The Washington times., 1925-07-06
Better Treatment for Govern
ment Workers Is Called For
By BILL PRICE.


Through and executive action the
bring to Government better treatment and more
humane consideration.
It may great thing people of the country unac
quained pay working conditions in the Government
service to read big through dismissng thou
unnecessary employees of Uncle Sam in this city
and elsewhere The prevailing idea in backwoods sections
pay rolls here padded with immense
idle people has been to be pure I'M
agination.
of these workers highly paid
another which perpeuated by gentlemen in Congress
who want with their constituents back home
by attacking civil service employees referring to them as
having cnches and doing comparatively nothing for the
huge" salaries they receive.
Of the more than employees in the Dis
ct of Columbia not less $4,000 of this number today
$500 per than they did before
the war The remainder through Redistribution and other
methods get from 900 to above prewar salaries
and when the raising prices unheard figures
the statutory salaries OF the average were
exactly the they were EIGHTY years ago.
Twenty-Five years ago annual salary of $1,000 to $O0
did look like cnch to the pasterer or brcklayer who
was satisfied So per day The 81 200 job today
paying about under the liberal raises of Congress
and ST 800 about half the price of two threerOom
apartment in unpretentious building.
So much prncey salaries of workers
who because of economy demands and policies may
long time yet before they are given living wage by Con-
gress
There are hundreds other things though upon which
fair square treatment of civil service workers be
given by Congress and executive heads and the duty of these
the better the conditions under
which Uncle Sans workers labor.
Just matters in mind and they receive at
tention because of welwrtten letters from intelligent
women readers Of this newspaper.
One the attempt of the head of large Government
division prevent his employees from doing work outside at
night after Government hours to supplement the scany
salaries they get In all probability the efforts Of this d
vision head will be confined his establishment The
great majority Of executives in the Federal Government clear
y understand the difficulties those under them have in meet
ing the high costs Of living with the measey salaries they
and will not interfere with work outside Government
hours unless that hour produces nefency for the Govern
ment.
bright employee of large Government establish
ment writes that she fifty old Her efficiency rating
95 far above the average The support Of household of
three people two Of them dependents devolves
her. Her salary would positively not give them food
year. she works the extra money needed to maintain her
modest home.
The other Of inadequate annuities paid
retired Government employees those fine and who
have given all their best years to Uncle Sam and compelled
because advancing years. leave the service The annuity
fund administered by the Government but not cent
tbuted by the Government made of deductions from
the pay of all Government workers The highest annuity
$720 per year and the lowest large enough to the rent
single The annutes may keep actual starvation
from the door, but that is all they do Congress will it is be-
heved, increase the annuities at the next session.
connection with these parsmonous annues which the
itself should long ago have supplemented out
of its funds print part of the letter Of brilliant
woman wife of retired worker who compelled to
go far Western city to attempt to live off the small
annuity paid The struggle to do this can be imagined
Here's part of the letter. too long to print in full