The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1920-08-24
WOULD CREATE
new OFFICE IN
j. 5. CABINET
Organization Perfected
Which Would Make
Room for National
Department of Public
Works.

New York, Aug. ga nationwide
movement purposing a sweeping re-
organization of the administrative
machinery of the federal government
has been set in motion. The imme-
date objective of its sponsors is to
transform the historic department OF
the interior by the establishment Of
. national department of public works,
in which the immense public works
functions Of the government would
be co-ordinated thus eliminating
waste and inefficiency.
To further the project the national
public works department association
has organized with headquarters in
Washington. Committee are at work
in every state in the union and many
public men, including mcbmers OF
congress and presidential candidates
have declared themselves in favor Of
the principle of the undertaking.
In New York city strong and rep
resentative committee has been form
ed. The chairman is Adolph Lewis
ohm internationally known as a capi-
talist and philanthropist. The vice
chairman is ]. Parks Claiming,
eminent mining engineer and one OF
the foremost figures in the copper in
dustry,. who, in recognition Of dis
tinguished service in his profession.
received the honorary degree of A. M.
from Columbia university. The Sec
rotary Is James T. Grady of Columbia.
The movement is entirely nonpartisan
and aims only to bring about economy
in the conduct of the public business.
Wiley 10 Idaho Head
A. ]. Wiley of Boise, Idaho, IS
chairman of the Idaho committee OF
the association of which M. o. Leigh
ton is national chairman. Mr.. Wiley
said in a statement given out yester-
day that one great step forward, the
department of public works would ac-
complish for the citizens of Idaho
would be the administration and de-
velopment of the forest service with
drawals by one department.
About one-third of the area Of
Idaho is in forest service withdraw
ais: Mr.. Wiley's statement continued.
This withdrawn area contains a large
part OF our undeveloped minerals, our
water power, and our timber resources
The minerals are under the depart
ment Of the interior. the water power,
it partly in the forest service and
partly out, as frequently happens,
would be under both the department
at agriculture and the department of
the interior. The water power living
entirely in the forest reserve and the
timber is under the jurisdiction of the
department of agriculture. The de-
velopment of the mineral resources
and of the water power in the forest
reserves is greatly helped by the
topographic maps which are the work
of the geological survey, a bureau OF
the department of the interior. A
great deal of useless friction and over
tapping control would be avoided by
the placing of all these activities in
the department of public works."
Must Prune Appropriations
The New York committee as we'll
as the entire Association enthusiastic :.
ally supports these views of Mr..
Wiley. The movement which il
non-political, also has the approval of
former Secretary of the Interior,
Franklin X. Lane who said it was
an imperative change" Hoover,
Butler, Wood. Cox, and Lowden are
among well known Americans who
have voiced their support of the
measure which is designed to give the
United States government an organ
ration as efficient as that of great
American business enterprises.
Mr.. Claiming. who is chairman Of
engineering council. a national organ
ration OF engineering societies, in ex-
planning the movement said:
The secretary of the treasury sent
to congress estimates of appropria-
tons required for the service of the
hseal year ending June 80 1921.
amounting to A.473.6o6, 358.32. and
this was exclusive of sinking fund re-
quirements for 1920 and postal ser
wee. Looking over these estimates
one fails to find many objects of ex.
penditure that are not needed or that
We would not like to have. Yet
these estimates must be pruned ~,