The Washington times., 1933-07-08
Government 7
! EYES FUTURE
SHARPLY
If Business Improves, Outlook
for Federal Employees Looks
Pretty Bright
By DUNCAN FORSYTH

BY DUNCAN FORSYTH
The fortunes of Federal en-
ployes, from all present appear
anceS, will be closely bound up
with the prospects Of industrial
revival in the United States.
Secretary Of Commerce Daniel
c. Roper has ended personnel
cuts in his department for the
time being, in the hope that
better business conditions may
Justify operation of the agency
on a basis Of expenditures total
ing 100000 a year. Originally
it was planned to cut this figure
to $26, 1000 900.
Public Works Money
Moreover, he has planned to
reemploy some of the employees
who had to be removed, through
the utilization Of public works
funds.
Similar programs are in pros
pect in the War, Navy and In
terror departments, all of which
have provided for considerable al
lotments from the public works ap-
preparations. In the case of these
organizations, naturally, most of
the money will go to mechanics
retained, it is thought, in various
clerical capacities.
Get Old Jobs Back
In the case of the Commerce
Department, to some extent the
funds from public works appropri-
ations would be used for exactly
the same purposes that Commerce
Department funds are now being
expended for, particularly in the
case of the Bureau of Standards,
where a number of scientific en-
ployes would be employed in test
ing materials.
In general, there seems to be
for the present a tendency
throughout the government or
ganization to mark time, pend
ing developments in the sphere
of business revival. If it contin-
ueS as it has started out, that
revival will make it unnecessary
to discharge more Federal work
ers, it is believed, and the SER
vices the Government he pro-
vided to business and other in
terests will increase in Importance
to such an extent that reemploy-
ment of some who have already
gone may be desirable.
There's Another Side
These circumstances, coupled
with the growing indications that
the emergency organizations now
developing can use former gov
ernment employees with civil SER
vice status, form the brighter side
Of the picture.
There is, however, another side,
as Brig. Gen. Hugh S. johnson
has pointed out, and that is
that business recovery, instead OF
proceeding wholesomely, may de-
velop in a lop-sided fashion that
will give immediate profits to
SPECTATORS, and thereby pile up
a surpll " goods that will
pave the way to a new economic
crisis.
The tendency of wages to
lag, and the spurts of prices in
advanc" of increasing costs, are
not pleasing the general, I'd he
makes no bones of saying so.
Not Out of Woods
It seems clear enough that the
more public-spirited members of
the Administration are disap-
pointed by the failure of certain
business elements to fall in line
with the new program, which
mans greater degree of CO.
opt .tjon than has been the rule
in the past. If necessary, they
will be brought into line, but
they IAN do damage to the
business structure before that is
accomplished.
The improvement Of the eco
nomic situation generally has,
therefore, important aspects so
far as Federal employees are con-
cerned. If business goes ahead
evenly and at a fair speed, their
troubles are for the most part
over; but if the industrial recov-
cry program is subjected to
sabotage, government workers
will feel the effects as strongly
as any class in the community.