Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1921-12-16
CspyEight, Wsstsrn Nsssp.psT Uaiss
bNCLE SAM AS EMPLOYER

lnC OuttNu otatNS - kho
rgest single employer Of men and
omen in this country. At the present
me in the executive civil service Of
he Federal government, and exclusive
the army and navy, there are en-
Ioyed approximately 850.O00 workers.
one In 7S Of all residents on Ameri-
IN soil. ten years Of age Or over. en-
hged In gainful occupations. A little
,ile ago, when the number Of federal
Employees was even larger than 1t In
pw one person out Of every 8S in the
3nited States who had any sort Of q
b at all was working for the govern
ent. These calculations are based
b recent estimates Of the bureau Of
e census In anticipation Of the re-
bits Of the fourteenth general census.
X, Prior to the outbreak Of the war,
1914, the number Of men and women
( civil positions in the executive
rvice was approximately 1856. $50. In
be It had grown to 39SS32. In 1917,
fer our entry into the war. II was
f. =. 1913 On June 30. 1919, the number
he 707. .44S. The number on July 81.
e2O, was 6e1.118.
n These figures are confessedly ap-
roximations. Since the signing Of the
Irmlstlce the number OF federal en-
loyees has been decreasing. Un-
= oubtedly the decrease In force will
|ontinue to be made for months to
ome, but the growth Of the govern
aent business in the past few years
las been such as to make 1t larger
Employer In the postwar period than
had ever been in the pre-war period.
These thousands Of men and women
working for the government comprise
very type Of ability and intelligence.
rheir duties cover o range of activities
shat far exceeds that exercised for
bther public or private employers; for
besides its task Of lawmaklng and law
Enforcing, Of national defense and
national finance. the government Is
charged with promoting the health and
{welfare Of Its people. of promoting
lkheir home interests. their agricultural.
fnining, manufacturing. shipping. fish
E1ng and transportation interests.
To do this 1t must investigate. con-
krol and eradicate diseases that attack
persons, plants and animals. II must
Inspect livestock. foods and drugs. It
must study conditions and progress In
'Ioducation. labor and commerce. II
aust prevent individual men or groups
men from using unfair business
Methods, whether in banking. trans
|portatiOn. trade or manufacture.
4 The government must administer
[public lands and the affairs Of the
indians, and educate children In
Alaska. II grants patents Of inven-
ton. itkets 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. It 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 II treat its people? Is 4
q good employer or bad emplOyer1
Are Its employees contented? These
are questions that should advise the
railroad men. the miners and other
workers who seek naturalization o1
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. al
I discovered when began the present
inquiry, IL that nobody knows, ant
nobody In the government service Il
charged with knowing, the exac
number Of employees in the servic'
from day to day. Even more astopnd
ing, nobody knows, or is charged will
moving, even approximately, the sun
Of the payroll Of the United States.
Il 10 not possible to find out within
hundreds Of thousands of dollars hov
much the United States pays year,,
q monthly In salaries and wageG
went to the Treasury department, b
ne appropriations committee Of con
Qess, and elsewhere where though
the information might be lodged, bu
nobody knew. I was told vaguely tn
he government was not run on q
asset and liability basis. and there1cs'
& was not necessary 10 know the exAe
uAmber Of employees on the payreA
n the avegage compensation II u,
10. the federal civn service payrol
nsw amounts to mere than Ssvs'
hundred million dollars annually. IN
largest single branch b the Post O6so
department., with nearly 10000 sEI
HAeyeea. The War department N
0sFe than 12S.O00 civilian employees
- Navy department about 10000. an
tAs Treasury deparunsae shout 00!00s
~ other branch has - many as 300
employees. ANY tr1titution that "a
paeys one In seventy-three of all thi
esuntTy's workers end calls for n
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