Evening star., 1921-10-03
The Government Personnel.


Speculation as to the rate at which
the departmental forces in Washing
ton will be reduced from the wartime
peak Of approximately 118,000 has
been frequent ever since the signing
Of the armistice, when it was realized
that the public service personnel must
shrink. Some have expressed the opin-
ion that it would go back to the pre-
war point of about 10000. But this is
impossible. The government could not
today to 10000 employees in Washing
ton-outside of the legislative person
nel-without crippling practically
every branch and putting its work into
hopeless confusion and dangerous ar
rears.
The reductions since the war ended
have been gradual. On Armistice day,
November II, 1918. the force in Wash.
ington, as officially recorded at the
Civil Service Commission, was III, ,760.
It rose little, to about 11S,000, be-
fore the reductions began. In the next
seven months there was considerable
yhrinkage. From July to January J.,
1919, the force at the capital fluctuated
between 100000 and 100000. During
1920 it fell from 100000 to S6,450 on
December 81. During the current year
1t has fallen by steady but small
monthly depletions, until on the 1st Of
6ot to
the reduction has not been conspicu-
GUS measured against the whole num-
her OF employees, the largest loss being
in the Shipping Board, where 62S
clerks passed out of employment in
the last two weeks Of September.
What reduction, II any, in the depart
mental forces, will result from the
operation Of the budget system and
the reorganization plan, when and if
adopted, cannot be foretold, but it
would seem that the departmental
force is near the minimum II the gov
ernment work at Washington is to be
effectively carried on.
p Despite every effort at economy it is
now realized ct the Capitol as well as
in the departments that unless the
government goes out of business in
certain lines it cannot cut down its
force far below. its present strength
safely. The only way to make large
economy in the government pay roll
is to scrap entire bureaus. 1t could
stop ell the field work Of the Depart
,ment Of Agriculture, or the forestry
rangers, or the geological survey, or
the war risk insurance, for example.
But the chiefs of those services and
the heads of the departments in which
they are administered feel that they
are now down to the lowest point Of
personnel compatible with good ad-
ministration.
The truth is that save for the work
caused by the war, which will last for
q long period, the government has
nearly returned to normal in it's cleri-
cal organization. In the four years
since this country entered the contest
there has been a development in the
ordinary business of the public service.
The war itself has left heritage of la
bor. The war risk insurance calls for a
large force. The government tax sys-
tenn, increased by the war, makes a
larger personnel necessary. The post
ONCE organization has grown with the
country. The Interior Department is
doing more work than ever. The De-
partment of Justice-is buster because
there are more cases in court. The
Labor Department is one of the most
active branches Of the service today,
owing to the Industrial situation. The
Commerce Department is active in
making the development Of American
trade possible. Only its census bureau
can be reduced from the enumeration
psai.
The long and short Of the matter is
that the government is a big institu.
ton and If it tries to run its business
shert-handed it will find itself paying
1 heavy penalty for the worst kind Of
Socalled economy.