature of the work. (See pars. 43 and 44 of these regulations.) An employee who is granted leave without pay for a given period and returns to duty prior to the expiration of said leave is not entitled to pay for any day prior to the day on which he actually reports for duty.

Leave of absence or furlough without pay will not be granted for a longer period than three months, except in special and meritorious cases, and in no case shall any furlough without pay or leave of absence without pay continue in force and effect for a longer period than one year from the date of the commencement thereof, except in the case of employees who enter the military or naval service during the existence of a state of war. (See pars. 31 and 111.)

134. Sunday Between Sick Leave and Leave Without Pay. When sick leave expires on (including) Saturday and the employee continues absent, beginning Monday following on leave without pay, the intervening Sunday will be charged as leave without pay..

135. Deduction of Pay for Absence in Excess of Legal Limit.-Absence of employees in excess of the legal allowance of pay must be covered by application for leave of absence without pay for one-half day or more. No application for leave without pay for a period less than one-half day will be considered.

136. Basis for Deduction from Annual Leave.— In the District of Columbia a proportionate deduction from allowance of annual leave shall be made at the rate of 1 day for each 12 days or multiples thereof, for furlough or leave without pay during the calendar year; and outside of the District of Columbia at the rate of 1 day for each 24 days or multiples thereof. In every case an application for leave without pay to modify the excess of leave taken will be required.

137. Absence Without Leave.-Immediate notification must be given to chief clerks of bureaus of all. absence from duty for any cause where leave has not been previously asked for and granted. Any employee who is absent without leave for any cause will be required to explain to his immediate superior, in writing, at the earliest practicable moment, the cause of his absence, and of his failure to ask for permission to be absent. If it is found that he was absent without sufficient cause, or if his failure to obtain permission to be absent is not satisfactorily accounted for, the time lost will be charged to leave without pay, and such further action as may be deemed necessary will be taken.

138. Appointment Terminated Without Prejudice; Reinstatement.-When an employee has been absent for more than 60 days and has not been granted leave for the period in excess of 60 days, he will, without a showing from him, be considered to have abandoned his position and his appointment may be forthwith

terminated without prejudice. Such employee, however, will be eligible for reinstatement at any time within one year from the date of separation from the service.

CORRESPONDENCE.

139. Letters for Signature of Secretary; General Style. All letters for the signature of the Secretary shall be prepared on embossed letterheads and written in elite type, with black-copy-blue ribbon. The finished letter must be neat, accurate, and well balanced in every respect. A margin of an inch and a quarter should be allowed on each side and at the bottom. If the letter covers an entire page, the address should begin an inch below the seal; if it is comparatively short, more space may be allowed between the seal and the address. The date should be centered half an inch below the word "Washington." The month should not be abbreviated, and figures should be used for the day and year, as "July 17, 1914." Paragraphs should be indented seven spaces and double spacing should be used invariably, except in the case of quoted matter.

Each page, other than the first, should be numbered in the center, 1 inch from the top and three single spaces from the first line, the number being preceded and followed by a dash, thus:

-2

but neither the date nor the name, initials, or title of the party to whom the letter is addressed should appear thereon. If there are inclosures accompanying the letter, that fact should be indicated by the word "Inclosures" in parentheses on the left side of the last page. The inclosures should not be listed, but the number may be indicated thus: (2 inclosures.)

66

All letters should be written in an impersonal style and the use of the pronouns "I," "me," " we," us," "my," and our " should be avoided as far as practicable.

66

All communications to heads of departments shall be prepared for the signature of the Secretary. As a general rule, if a letter is received from an Acting Secretary or Assistant Secretary of any department, the reply thereto shall be addressed to the Secretary of that department and not to the Acting Secretary or Assistant Secretary who signed the letter. In such cases, reference should be made in the reply, however, to the fact that the letter is from the Acting Secretary or Assistant Secretary, as:

140. Letters for Signature of Secretary; Forms of Salutation and Conclusion.—The following forms of salutation and conclusion should be used in letters prepared for the signature of the Secretary, with punctuation, indentation, and spacing exactly as indicated: