Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-03-27

stration officials are undergoing "A
daily grilling my house and senate
committees on their failure to re-
duce the number Of war time en-
ployes and on the reports that large
numbers retained are either idle or
not fully occupied with government
work.
In a session of the house appro-
priatiohs committee Representative
Byrnes, Of South Carolina, democrat,
directed attention to the matter, OF
idleness in examining Adjutant Gen.
eral Harris, Of the army. MT.
Byrnes wanted to know whether
there was any check on the work
performed and General Harris said
he had five inspections every day to
ascertain whether all clerks were
working. The general said the same
officers made the inspections, but
appeared at different times. He said
he frequently inspected the force and
seldom found more than d dozen
clerks not actually hard at work"
II am frank to say that have
seen them when they were not work.
ing" Mr.. Byrnes said. Il do not say
that was in your department. have
zone thru some offices and found the
employees reading newspapers. l have
been told by employees that at times
they have not anything to do"
Chairman Good called attention to
the testimony of Major Burks, OF the
general staff of the army. who stat
ed, II saw with my own eyes day
after day hundreds of clerks who
were doing nothing"
II know it is true" Mr.. Byrnes
said. what I am wondering is
whether or not good hearted subor-
dinate chiefs are keeping the work
going in much the same way as mas
been pointed out, destroying 1T when
completed and starting another job
to be destroyed when completed sim
ply in order to allow employees to
hold their jobs and unless some re-
sponsible officer investigates that we
will never know"
Before the senate committee on
appropriations Secretary Of War
Baker said the war department force
Of civilian employees had been reduc-
ed 46 per cent since the armistice.
Senator Smooth wanted to know
why the war department had 16s,-
063 civilian employees outside Of the
District Of Columbia in 1919, COM
pared with 31,147 in 1916. 4
I'm every camp" Mr.. Baker said.
I'VE had large numbers of clerical
employees, civilian employees, includ-
ing girls who were operating laun-
dries in the camps. It included per-
sons operating public utilities. water
and electric light plants in the
camps, doing work in the electric
light distribution and supply.
ut includes large number Of
stevedores employed at all of the
ports, and includes all of the persons
engaged In dispatching materials
overseas. It includes custodians and
laborers in the great supply depots
Now, that number as you have 1t
there, 16s,000, was actually increased
after that figure was given to you,
and It was increased in this way:
When the armistice came there was
tremendous pressure on the part Of
the soldiers to be demotillzed.
There was the utmost impatience
and resentment on the part Of any
soldier who was held IN any peace
time service, on the theory that he
had volunteered or been drafted for
the war, end the disposition Of the
department was to let them out as
fast as possible and restore them to
their civilian opportunities.
1T necessitated our employing ad-
ditional persons as custodians of
property and operators Of utilities in
order that the soldiers might be dis
charged from their military con-
tracts. So the number Of civilian
employees was actually increased