The Washington times., 1920-02-21
BILL WOULDREDUCE
FEDERAL WORKERS
House Favors Measure Cutting
Force In Capital by Ten
Thousand.

Ten thousand Government workers In
the District OF Columbia will lose
their Jobs on June 80 next, II the leg
islative appropriation bill, now being
considered in the House. becomes n
law.
Sentiment in the House lie for a
material reduction in the clerical
forces OF the Government here, and
Chairman Wood, OF the Appropriations
subcommittee In cha age OF the leEis-
lative bill. told the House yesterday
afternoon that the committee has zap
propriated for the fscal year 1921 for
about 10000 people less than there
were appropriated for the District OF
Columbia for the current year"
The applause that greeted this
statement Indicated that the House
will sustain the committee.
The total number of Government
employees in the District of Columbia
today 10 about $4,000 less than II was
when we reached the peak during the
greatest war activity There has been
so per cent Of the employees Of the
Government" Mr.. Wood explained.
Not Usder Civil Service.
Mr.. Wood took issue with members
who charged the present situation
against the Civil Service Commission.
There are some, / do not know
how many. engaged in the Govern
ment. either directly or indirectly.
who are not under civil service" Mr..
Wood said. "rhe number / have
stated-1O2, 900 in the District of Co
lumbia-does not include those con-
nected with the Railroad Administra-
ton. There are many quasi boards
OF the Government of the United
States.
There are members OF some Of
these shipping boards and their
forces not within the civil service.
and as to that IL would be impossible
to state how many of those there
are, but those who are included in
the civil service in the United States.
whether having passed the civil ser
vice examination or not, are 100000 In
round numbers"
Seek More Clerks.
Department heads who added hum
dreds of additional clerks during the
war. Mr.. Wood said, are now trying
Ito convince Congress how necessary
II Is that they be continued and the
ing to the Government, and many OF
them have asked for increased forces
as compared with the force they had
at the peak Of the war"
More than 200 physicians on duty
with the Public Health Service in
Washington are dropped from the
rolls by the bill, Mr.. Wood told the
House in answer to the question of
what would become of the 1900 physi-
clans on duty here.
More than 1900 are dropped in the
War Department, and Mr.. Wood ex-
pressed the belief that Congress
would within another year reduce the
War Departments civilian personnel
to $500.
Discussing the so-called $24o bonus
for Government employees who re-
ceive $4,000 or less in salary, Mr..
Wood said:
1--WE have placed in this bill a pro-
vision for a 324O bonus, with the
same limitation that was placed in
the last bill. We have excluded from
u the Police Department and Fire De-
partment in the city OF Washington,
for the reason that during the pres
ent Congress they have had their
salaries raised so that the least in
crease that any OF them has received
is very nearly twice the amount Of
the bonus.
1T would have been absolutely I'M
fair to the other employees in the Dis
trict of Columbia If this bonus had
, been permitted to these employees in
the Fire Department and the Police
Department in the District of Column
bia."
The bonus for playground officials
will be paid next year entirely out of
the funds of the District of Columbia.