New-York tribune., 1907-12-29
FOR NATIONAL HEALTH.
No Ne1o Cabinet Department, Says
President. to Do the TOrR.

The Committee of One Hundred National
Health issues statement, in which is set forth
that President Roosevelt is vigorously opposed TO
national department of health. which was former
ly advocated tentatively by the Committee Of One
Hundred on National Health. The follow ing letter.
addressed 10 Professor Irving Fisher. chairman of
the committee. shows the reason why the Commit
tee OF One Hundred advocates a system OF
health bureaus within existing department.
rather than new department:
The White House. Washington. May 5. 1907.
My Dear Professor Fisher. sent you my public
letter. l wish put proviso about its being
used however. i emphatically disapprove Of a
Cabinet officer being created at the head OF de
baTa x G letter used ro 10 rsate feeling for new
Cabinet officer be AT the head OF department. of
your body conclude to agitate for department. of
have bureau of health, TO be put under one OF
the existing departments but we need no additional
disadvantase While We do most urgently need
rearTansemept Of the bureaus & and divisions aseG Of
executive officer of the government put under some
of any independent bureau not under Cabinet
officer Sincerely yours, r,,,,r, r,ooSr,-r1r
Professor Irving Fisher. president of the Com
mittee of One Hundred, New Willard Hotel
President Eliot of Harvard stated the meet
ing of the committee: THE committee of one
Hundred is confronted by a dilemma. II less than
a federal department. with representation in the
Cabinet results. little will be accomplished To
seek to create q department with a secretary
in the Cabinet is to undertake the impossible"
The statement continues.
The suggestion made by Professor Catteu, editor
of The Popular Science Monthly, is for the
utilization the Department of the Interior for
the purpose of carrying oS the work. HE says;
An arrangement within the range of possibility,
should sensible people unite to adN ocate IL, would
he the transfeTence of pensions from the Depart
ment of the Interior 10 the army and navy; where
they belong wing the Department of the Interior
free become essentially department OF science,
education and health The establishment would
then follow under the Department of the Interior
public health should be assigned to
each by Congress. Among these there should be
separate bureaus infant hygiene. education AMI
schools. sanitation. pure food. registration OF
manufacturers. registration of institutions of public
private relief. correction, detention and resi-
dence. organic diseases quarantine health tnfor-
matcr. immigration, labor conditions. research re
tories At the head of these bureaus which should
be separate should be experts of the first class
With the establishment of such an organization
powerful department would result without increas-
ing the number of cabinet secretaries now in ex-
istcnce. How efficient the organization would he
would al depend the personnel of tne
various bureaus, and especially the amount of the
appropriations secured by Congress That the
scientific bureaus of the government require read
iustment as we'll Is pruning is the judgment of ex-
perts in touch with the Department. at Washing
ton Every principle of national economy demands
greater economy: the expenditures for purposes
VIII reality duplicate work carried on by
duplicate bureaus by men. who IL combined, could
and cost are not only absolutely wasted. but un-
wise a spirit of rnvhol~sorne competition with
the bureaucratic tendencies necessarily present
must, It does. unpeasantly result