The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-01-02
Fair
Enough
by wEsTBRooK PEGLER-


TT could do no harm If some
= critic with a fault-f1nding dis
position should go nosing through
the government departments in
Washington pretty soon to discover
how many people have been entered
on the Office pay rolls as secretaries,
clerks. administrative assistants
and the like.
This is an expensive type of help
which accumulates rapidly in times
Of confusion and it would be a seri-
Gus mistake to take it for granted
that all the Office employees who
have been taken on since the fourth
of March are necessary to the gov
eminent service. Politicians are.
very human and likely TO err on then
side of generosity at the taxpayers
expense unless they are checked up
every so often.
Therefore a fault-finding investi-
cation conducted in a suspicious
spirit by a hostile critic is a fine
device for keeping the statesmen
reasonably honest.
AS long ago as October, when the
administration had just about fin
ished the patriotic service Of turn
ing the raScalS out and filling their
jobs with deserving Democrats, the
civilian white-collar staff in the
government departments appeared
to be almost as large as that which
was amassed during the war.
THE bureaus spread over town
i and although it was obvious
that great numbers of clerical and
administrative people had signed on
to help spend the country out of
debt. it was impossible to estimate
the increase in the pay rolls for
various reasons, the chief one being
that there was too much noise and
excitement
1t would be unkind, of course, to
begrudge any deserving Democrat
his or her little job in the govern
ment service at a time when Jobs
are so scarce and the government
is trying to pa the country back to
work. But white-collar employment
in a Washington office almost in
variably falls to the intimate friends
and not necessarily talented kins-
people of those who already have
jobs.
The inquiry to be effective ought
to examine the pay rolls and the in
dividual duties of a great number
of White-collar employees and as
certain, first, whether they really
need their pay and second whether
they perform any services for their
money which by any stretch of the
imagination can be regarded as a
help rather than a net burden to
the country.
CRAFTSMEN and bureau heads
~ are capable of surprising in
genuity in inventing nominal tasks
for persons who come personally
recommended to them in one way or
another but each such job costs the
treasury from S25 to 500 a week
and the money which is spent on all
such office help is subtracted at the
very source from the funds which
otherwise would be available for the
relief of much more needy and much
less expensive benefciaries.
One of the first appointments
which Mr. Farley made when he
was appointed postmaster- general
was that of an administrative as
sistant without previous experience
in the postal service at a salary of
somewhere around 500 a week
which would provide a living wage
for five family heads on out f-door
work and might, possibly, yield
some service to the country. The
duties of Mr.. Farleys administra-
tive assistant have seemed to me 70
be largely exart- curricular and of ~
value not equal to his pay.
The enemies of this administra-
ton might be able to save the new
deal from a dirty scandal by ex-
posing the situation this early in the
game.
Copyright. 1884. by United Features
Syndicate Inc.)