Evening star., 1919-11-11
|15,214 CIVILIANS
IQU|T WARPOS|T|0NS
37,406 Employed in Depart
ment Nov. II, 1918; Many
Officers and Men Out.

There have been 1924 net separa-
tions of civilian employees of the War
Department in the District of Colum-
bia since the signing of the armistice
| on November II. 1918, year ago.
At that time there was total of
31.4O6 civilian employees on duty in
the War Department in Washington.
SIX months later. or May II. 1919,
net reduction of $3.50 had been made.
One year after the armistice. there
are 22.192 civilian employees of the
War Department in the District of
Columbia. making total net reduc-
| tion of 1924. or more than 40 per
cent In addition. 1886 officers of
! the Army assigned to duty in Wash
! 1rgton in charge of large divisions
and branches of the War Department,
or assistants therein. and 1850 enlist
ed men employed on clerical duty in
the War Department have been mus
| tered out of the service and their
work taken over by the diminishing
clerical force. all of which in effect
really makes the decrease greater
| than indicated. Decreases are still
going on, as it is the purpose of the
department to reduce the civilian
| force in Washington to the lowest
| limit consistent with efficient admin
istration.
The total of 37,406 civilian employees
who were in the War Department when
| the armiStice was signed embraced all
on duty in the District of Columbia, in
cludlng those in the field service here
of the quartermaster department,
ordnance department, medical depart
ment, signal service, engineer depart
I, ment, chemical warfare service Motor
! Transport Corps, air service and con-
struction division, and at depots, hos
pitals or training schools in this city.
Many Got Other q. S. Positions.
large number of the employees who
resigned or were dropped secured
| places elsewhere in the federal service.
as the war risk bureau, the internal
| revenue bureau, the division of loans
and currency. and other government
establishments. But all of those who
were separated from the War Depart
ment were actually lost to it's service
; In some bureaus work has increased
since the signing of the armistice, be-
! cause of important work which during
| the time of greatest stress had to be
| postponed, for matters that pressed for
| immediate disposition and could not be
delayed, and also by reason of the vast
| accumulation of records and accounts
received from abroad which must be
! arranged, co-ordinated and examined.
Work Increases.
! That is true of the adjutant gen.
, eIdl 5 ONCE, WHICH mas received thOu-
sands of boxes of valuable records
| consequent upon the rehabilitation
| of nearly 100000 soldiers. That has
| required a clerical force considerably
| larger since the signing of the armi-
stice than it was before. to arrange
| and make these records accessible.
! Otherwise it would be impossible to
| furnish necessary information to the
| war risk bureau. the auditor for the
! War Department. the director of
! finance and other government agencies
| relative to claims and other matters
affecting these millions of former SOL
! diers and their families.
F; There has also been an increase
which has examined and paid a total
of 1.614,053 claims from discharged
| soldiers for the SiXty-dollar bonus;
| 114.165 claims for increased allow
| ance for travel pay of enlisted men
upon discharge: 1883 claims covering
I; damage to or loss of private prop
| erty belonging to officers and en-
i listed men, and 81 S65 other claims
of miscellaneous character affecting
soldiers. The payment of these l.
| 792.166 claims required an expenditure
work of the board of contract adjust
j ment of the War Department claims
| board. and of the office of the di-
rector of sales all relates principally
! to work which has sprung up since
| the signing of the armistice. The
J transportation service required con-
! siderable increase Of clerical assist
! ance because of heavy demands in
! cident to rehabilitation and conse-
! quent correspondence and settlement
| of Gains