The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-17


Judiciary department and the
more important officers and a2en-
tics of The executive department.
The report Of the commission on
ca5cieary ana economy. authorized by
the general assembly two years ago,
t.s311 }guu cover TO cover with strik :
ta& aEd sometimes sensational state
Axis and rseenameH dations, will ne
presented TO the general assembly to-
day t.es't.-
fue COM mission, consisting or SEN
ate, = II. prewry, chairman; Leroy
Hodges George L. Browning Rich
ard AVelyn Byrd and !. Calvin Moss.
las been actively at work since Sep
TENDER. 1915, In its investigation OF
tho state government and the formu-
l2tion Of Communications It's first
effort was to obtain comprehensive
survey Of the organization and work
90 the various governmental agencies
uf the state. from reports OF the
heads of the various departments and
bureaus IN this undertaking. the
commission received much assistance
from q cooperative committee o; csti-
1ens. From the reports received. the
commission first formulated an out
Inc of the functional organization of
the state government by departments.
structural Weaknesses.
Tho diagrams printed with the re-
pert show graphically the crganiza-
ton and the weaknesses of the sub
.jects thus treated. In this connec-
ton the commission says
authority and responsibility arc
d.Tnsed instead Of fsssing placed where
n definite official can be held TO ac-
count for the administration of the
states affairs. The people elect a
group OF purely administrative off,
rers who are responsible in actual
practice TO no one, these officials be-
ing accountable i'm the same way that
the governor is. hut are not of sufii-
cent importance to the average citi-
zen for him even la remember the
name of the official two weeks after
the elections. Anothr group of SINH
har officials are elected by the general
assembly. There are next n vast va
fiety OF offices, some OF n purely To-
cal character, that are filled by the
governor. Numerous special boards,
commissions. bureaus and other agcn-
cies, some exercising large powers, arc
tackled on here and there to our gov
ornamental structure, and duplication
of functions and overlapping of work
and powers occurs in many instances IS
The report continues:
Needed Changes Obvious
Tn order not to divert the atten-
tien of the general assembly away
from the more important changes
which should be made in he interests
of greater economy and efficiency, the
commission has concluded II best to
offer detailed suggestions for supply
ing a few of the big, general and most
pressing needs of the state govern
ment. rather than to point out al
this time the numerous specific de-
partmentaI changes which could be
made in the interests of greater econ
omy and efficiency in the public SER
vice. There are many changes that
should be made, and a number of
unnecessary agencies that should be
abolished Many of these desirable
changes will be suggested to the gem
eral ASSEMBLE by a study of the
graphical exhibits submitted with this
report. without having TO have them
pointed out by this commission
Defects Due to Legislative System.
Defects which are most obvious in
cur state government are due chiefly
to our method OF legislation. A large
number OF departments, bureaus or
other agencies have-been added to the
constitutional structure from time to
time without regard to functional re-
iation to existing agencies. No at
tempt has been made to coordinate
functions, make establishments. nor
establish proper executive control.
We thus find In our state machinery
to-day some agencies doing double
work and here and there the same
work being done by two or more sepa-
rate agencies.
THE original government was
planned to care for a relatively small
amount Of business, and as the com
mcnwealth has developed and grown
Continued on Fifth Page.)