Evening star., 1921-10-16
HOUSE is. In NEED
OF NEW COMMITTEE
Bud get Legislation Held to Make Neces-
sary General Committee on the
Executive Departments.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

BY WILL p. KENNEDY.
A s final cleanup in it's pro-
~ gram of reorganization to
III make the budget system eff
cient. economical and expe-
ditfous. the House is now considering
the organization of a new major COM
mittee to be known as 1.-The commit
teen on expenditures in the executive
departments"
In the present organization of the
House there are eleven committees
on expenditures for various federal
departments. the first of which was
established in 1916, and the others
added as new departments were Gre
ated. These are supposed to be audit
ing committees for the departments, but
this function has lapsed into the inde-
pendent Office Of controller general, who
is in effect. as was originally written
into the budget bill. an officer of Con-
gress.
Confusion Over Jurisdiction.
There is no budget committee to
which proposed legislation regarding
the administration of appropriations for
all Of the government departments.
such legislation as the director of the
budget and the controller general are
required by law to recommend, can be
referred, and in consequence there is
much confusion over proper jurisdic-
tion.
To remedy these conditions the for
ward looking men of the House includ-
ing Speaker Gillett. House Leader Mon
dell and other prominent members on
both the republican and democratic
sides, are seriously considering the es-
tablishment of the new committee on
expenditures in the executive depart
ments.
The Senate has already taken SINH
lar action.
The rules of the House give exten-
sive powers to these existing commit
tees on expenditures, providing that
| the examination of the accounts and
expenditures of the several depart
| ments of the government and the man.
ner of keeping the same; the economy.
business and correctness of such ex-
penditures; their conformity with ap-
preparation laws; the proper applica-
| ton of public moneys; the security of
| the government against unjust and ex-
travagant demands; retrenchmeht; the
enforcement of payment of moneys
due the United States; the economy
and accountability of public officers
the abolishment of useless offices; the
reduction or increase Of the pay of of.
fcers-shall all be subjects within the
jurisdiction of the standing commit.
tees on the public expenditures in the
several departments"
Cover Many Subjects.
| They have reported bills relating to
| the efficiency and integrity of the pub
| lie service, leaves of absence of Off
| GERS and clerks, creation and abolition
of offices and fees and salaries of Of
ficers and employees. They may make
investigations without specific direc-
ton from the House. but authority
must be obtained from the House for
compelling testimony.
/ Even before the establishment OF the
budget system, House leaders believe
| it would have been wise to establish
such a new committee as is now pro.
| posed. Each of the existing commit.
tees, as has been said. is intrusted
with a great deal Of authority. but
this has simply lapsed. except that
once in a while some particular com.
mittee will report a bill for adjudica.
ton of an account for the particular
department it has jurisdiction over.
Right now, as a result Of the war
there are thousands of claims-not
particularly claims of individuals, but
of governmental officers, and in that
way they become not private claims,
but Of agents Of the government. which
have arisen through acts not within
their own control 1t will require COM
mittse consideration of each particular
case, or some general legislation COW
ering all these cases and leaving it to
the controller general of departments
| to settle these claims. No committee
of Congress has wide enough jurisdic-
. ton to consider general legislation for
settlement Of these claims, because