Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1925-10-08
WASHINGTON SPECIAL
Bv d. w. GAIL

lAC OllANNQ AObc4LED &OfCA iAAlACt4ss IL
the District of Columbia made a net
reduction Of the employees, of 1872 fol-
the month of August, which means
separations by resignation. death and
rea;ovals, because Of the conplel.o:l
81 definite war work tlat has ;e+l
completed, or reached such a stage,
that the reduction is necessary, to
a line Of good business prin-
/ cipals.
These figures are given as a result
] of the report Of the Civil Service,
which gives the personal reduction of
the several departments, for the
months, as they are computed, after
reports from the department at the
end of each month
| There is a mistaken idea or line of
information given out by the press Of
the country, into the matter Of en-
| ployes, leading the unadyised to be-
lieve, that there is an over employ
| ment of persons, clerks, and hand
| lers of the government, in many lines,
| but they forget to give credit for the
| great growth of the country and bust
ness in all lines, during the last 25 or
| 80 years, and if they would but think,
| they would realize that the business
Of the Government Departments now
require at least as many employees, as
it did Is years ago, and that the res
ponding to the call for war workers
1 was most noble on the part of the
young and old, rich and poor, who
were unable to serve the country in
any other way, and that the great
/ lines of increase them, in the govern
ment business has not, nor never will
resume the same standard it had be-
for the call came for war help, and
while the work incidental to that
great conflict has not been completed,
and will not in years be fully com
pleted, and will not in years be fully
completed, yet the force of employees
is being reduced as fast as good bust
ness methods will permit.
In the handling of these reductions,
the heads of the bureaus are held res
ponsible, and yet they are only res
ponsible in name, as it is too often
left to subordinates, who care not
particular in carrying out the de-
signs of the heads of the several de-
partments or even the desires of the
Chief Execu dive From the very be-
ginning of the reduction of the force,
after the war, it was designed to re-
lieve those who were not entirely de-
pendant on their own resources, in
short, where husband and wife were
employed, they should not both be re
tanned, but in spite of that broad
view Of the situation, there are yet
working side by side, husband and
wife, with not a single person Deepen
dant upon them, and they ride to and
from their work in an automobile, and
his right under the observation OF
the writer, who sees it every day, and
these persons have no children to sup
/ port, while equal as we'll fitted with
dependents resting upon them, have
been separated from the service, and
many of them reduced to poverty and
want
These things, as many others OF
which complaint is often made, is not
chargeable to the party in power, be-
cause the affairs of the government,
must be conducted by subordinates
and often they trust it TO others, who
have an ak to grind, but the work OF
the Departments have grown to such
an extent, that the increased number
of workers are essential to the con
Quoting of the work of each Depart
ment.
More Evidence Of Prosperity
The C. & O, Railroad, at Hunting
ton, has put back to work 100 men
and more to follow which is not only
an evidence of prosperity, on behalf
of the road, but it must follow to all
branches of business, and is follow
ing out the idea advanced by the
writer in a former article, that il
workmen, when 'laid off, for any ur-
pose, have been frugal in their lines
of living, they have saved from their
earnings the support of tiler DEEPEN
dants for the time being, and when
the conditions warrant the resump-
ton of business, they WA be called
to their old positions. Previous ,oI
the announcement, made by the c. &
0. of the putting on additional force,
four other large businesses in the
city Of Huntington mad announced
plans for the increasing the number
of employees. These companies are:
the H. r. Wyllie China Company, the
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