The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-01-27
REPUBLICANs BUSY WITH PRUN-
ING KNIFE AND EXPECT
10 GUST USELESS
EMPLOYEES.


Washington, Dec S.--How to re
duce by 100000 the present pad
ded payroll OF the government s.
the problem which the new Reuub.
lican administration will take up
rs soon as IL enters power.
AT the beginning of the war with
Germany there were 10000 govern.
ment employees in Washington
During the conflict. as the result
of the extravagant methods OF the
Wilson administration. this total
jumped TO $4,000. After the arm
lstice had been signed in 1919 the
executive departments asked that
this be increased. The Republi-
cans held up these estimates and
when they captured congress. speed
lily reduced the number to 10000
In one year getting rid of $4,000
employees who had become bur
den to the taxpayers of the country
Representative VIII r. Wood, OF
Indiana, chairman of the subcom-
mtttee of the appropriations com
mittee in charge of the legislative
bill to become effective after June
30 next, declares that the number
of Washington government employ
ees will be so reduced that not
more than $4,000 will be provided
for, thus In year and half
looping off a total of $1,000 en-
ployees in Washington alone.
This is only the beginning of the
reduction that is planned. however
Chairman Good. of the house APP
propriations committed; Senator
Curtis, of Kansas, Republican whip
in the senate and other Republican
leaders at the capitol are insisting
that the reductions must be made
In every department of the Federal
service and that many of the bur
eaus established during the war
shall be legislGted out of existence
altogether.
There are now more than 100000
men and women in the employ OF
the United States government In
all the country. On January 81
| 1920, there were 757,S54 on the
payrolls of the Federal govern
ment, but congress, during the last
session, reduced this number tc
about 100000.
The reduction OF 100000 in the
size of the army OF Federal EN-
ployees that is hoped for by con
gressional leaders would result In
an annual saving of between $780,
100000 and $4OO.O0O,0 900 to the
| taxpayers, II is estimated.
Senator Lodge, Republican lead
er in the upper house, and Repre-
sentative Mondell, Republican lead
| er in the lower house, declared
their intention of insisting upon
wholesale reductions in the number
of federal employees
The present administration, how
| ever, has submitted estimates tC
| the house appropriations commit
tee that in nearly every case cal
| for additional employees for thu
next fiscal year. About the onl!
exception that has been noted |.
| in the case of the bureau of wal
risk insurance, where an imme
diate reduction of about 1900 i
reported contemplated at once.
Chairman Wood said that h
| could not understand why ney
clerks were being asked for in thu
| legislative bill, which his commit
tee hopes to have ready for re
| porting to congress by Decembe
18th.
| 1--WE have today in Washington
under the civil service something
over 10000 employees and betweeI
5000 and 5000 unclassified. max
ing a total of $4,000 government
employees here" said Mr.. Wood
Before the war there were abou
$4,000. 1t Is idle for any one 4
say that there is now three time
as much work done here az befor,
the war.
There are twenty-five or thirt,
independent bureaus. meant by tn
law that created them to be merel
for the war emergency, that ar
trying to induce us to make then
permanent and to get a large
force than before.
| Every man who comes befor
US agree that there ought to be
reduction In the number of civi
service employees in Washington
but they insist that the cut mus
| come somewhere else than In thei