The Elk Mountain pilot., 1921-12-08
By EDWARD G. LOWRY
Copyright. Western Newspaper Union
UNCLE SAM AS EMPLOYER


The United States government is the
largest single employer of men and
women in this country. At the present
time In the executive civil service Of
the Federal government, and exclusive
Of the army and navy, there are en-
ployed approximately 650,000 workers,
or one in 73 of all residents on Ameri-
can soil, ten years Of age or over, en-
gagged in gainful occupations. A little
while ago, when the number of federal
employees was even larger than it is
now, one person out of every 6S in the
United States who had any sort Of
job at all was working for the govern
ment. These calculations are based
on recent estimates of the bureau of
the census in anticipation of the re-
suits of the fourteenth general census.
Prior to the outbreak of the war,
in 1914, the number of men and women
in civil positions in the executive
service was approximately 1885,, $50. In
1916 1t had grown to 39s, 1882. In 1917,
after our entry into the war, it was
459,79S. On June 80, 1919, the number
was 707 ,44S. The number on July 81,
1920. was 691,116
These figures are confessedly ap-
proximations Since the signing of the
armistice the number of federal en-
pleyees has been decreasing. Un-
doubtedly the decrease In force will
continue to be made for months to
come, but the growth of the govern
ment business in the past few. years
| has been such as to make it larger
| employer in the postwar period than
| 1t had ever been in the pre-war period.
| These thousands of men and women
working for the government comprise
every type of ability and intelligence.
Their duties cover range of activities
that far exceeds that exercised for
other public or private employers; for,
besides its task of lawmaking and law
enforcing, of national defense and
national finance, the government is
charged with promoting the health and
welfare of its people. of promoting
their home interests, their agricultural,
mining, manufacturing, shipping, fish
ing and transportation interests.
To do this it must investigate, con-
troll and eradicate diseases that attack
persons, plants and animals. 1t must
inspect livestock foods and drugs 1t
must study conditions and progress in
education, labor and commerce. 1t
must prevent individual men or groups
Of men from using unfair business
methods, whether In banking, trans
portation, trade or manufacture.
The government must administer
public lands and the affairs of the
Indians, and educate children In
Alaska. 1t grants patents of inven-
tion, 1t sets the clocks of the country
forecasts the weather, and makes
observations of the stars and heavenly
bodies. 1t constructs buildings, docks,
roads, bridges. irrigation works, builds
canals and aeroplanes, makes
ordnance and ammunition, clothing
and other supplies for its soldiers and
sailors. 1t makes all its own money
and does all its own printing. 1t dis
tributes all mail and many packages
| The government does everything
that any employer in the United States
does, in addition to great many
things that no other employer does.
How does 1t treat its people? Is 1t
good employer or a bad employer?
| Are its employees contented? These
| are questions that should advise the
railroad men, the miners and other
| workers who seek naturalization of
Industry, to look into before they COM
NIT themselves.
Let them find out for themselves.
what government ownership would
mean to them.
| The first thing they will discover, as
discovered when 1 began the present
| ic hot
nobody in the government service is
charged with knowing, the exact
number of employees in the service
| from day to day. Even more astound-
Ing. nobody knows, or is charged with
knowing, even approximately, the sum
of the payroll of the United States.
1t is not possible to find out within
hundreds of thousands of dollars how
much the United States pays yearly
or monthly in salaries and wages.
went to the Treasury department, to
the appropriations committee of con-
| gress, and elsewhere where thought
the information might be lodged, but
nobody knew. 1 was told vaguely that
the government was not run on an
asset and liability basis, and therefore
1t was not necessary to know the exact
number Of employees on the payroll.
If the average compensation is 81
100. the federal civil service payroll
now amounts to more than seven
hundred million dollars annually. The
largest single branch is the Post Office
department. with nearly 100000 en-
| ployees. The War department has
more than 125,000 civilian employees,
the Navy department about $4,000. and
the Treasury department about 10000.
| No other branch has as many as 5000
employees. Any Institution that en-
ploys one in seventy-th three Of all this
country's workers and calls for the
expenditure Of such large part Of