The Washington herald., 1920-12-15
HOUSE PASSES
BlLTOFRAME
BUREAU CHANGE
SmO0t-Reavis Resolution
Approved Without Dis
senting Vote.
BOARD TO STUDY
PROBLEMS ASKED
Efficiency of Government
Considered in Act by
Congress.

passed the Senate last session. the
House yesterday without a dissent
ling vote, adopted and sent to the
President the Smoot- -Reavis joint
resolution. providing for the ap-
pointment of a Joint Committee on
/ lReorganization," which will make
| a survey OF the governmental de-
partments and submit bills to CO.
ordinate the functions of the various
branches.
! FolIoging the signing of the
measure by the President, the
Speaker of the House and the Pres
ident of the Senate will appoint
three members from the respective
bodies for membership on the COM
mittec.
! Senator Reed Smoot. of Utah. un-
doubtedIy will be chosen as chair
man of the proposed committee.
Representative c. Frank Reavis, of
Nebraska. House author Of the res
oIution. and r. Walton Moore, Dem
ocrat, of Virginia. probably will be
chosen by Speaker Gillett. The
third House member is in doubt, as
a number are clamoring for appoint
Denison. OF Illinois. appears to be
leading the field.
Discussion Started.
Considerable discussion was in
dulged IN during general debate
upon the necessity for amending the
resolution so that il would be i'm
possible for the Speaker or Presi-
dent of the Senate to name lame
n It,
terms expire March 4.
/ Reavis insisted that the wording
of his resolution precluded that
contingency, since 1t prescribed that
members of the committee should
be members of the House or Sem
ate. and that no appropriation was
| provided for salaries.
Mo lame ducks can be taken care
OF under the resolution" ReSis said.
I ''The work will be absolute drudg-
! cry for the next two years, and
without salary attachment there
is no attraction.
The committee, under the resoiu-
/ ton. must make its final report not
later than the second Monday of
! December, 1922. 1t will, from time
to time as the work progresses.
make preliminary reports. together
with recommendations for legisla-
tion providing for changes in the
governmental machinery.
To start on ReaSis Bill.
I The committee probably will be-
gin its work on the Reavis bill, pro-
viding for the creation of a depart
ment of public works, to take the
place of the present Interior Depart
ment, according to Reavis
I ReaYis, speaking in behalf of his
i resolution, reiterated that the meas
ure had no partisan significance.
mo political party" he said. "is
responsible for the conditions exist
ing in the. administrative branches
of the government. 1t has grown
up with the evolution OF the gov
ernmnt during the past century.
THE necessity for reorganization
has been apparent to the members
of Congress for many years and
many thoughtful men of high stand
ing have repeatedly made the
statement that If the business re-
organization of administrative
branches of the government could
he had, it would result in the saw
ing of a very large sum of money
to the taxpayers.
Overlapping Increased.
l. Overlapping has Increased very
much during the war period and
while there were something like
$4,000 employees in the government
service four years ago, there are
something like 10000 now"
Deavis said the operation of his
measure would have finally the ef-
feet of letting out a large number
of employees and putting in men on
an efficiency basis who would have
centralized In them authority now
divided among numerous employees.
Activities innumerable." ne con-
tinued, ARE connected with all the
administrative branches of the gov
terpment. that bear not the slightest
relation to the proper function Of
the department to which they are
attached.
: Sees Divergencies.
"I have run back over the history
of some of these activities and !
found in many cases some great
activity calling for the employment
of many employees has been attached
to an administrative branch of the
government, not because it bore any
lrelation to. the functions of that
particular department, but because
; the head of that department had a
hobby in line with the activity"
i AS. an illustration of duplication
Reavis told of the red tape neces-
} sary to execute a mule which had
been condemned by a division of the
4 War Department.
"The matter went to twenty-six
I individuals" he said. Seventy
eight letters were written upon the
execution; it took two weeks to ac-
Tcomplish II and when the morning
of the execution arrived, they found
they had the wrong mule and had to
go over the whole proposition
7 again"
Tells of Projects.
\ Referring to his bill reorganizing
the Interior Department into a De-
partment of Public Works, Reavis
said. -
I'VE have now an Interior Depart
ment whose functions are well
known to- all and 1t is running an
insane asylum out here at st. Eliza
beths. 1t is In charge Of the Howard