The Dolores star., 1921-12-09

aiN VI leNeTHl
employees was even larger than II is
now one person out OF every SO In tile
.n''eu states who had any sort of
J'p ~ all was working for the govern
'neht. These calculations are based
on recent estimates Of the bureau Of
'''e census In anticipation OF the re-
suI's OF The fourteenth general census.
ffi"r to the outbreak of the war.
VI l9li, the number of men and women
III civil positions I'm the executive
service was approximately 3S5. 1880. In
1910 II had grown to 3gS. .S32. In 1917.
aiter our entry into the war. II was
'"''''S. On June 80, 1919, the number
was 'o',iAs. The number on july 81.
1920 was 91.1l6.
ihese fsures are confessedly an
pr"xiinatiohS. Since the signing OF the
ar'iiistice the number of federal en-
l'ioSees has been decreasing. Un-
u"nb'edly the decrease In force will
continue To he made for months to
come, but the growth Of the govern
ment business in the pas, few wears
mas been such as to make II larger
employer in the postwar period than
IL mad ever been In the pre-war period.
These thousands of men and women
working FOR the government comprise
every type OF ability and intelligence.
iheir duties cover range Of activities
'iht Tar exceeds that exercised for
other public or private employers: for.
besides It's 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
th"ir home interests, their agricultural.
mining. manufacturing. shipping. fish
! ing and transportation interests.
To do this it must investigate. con-
! irol and eradicate diseases that attack
! persons, plants and animals. II must
| inspect livestock, foods and drugs. It
/ must study conditions and progress In
education. labor and commerce. It
/ must prevent individual men or groups
| or men from using unfair business
methods, whether In banking. trans
| porlati0n. trade or manufacture.
| ~ -''' llIii'Ill lilNNl itlllIllStPG
public lands and the affairs OF the
| Indians. and educate children in
| Alaska. II grants patents OF inven-
| ton. 1t sets the clocks of the country
| forecasts the weather. and makes
! observations of the stars and heavenly
| bodies. II constructs buildings. docks,
roads, bridges, irrigation works. builds
canals and aeroplanes, makes
| ordnance and ammunition. clothing
and other supplies for. its soldiers and
| sailors. II 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
Il good employer or bad employer:
Are its employees contcntedf 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 l began the present
inquiry, IS that nobody knows, and
nobody in the government service is
charged with knowing, the exact
number OF employees in the service
from day 10 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. I
went to the Treasury department, to
the appropriations committee OF con-
gress, and elsewhere where l thought
the information might be lodged, hut
nobody knew. | was told vaguely that
the government was not run on an
asset and liability basis and therefore
il WAS not necessary TO know the exact
number Of employees on the payroll.
|
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 1250O0 civilian employees,
the Navy department about $4,000, and
the Treasury department about 10000.
No other branch has as many as 25.0O0
employees. Any institution that EN-
ploys one in seventy-three OF all this
coIutry's workers and calls Tor the
expenditure Of such a large part of
our annual revenues is entitled to
YOUR serious consideration. You and
you alone put up the money.
Octopus Not DANGEROUS.