Evening star., 1926-10-17
PERSONNEL REDUCTION
BY i. S. ADVANCES FAST
Officials of Budget Directors ''Two Per
Cent Club Show Energetic
Cuts i'm. Rolls.

circulated that we have today in the
Federal executive civil service more
employees than when President Cool
idge took Office.
President Coolidge became Chief
Executive August 2, 1923. June 80,
1923, there~Yere 262,709 people in the
Federal executive civil service. exclu.
sive of the postal people. April 30,
1926. we had 246,419, reduction of
1920 during President CoOlidge's ad-
ministration.
Nevertheless, we still have super
fiuous employees on the Government
pay roll. To help you meet the Presi-
dents requirements as to expendi-
lures the coming year, it has been
decided to apply per cent reduction
to your force with the organization of
the per cent personnel club-a
thrift club Of a new pattern, designed
to save not less than $20,000,00 in
the next IL months. This plan does
not require the discharge of any :one
from the Federal army Of workers
1t does provide, however, for a grace
full, scientific and painless reduction in
personnel. l know your response will
be enthusiastic. joyful and effective.
'The number Of vacancies in the
Federal executive civil service filled
annually by original appointments is
about per cent of the total employees.
1t is proposed during 1927 the pres.
ent fiscal year, to omit filling such
number Of these vacancies as. will re-
suit in saving at least per cent of
the total salary cost.
This means that for every 500 you
have for such salaries So at least will
be converted into the surplus fund of
the Treasury. No employe need be
discharged for the sole purpose OF
efecting this reduction, Details gov
erning this plan. which has the ap.
proval of the President, will be an
nounced later l might say in pass
ing that you are not necessarily linz
tied to per cent in this personnel re.
duction. 1t will be interesting to note
at the end of the year who wins the
blue ribbon for greatest percentage Of
reduction in this friendly and profit
ables contest. Here, again, the ques-
tion of administration-good bad and
indifferent--comes into the picture"
Respone Has Been Prompt.
From Maine to Alaska and from
Florida to California the message has
spread. And the response has been
prompt. Administrative officers in
Washington who direct the affairs of
the great army of Federal workers
say the net reduction will aggregate
more than per cent by the close of
the current fiscal year, unless some
unusual situation comes up that calls
for heavy additions to the Federal
pay roll.
The situation has been eXemplified
in the case of the Federal establish.
ments in Washington, where the CEN
tral agencies are concentrated and
where orders become demands. For
here, in the face of expansion of some
departments, there has been during
August a reduction of 165 in the num-
her of employees, and figures for Sep
tember are said to he even more en-.
couraging to those who would reduce
the pay roll size. Figures for August
81, the latest available, show that
there were 60,270 Government en-
ployes here on that date, against co.
S11 on June 80, 1926, an indication Of
the way the wind has blown since
Armistice day. when Washington
housed more than 100, 900 Government
employees.
Commissioner Deming explains that
Congress sometimes unloads some un.
usually heavy job on the Federal es.
tablishment that retards the work of
TeuuCluS the loICe, Dul IIdt even III
the face of temporary retardations the
reduction goes on, steadily and re.
lentlessly. In most cases and most
departments it has proceeded exactly
in the way Gen. Lord suggested, SIM
ply by not filling positions when va
cancieS occur. In some it has come
about through actual separation from
the force Of some Federal office hold
ers whose efficiency has been found
wanting, or through partial termina.
ton of the work on which they have
been engaged. But, all in all, the off,
GERS of the 2 per cent club-Gen.
Lords new thrift club-have been
functioning well, and personnel Off
GERS predict remarkable slashes in the
pay roll when next June rolls around