Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-12-09
Reasons for Grouping Them in One
Department.
-FR--r
neutrality-suspicious. ]!
Proposed Change Would Prevent
Duplication of Work
EFFECTIVE COOPERATION


ture," said President Roosevelt in his mes
sage. In the original scheme for the De-
partment of Commerce and Industry as ex-
| pressed In bill which was introduced In
the Fifty-sixth Congress, it was the inten-
ton to include the scientific bureaus of the
government in the new department. It is
now understood, however, that the Presi-
dent Is opposed to including the scientific
bureaus in the Department of Commerce,
as he desires that the new member of the
cabinet, If Congress decides to provide one,
should not have so much upon his hands
but that he can give practically his whole
attention to matters of foreign trade
While recommending a Department of
Commerce represented by cabinet officer,
the President also recommended further
that the scientific bureaus should be
grouped under the Secretary of Agrcul-
ture. These bureaus representing an an
nuai expenditure of about s., 900, 900 are now
in several departments.
The scientific work of the government is
now very widely diffused, the arrangement
being largely the result of accident. Each
new bureau created has been attached to
the department which happened at the, time
to be the newest for instance, the coast and
geodetic survey, the Oldest of the scientific
bureaus, was attached to~the Treasury De-
partment, as that was at the time the
catch ALL for newly created bureaus. The
tached to the Department of the Interior,
at the time the youngest of the depart
mentS.
Distribution of Scientific Bureaus
The scientific bureaus are now distributed
as follows: Treasury Department, the bu-
reau of statistics, life saving service, coast
and geodetic survey and marine hospital
service; Navy Department. the naval OBJ
servatory, nautical almanac and museum
of hygience; Department of the Interior,
the board of education, the geological sur
vey and the census office Not connected
with any department are the bureau of la
Dor, commission of fish and fisheries board
of geographical names and the bureau of
standards
The coast and geodetic survey, now under
the Treasury Department, carries on sur
yeys along the coast and makes careful
determination of points in the interior of
the country. The geological survey under
another department, that of the Interior
takes up the work of the geological survey
and finishes the topographic mapping. If
the personal relations between the heads of
these bureaus happen to 1he cordial, as they
are at present, BENCH ciaI cooperation re-
suits If the relations are otherwise more
or less duplication and friction results.
Duplication offWorlx.
The forestry worl1a6f the government, as
fully. shown by the President in his mes
sage, is widely scattered, and. should be
consolidated to obtain better results. The
irrigation investigator begun in 1888 by the
geological survey ana carried by it from a
standpoint of national interest in the mat
ter is being duplicated in part by the De-
pertinent of Agriculture from a local or
son can be advanced for not having all the
irrigation work done by Zone department,
, and if the geological survey is transferred
to the jurisdiction of thesSecretary of Agri-
culture harmonious "a elton would be in
sured. 10 -.
The statistical work of the government is
being duplicated in part by the statistics
bureaus of the Treasury Department and
the Department Of agriculture and by the
census office in the Department of the In
terror. The work of the census is at pres
emf temporary and not coordinate with ex-
listing bureaus. New men are now being |
trained in the census Office to repeat the |
work being done by men in government en- |
ploy elsewhere. With permanent census |
bureau, such as is now proposed, placed in |
the same department with other scientific |
bureaus or bureaus Of information, such !
duplication of work could be prevented.
Unequal Distribution of Responsibility |
Including the pension list, which is in the |
Department of Interior the Secretary Of
that department supervises the expenditure |
annually of approximately 100000, 900, |
whereas the Secretary of Agriculture, a CO. |
ordinate officer In the cabinet, supervises
the expenditure of only about $4,000 900. |
Inc enormous Oh business WI lCH
goes to the desk of the Secretary of the |
Interior from the many ramifications Of his |
department is realized only by those who I
have endeavored to obtain prompt action |
in matters requiring his decision.
The bureau of forestry alone has furnish |
ed the Secretary of the Interior with more |
questions, investigations and adjudications |
than one man should be called upon to take |
care of and necessarily precludes giving |
proper attention to other and even more |
important features.
The business Of the government has be- |
come SO enormous and unwieldly that it |
requires the utmost system to insure dis |
patch and guard against duplication. AS |
the government is now constituted its ma |
chinery Is matter Of growth and evolu- |
ton, new features being taken on here and |
there. from year to year wherever 1t SEEM |
ed possible to effect lodgment for them.
The segregation of the scientific bureaus |
or bureaus of information from the differ |
ent departments is equally as important as |
the creation of new department, as pro-
posed. The President, while fully aware Of
the Importance of this move, was unable to |
make more than passing reference to 1t In
his recent message.