Evening star., 1933-09-04
Will Uncle Sam Join2

The National Federation of Federal
Employees opens its biennial conven-
tion in Kansas City today. The new
deal" for the employe of the Federal
Government, whatever it has done and
is striving to do for the employees Of
private industry, has been in the main
disastrous 1t may be expected that
the federation will go strongly on rec
ord in its condemnation Of a policy
that on the one hand calls for a cut in
the pay of Government workers by
fifteen per cent while it demands that
all other workers be granted higher
wages; a policy that shortens the hours
of labor of workers outside the Govern
ment so as to bring about greatly in
creased employment, while for the Gov
ernment itself it lays off thousands of
men and women, many of whom have
given the best years of their lives to
the service of Uncle Sam, and at the
same time demands of many employees
long hours of overtime work
ton that Government salaries and
wages must be cut in order to balance
the Governments budget, and that
thousands of employees must be dis
charged. But the same administra-
tion looks with disfavor on a private
industry that seeks to balance its bud
get by taking such steps From a
purely economic point of view, what is
sauce for the goose is also sauce for
the gander If there is to be real
comeback industrially in this country
it is obvious that there must be greater
employment, higher wages and more
production and consumption.
The civil service employees of the Fed
eral Government are no negligible unit
among the workers of the country. They
number today nearly $4,000, even with
the huge cuts which have been made
and are continuing to be made in the
regular personnel. Much has been said
of the need of helping the major in
dustries of the country which employ
great numbers of men and women. But
which industry, coal, lumber or steel,
for example, has a greater employment
than this? Yet, apparently without
qualm, the Federal Government has
gone ahead in ruthless fashion slashing
and cutting the list of workers in its
own service. officials of the Govern
ment have admitted the inconsistency
of the present policy. They have in
sisted, however, that it was essential
in the interest Of the taxpayers Of the
country. But these same taxpayers
must bear the burden of increased
wages for private employees through in
creased costs of everything the tax
PAYERS are compelled to buy.
Through the operation of the many
new Government agencies established to
aid in the recovery program thousands
of men and women, many OF them dis
missed from the older service, have
been given employment. Very many OF
these emergency employees have been
added to the pay rolls in Wash
ington Probably in the next few
months these new services will bring
about the employment of many addl-
tional workers in the field service, out
side of Washington. This added en-
pioyment has been great boon to Gov
ernment workers. It has brought ad-
ditional business to the National Capt.
tai. But still for the great mass OF
the Government workers there hoVers
the fear of dismissal from their old
positions and still there is the paralyz-
ing cut in salaries and wages. Govern
ment pay has always been slow to ad-
vance, far more slow than the pay OF
employees in private business.
It is about time that Uncle Sam him.
self ioined the N. R. A. Why should
the Government be outside and beyond
the shadow of the wings OF the Blue
Eagle? Henry Ford, if he fails to
sign the automobile code, may peril
nently ask this question. And doubt
less he will.