Evening star., 1942-02-15
BY J. A. FOX.


An amazing 20-month expan-
sion of governmental activities
which reputedly bear some rela-
ton to the war program was dis
closed yesterday by a check of
Civil Service Commission records.
The 10 major departments and
% independent establishments
have reported to the commission,
it was shown, that their func-
tionS now are wholly or in part
of defense nature.
Only eight agencies lay no claim
to participation in the war effort.
When the Nation started to rearm,
in the middle of 1910, only three
departments and eight independent
agencies or bureaus were classed as
defense organizations by the COM
mission.
The check was made in the light
of President Roosevelt's order for
a general survey of personnel to
determine the possibilities of di-
verting some of the non-defense
man power to war operations, and
halt the growth of the executive
agencies which now are employing
about 100000 persons here as COM
pared to l31, 900 on June l, 1910.
Seven Departments Listed.
When the commission began to
classify agencies in defense and
non-defense groups in July, 1910.
in order to give the former prefer
ence in filling personnel needs, the
defense category included the War,
Navy and State Departments, and
the National Advisory Committee
for Aeronautics, Civil Aeronautics
Authority. Maritime Commission,
Panama Canal, Federal Bureau of
Investigation (fingerprint unit,
immigration and Naturalization
Service, Procurement, and the COM
mission itself.
At present, seven departments are
classified in their entirety, and
three in part, as defense agencies.
The former are State, War, Navy,
Justice, Agriculture, Commerce and
Labor. In the latter group are
Treasury, Interior and Post Office.
The last-named has only the in
spection service and some person.
mel activities under the defense
heading.
The only independent establish
ments which do not report defense
functions are: American Battle
Monuments Commission, Board Of
Governors, Federal Reserve System,
Board of Tax Appeals, Government
Printing Office, Mount Rushmore
National Memorial Commission, Ma
tional Capital Park and Planning
Commission and two railroad groups
National Mediation Board and
Railroad Retirement Board. Their
total employment is 9,592 of which
1886 is in the printing Office.
Interior Personnel Down,
The classification of an agency
with the defense group has not
always been accompanied by in
creased personnel. Interior, report
ing a number of defense activities,
has about $500 employees less than
on June l, 1910, although the ten
dency was upward in November
the last figures available-when the
local force was shown at 4,643.
Agriculture is down about 1900
from the 1910 figure, November
employment standing at 1852. La
Dor, which lost several hundred
employees of the immigration and
Naturalization Service to Justice,
showed 2,311 at work on November
30, as compared with 1880 on June
/, 1910. All the other departments
have grown.
OF the independent agencies, %
increased personnel over this same
period and seven showed a falling
off. There were six agencies created
as result of the arms program
hence no change-and the Mount
Rushmore National Memorial Com
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