Salt Lake Telegram | 1942-05-05 | Page 8 | A Staggering Total

A Staggering Total THE THE report from Washington that civilian of the federal government have now reached the staggering total of which is more than twice as many as were employed at the peak in the first World war is bound to astonish and dismay every thinking thinking thinking think think- ing American It was to be expected that the war with its demands for increased activity connected with its its prosecution would cause a considerable considerable considerable consider consider- able increase in federal employment still employment still the fact that such employment has already reached a total more than twice as great as the maximum employed during the last war waris waris waris is ominous We haven't by any m means ans reached the peak employment of this war yet It must be remembered too that this is only civilian personnel It does not take into consideration consideration consideration con con- the thousands upon thousands of members of our armed forces who are performing performing performing per per- forming administrative duties of one sort or another rather than participating in or preparing preparing preparing pre pre- paring for combat duty The way this federal employment is in increasing in- in creasing creasing it it jumped during February the the total will be more than before long would That amount to close to 5 per cent of all workers in the nation Such a huge total of federal isn't healthy for the nation either politically or eco eco- It would be dangerous indeed if under the excuse of wartime necessity government government government gov gov- employment were permitted to get out of hand Greater government activity in connection with the war effort unquestionably means more government but but every effort ought to be made at the of an alarmed public to hold the increase in employment employment employment em em- to a minimum Much of the increase could and should be offset by the transfer to towar towar towar war agencies of thousands of workers now employed by nonessential branches of government government government gov gov- and by the elimination of thousands more such as the governments government's army of press agents who never were needed to begin with and whose major activity has been scratching around to find ways of making themselves appear appear appear ap ap- ap- ap pear busy