Evening star., 1925-03-09

Nto rs IH6 UTSt OF tBTce dIItCI6S
describing in detail President Cool
id0e's plans to cat doDn operating
expenses Of the Government in the
face of a Federal pay roll which add
ed 1900 employees IN 1924.
BY WILLIAM r. HELM, JR.
Eleven thousand new names were
added to the Federal pay roll in 1924.
The tally has just been made and the
unbelievable to the officials directing
the Presidents campaign for re-
ducfng the number of public workers.
1t comes with the force of a rude
shock to the White House itself. Yet
there is no gainsaying the actual
hgures. They are official and they
show the gain in detail-10,94S, to be
exact.
Such was the increase between New
Year day of 1924 and New Year day
of 1925. 1t was during that period
that Calvin Coolidge. arch-enemy of
governmental extravaganza and high
priest of economy in government,
served his first full year as President
OF the United States. 1t was during
that period, too. that Washington
first became fully aware of the Pres
ldents firm will to cut expenses.
AtcSPoHSiDfCs
Certainly there has been no Presi-
dent within generation so mindful
or the fact that every dollar with
drawn from the Treasury means 100
cents gone. Perhaps no President of
the United States in all it's history
mas ever cut so ruthlessly into the
spendings of the departments under
MS command. 1t seems grim irony
that within the span of his first year
as fresloent-a year devoted TO
strenuous retrenchment-the steady
decrease in Federal employees should
nave been reversed to a sudden in
erase For 1924 was the first wear
since the armistice that the Federal
lorce ialled to shrink from its pre-
Vious years dimensions.
There are reasons. of couse n bs
iouno In the returns. Thousands OF
the additional employees were put or
tne pay roll against the President's
vigorous opposition and over his
veto. Other thousands came In
through the simple gateway of q
single department where the existine
iorce could not meet the public de.
ihands upon 1T. And other thou
sands. or, perhaps, hundreds, Just
happened to get on the pay roll not.
withstanding all the watch dogs al
the Treasury.
More than 1000 additional work.
ers were placed on the pay rol
through the action of CONGRESS ir
passing the soldier bonus bill ovel
the Presidents veto. These EN-.
ployes are scattered through thre,
separate branches of the Govern
ment = the War Department, tn,
Navy Department and the Veterans
Bureau. In the adjutant general:
ONCE alone extra employees number
more than 1000. And that number 1:
not so large as the first estimate o.
additional help needed to carry ou
the provisions Of the bonus law.
Postal Service Increases.
1t is in the growing use of tn,
mails. however, that the chief reason
for the increase in personnel /.
found. More than one-half of tn,
entire force Of Federal workers ar.
in the postal service. The numbe,
thus employed. according to Civi
Service count, was SOL, 900 at the enc
of 1924. This was an increase O.
6.714 employees within the year Tn,
Post Office Department. however, 1.
virtually self-supporting, so the in.
crease in its personnel It not a di
rect burden on the taxpayers. User.
of the mails bear from 95 to SO pei
cent of 1t.