Evening star., 1926-11-28

There has long been a widely
nravaleut idea that working for Uncle
sam is rather more or less of soft
snap. Government jobs have been
looked uron as easy berths, with snort
hours. long vacations, sick leave, Sood
pav. lax discipline and little work TO
do, and cynics have been known 10
assert that the American taxpayer
gets not more than so per cent value
for the salaries paid the Federal per
sonnet
Consider. then, large group OF
Government employees VINO WORKED
during the last fiscal year not merely
their regular hours but overtime that
exceeded an equivalent Of - work
ing davs for each employe, and sec
ond rro11p who worked after hours
and on Sundays and holidays until
their total overtime averaged more
than II working days each. Ana not
a dollar of extra compensation was
paid for all this overtime work.
These Government workers VINO
work-and they are not cited as ex-
ceptions. but as Illustrations of what
Uncle Sans hired mon and women
do to Justify their connection with
the Federal pay roll-arc in the bu-
reau of Foreign and domestic COM
merce. The first group is the 1ofelEn
staff of the bureau, While the second
is made up Of employees in the branch
offices of service stations OF the Pu-
reau in the United States.
And these workers not only worked,
but they paid the American taxpayer
a big return on his investment in
them according to the annual report
of DR.. Julius Klein, director OF the
bureau. Foreign trade promotion ac-
tivities of the Department OF COM
nerce last wear cost the taxpayer ap-
nroximatelv S3.000,000. New foreign
hueinnes secured for various Amer
;nan ovnorters as direct result
amounted to more than SlS9,000,0oo'
This is q return of more than
si-stvfold un0n the investment. 10
tho suggestion that only few lortu-
nate firms and individuals slafeu tnlS
hig dividend and that it meant 'foth-
ing to taxpayers in general, the tcP,S
NAV be made that 1t IS lh!pos9lpic
10 hrine S1S9.0OO, 600 of new business
and money into the unlteo o'aIes 1s
without all taxpayers sharing In the
benefit.
Everybody Gets q Bit Of 1t.
Tn fact, everybody gets a bite out
of this gigantic pie. American LABOR,
first of all. was we'll paid for pro
duc;ro this additional amount OF ex-
no,.tahle goods. American bankers
cot theirs for the financing they were
col1ed upon to Go. American pro-
ducers of raw materials, American
TRANSFORMATION agencies, American
fuel producers. American Jopners;
American "White-collar workers, aiio
avan American retailers and land
1o,ds shared. Drop S1S9 100000 into
the industrial and business pool or
the United states and it not only
makes q big splash but creates r1pples
that lave every side of the pool.
Uncle Sam got his through add1-
tional income taxes paid by every
body whose income was increased py
q share in the extra money from
abroad. Thereby Mr.. Average TAX
naver was at least slightly benefited
because his burden was proporuon-
ately lightened.
II is interesting to know the speclf1c
instances of the helpfulress to Amerl-
can interests of the work of the com
mercial attaches and trade comfnlS-
sioners of the organization headed pE
DR.. Klein. In Germany, for eNSnple'
where the bureaus office III Berlln
cost the American taxpayer So5'oVo'
the known sales of American mer-
cbandise during the year which came
about as q direct result of the actlVl-
ties of that office totaled more than
SO, 900, 900.
In Spain, the Madrid office, costing
so6.95O. developed new business ag-
gregating $500 600. fifth Of which,
bv the way. was in cigarettes.
During the year the Canadian
branch Of the bureau was instrumen-
tai in obtaining 81 agencies for Amer
lean goods resulting in sales amount
ing to some $500 900 on budget OF
s29.515, according to the report with
the assistance Of the bureaus rep
resentatives in Bombay aid Calcutta,
American firms obtained 81 new
agents and distributors who have
given orders totaling about $1,000
600. The Copenhagen, Denmark, OF
fee is credited with orders for goods
amounting 10 $4,000 900 for the year.
With the help of the American COM
mercial attache at Prague, Czechoslo-
yakia, arrangements were concluded
which resulted in the sale of 759
American automobiles. In South At
rica the johannesburg office, costing
S24.775. produces business for Amer
ican firms amounting to $2,500,00
annually. -:
Outlook Is Encouraging.
This sort of work win go on, with
every assurance that it will continue
to ba profitable. The retrospect and
prospect for increa sed sales of Amer