The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-02-10
ii.
UNCLE SAM AS EMPLOYER

Cepyrisht. Western Newspaper Union
III.
UNCLE SAM AS EMPLOYER
The United States government is The
largest single employer of men ana
women in this country. At the present
time in the executive civil service OF
the Federal government, and exclusive
VI the army and navy. there are EN-
ployed approximately 100000 workers.
ar one in ~ of all residents on Ameri-
can soil, ten years of age or over. en-
gagged in gainful occupations. little
while age. when the number of federal
employees was even larger than il Il
now. one person out of every 6s in the
United States who had any sort "f
job ut 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 IT the fourteenth general census.
Prior to the outbreak of the war.
in 1914, the number of men AMI women
In civil positions in the executive
service was approximately 3So.Gn. In
1915 II had grown To 3oS, $40. In 1917.
after our entry into the war. il was
l59. 79s. On June 30. 1919. the number
was 1O7, AS. The number on July 81.
1920. was 60I l16
These figures are confcssedIy ap-
prOximationS. Since the signing Of the
armistice the number of federal EN-
ployees has been decreasing. I'm
doubtedly the decrease In force will
continue to he made for months to
come, but the growth Of the govern
ment business In the past few years
has been such as to make II larger
employer in the postwar period than
It 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 p 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. he 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 II must investigate con
troll and eradicate diseases that attack
persons. plants and animals. 1t must
inspect livestock. foods and drugs. /;
must study conditions and progress In
education, labor and commerce. II
must prevent individual men or groups
If 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 edu,a ate children IN
tiOn 1t sets the clocks Of the country.
forecasts the weather. and makes
observations Of the stars and heavenly
bodies. It 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. II dis.
tributes all mail ard many packages.
The government does everything
that any employer In the United States
does. In addition 90 great many
things that no other employer does.
How does 1t treat its people? Is II
4 good employer or 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 ! began the present
inquiry, is that nobody knows, and
nobody ia 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.
II 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
EObOdy knew. ! 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.
II the average compensation is ST.
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 $4,000 civilian employees,
the Navy department about $4,000. and
the Treasury department about 10000.
No other branch has as many as 25,OOO
employees. Any institution that EN-.
plOys one in seventy-three of all this
cOuntry's workers and calls for the
expenditure Of such a large part of
our annual revenues Is entitled TO
your serious consideration. You and
IL