Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-17
Hourdinq' Workers

.
Senator Byrd of Virginia has made
out a very strong preliminary case in
support of his charge that the Fed
eral Government is the "chief Of
fender in the waste and boarding of
manpower in America" Even the
casual observer in Washington knows
that this accusation is well founded,
but it is difficult if not impossible for
the casual observer to fortify his i'm
pressions with the facts and figures
upon which specific proposals for
curtailment of Federal personnel
should rest. Hence, it is gratifying
to learn that the Virginia Senator
intends to follow up his generalized
complaint with detailed investiga-
ton through the medium of the Joint
Committee on Reduction of Non-Es
sential Federal Expenditures, which
he heads.
Senator Byrd estimates that by
January l the grand total of public
jobholders will be 100000, or more
than the total number of soldiers,
sailors and marines in our armed
forces" OF this total, 100000 will
be on the Federal payroll, and one
third Of these, according to Senator
Byrd, could be dismissed or made
available for war work without in any
way Gripping the Governments
necessary activities. It is interest
ing to note that.the 100000 Federal
employment figure for January /
compares with a World War peak of
917,760 on November II, 1918. In
other words, there are now more
than three times as many Federal
employees as were on the rolls during
the last war, and more are being
added at the rate of 100000 month.
Certainly this tremendous increase
in public employment cannot bear
any reasonable relationship to the
demands of the war, and this is best
evidenced by the fact that the new
agencies of Government-those Gre
ated since the New Deal came into
power-had 252,853 employees as of
August 81. In November, 1918, there
were thirty agencies of the Govern
ment. Today there are eighty-one
such agencies, many of which, &C
cording to Senator Byrd, are making
no direct contribution to the war
program.
In the light of these figures there
will be few to question the accuracy
Of the Virginia Senator's charge that
nothing in all history is in any way
comparable to the waste and in
efficiency that now exist in the vast
number of bureaus in our Govern
ment." But it is more than a matter
of waste and ineff1ciency, bad as they
are.
The war effort itself is definitely
harmed when the Government, in a
period of acute labor shortage, in
sists upon retaining in unnecessary
employment an estimated 100000
persons whose services are needed in
industry. And it is definitely HARM
full to public morale when the Gov
eminent adheres to such policy in
it's own establishment while relent-
lessly squeezing" out of private en-
ployment all workers who are not
directly contributing to the war. AS
Senator Byrd pointed out, the Gov
eminent should set good example
for the citizens in this matter. But
the example which the Government
has been setting is very poor one
indeed.
1t is to be hoped that all of the
facts pertaining to this question will
be brought to light in the inquiry
which Senator Byrd proposes to con-
duct, and in that which is being
launched by Chairman Ramspeck of
the House Civil Service Committee.
When the full truth is known the
pressure of public opinion may COM
pei remedial action.