Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-16
Byrd
Continued From First Page)

vestigations, there are no plans
contemplated to stop or reduce the
monthly increase of 100000 new en-
ployes that have been added since
Pearl Harbor. In fact. some of the
new agencies, such as the OPA. have
just gotten started"
Senator Byrd declared that II
additional clerks were needed for
war agencies they should be trans
ferred from some Government unit
not so essential to the war.
Questionnaires Sent Out.
The committee has sent question
naires to every agency of govern.
ment in an effort to formulate
recommendations.
while the task for Congress will
be most difficult" Senator Byrd said,
''let us remember that Congress still
has control of the purse
Cites Employee Army Ratio.
In the last war this country had
one civilian employe for each Az
men in the armed forces, Senator
Byrd said, while today there is one
civilian to every IL members of the
armed forces, "the ratio being 212
times more per soldier and we are
still increasing our civilian personnel
at the rate of over 5000 daily"
The Virginian said that, despite
the removal of many agencies. to
other cities, the number of civil
service employees in Washington on
August 81 was 1862. as compared
to 117,750 on Armistice Day in 1918.
Declaring that some of the new
agencies. such as OPA, are just
getting started, Senator Byrd pre-
dicted the Price Administration will
no doubt in time reach its goal of
10000 employees, as requested by Mr.
Henderson before congressional
committees, unless Congress takes
action to prevent it, Continuing,
the Senator commended:
I'm such new activities as are es-
sential no effort, so far as I have
observed, has been made to transfer
employees from nonessential activ-
tiles to those needed in the war. If
Mr.. Henderson, for example, needs
employees, they should be transferred
from those departments of the Gov
eminent that are over-supplied with
personnel. Mr.. Henderson, too,
should depend more on voluntary
workers, as was done in the last war.
Rapid Increase in Rolls.
"On August 81 the civilian en-
ployes of the War Department num-
bered ZOOS, 900 NOW nearly 200 ,OOO)
and this figure does not include those
indicted into the Army who are
doing clerical work.
"On August 81 in the Navy De-
partment the civilian employees were
500, 565, as compared to total of
11O,o23 on December 81, 1918.
I'm the Agriculture Department
they numbered 81,645, four times as
many as on july l, 1919, and this
figure does not include the employ
ment of 100000 agricultural COM
mitteemen drawing per diem and
costing the Government alone $50
O00,0 year.
THE Interior Department had
47,497, nearly three times as many
as on July l. 1919. The Commerce
Department had 24,479, as compared
to 1852 on July /, 1919.
"The new agencies of Government
created since the New Deal came
into power and did not exist at all
during the last World War have
252 1886 employees.
Il am now giving merely few of
these comparisons to indicate the
extent to which bureaucracy has
been established in our Federal Gov
eminent and is extending its auto
cratic control over the lives of our
citizens. Later on, complete and
carefully prepared report will be
made to Congress showing in detail
the employment of the various
agencies, the salaries and other such
information.
Formation of staff of financial
experts to aid Congress in its hunt
for economies was urged, meanwhile
by Chairman Cochran of the House
Committee on Accounts.
Unlike House Minority Leader
Martin and Representative Dirksen,
Republican, of Illinois, Mr.. Cochran
contended that the staff should be
attached to the General Accounting
Office under the Controller General.
rather than to the Appropriations
Committee.
He contended in a statement that
no legislation was necessary because
the Controller General now has
power to require all Government
agencies to produce the evidence
necessary for determining where
cuts IN appropriations may best be
made.