The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-01-11
UNCLE SAM AS EMPLOYER
Copyright. Western Newspaper Union

UNCLE SAM AS EMPLOYER
The United States government is The
largest single employer OF men and
women in this country. AT the present
time in the executive civil service Of
the Federal government, ana exclusive
of the army and navy, there are en-
ployed approximately $4,000 workers,
or one In 73 Of all residents on Aneri-
can soil, ten years of age or over. en-
gagged in ganful occupations A little
while ago, when the number Of federal
employees was even larger than 1t IS
now, one person out Of every GS In the
United States who had any sort Of Il
job at 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 Of the fourteenth general census.
Prior TO the outbreak Of the war,
in 1914, the number Of men aud women
in civil positions in the executive
service was approximately 3SJ,G30. III
1916 1t had grown TO 30S,S32 in 1917.
after our entry into the war, It was
i59,70S. On June 80 1919 the number
was T07, AS. The number on July 81,
1920, was 69111G.
These figures are c0nfessedly ap-
proximatlons. Since the signing Of the
armlstice the number Of federal EN-.
ployees has been decreasing. I'm
doubtedly the decrease In force will
continue to be made for months to
come, but the growth OF the govern
ment business in the past few years
has been such as to make It a larger
employer in the postwar period than
1t 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 a range Of activities
that far exceeds that exercised for
other public or private employers for
besides It's task Of lawmakine and law
enforcing Of national defense ant
national finance the government is
charged with promoting the health and
welfare Of It's people a. 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 IT must
inspect livestock foods and drugs. II
must study conditions and progress IN
education, labor ami commerce. It
must prevent individual men or groups
Of men from using unfair business
methods whether in banking trans
portauon, trade or manufacture.
The government must administer
public lands and the affairs OF the
Indians, and educate children I'm
Alaska 1t grants patents Of inven.
ton, il sets the clocks Of me county,
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 It's soldiers and
sailors. It makes all its own money
and does all It's own printing. II 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 it treat It's people? Is Il
a good employer or a bad employer?
Are its employees contented? These
are questions that I should advise the
railroad men, the miners and other
workers who seek naturalization Of
Industry, to look into before they com
init themselves
Let them find out for themselves
what government ownership would
mean 10 them.
The first thing they will discover as
discovered when 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 to 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. l
went to the Treasury department. to
the appropriations committee of con
gress, and elsewhere where | thought
the information might be lodged, but
nobody knew. / was told vaguely that
the government was not run on an
asset and liability basis, and therefore
it was not necessary to know the exact
number of employees on the payroll.
If the average compensation Is 81.
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 125,OO0 civilian employees,
the Navy department about 10000, and
the Treasury department about 60,0O0
No other branch has as many as $4,000
employees Any institution that en-
ploys one in seyenty-three of all this
countrys workers and calls for the
expenditure Of such large part Of
our annual revenues is entitled to
your serious consideration, You and
you alone put up the money