Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-05
INQUIRY
To REQUIRE YEAR
Department Reorganization
to Be Taken Up at Once,
:. Saws Senator Smo0t.

S,x mer,bers of Congress have been
named as a joint committee on the
generalization of the government oe-
partments. Vice President nlalSa ~
Utah, Wordsworth of New YORK ana
Harrison of Mississippi, who viii serve
with Representatives. Reavis OF We
braska, Moore of Virginia anu Ieh-
pie of Pennsylvania
Senator Smoot, who IS eXpectsu 70
he chairman of the committee, Saiu
today that it was planned 10 Desih
work as soon as possible he ihoI
rated that it would require at least
a wear for the committee to make
he necessary survey of all the de-
nartnlents And bureaus. and that l.
would not be able to draft its report
until such survey had been compieteo-
The House. members OF the commit
ee were appointed some tlme ago on
he understanding that the measure
$yas a concurrent resolution wnicn
lid not need the Presidents sigma
ture, but it was a joint resolution
(which had not yet been sisneo pF
] he President, and so the announce
nent was premature ana W.thora"n,
The resolution automatically became
a law through the expiration OF the
/ An-siay time limit within which the
President might veto it, the OFFICIAL
'copy OF the resolution having been
Host at the White House.
IL
deeply interested in the question of
of the fsderad establish
|meuts for some time Representative
|Reavis has devoted his principal at
|tention to the problem for more than
Ia year, and says he believes it will
lake two years of close study before
|thc joint congressional committee can
make it's report. Representative
Moore the minority House member.
was the first to introduce a reor-
|panization- bill, and has been cooper
|ating with Representative ReaVis
Purchases .and Printing
Two particular examples of over
|lappfng and duplication that have
1peen emphasized, on which the joint
proposes to hold early in
|vestiEation in an effort to bring about
efficient coordination, are in the pur-
|chase of government supplies. where
|sonfe seventy agencies now nave au-
|rnent publications by practically all
THE departments and establishments.
Senator Smoot, who will be chair
man Of the joint committee, has been
particularly interested in the print
|ing problem for a number OF years
Early consideration will also be
given to the bill of Representative
|Resvis to establish a bureau Of public
works in the Department OF the In
terror, which has the active support
LOT all the engineering societies.
Suggestion that the committee may
delay action until 1t can work in
CO. ordination with the bureau Of the
budget, under the proposed federal
budget system. was made today by
Representative Moore.
The suggestion Of Mr. Moore Is based
on the statement made in the House
by Chairman Good ef the House APP
propriAtions committee, urging the
necessity for passage Of the budget
lesfstztion in tho same shape as 1t Is
now before the Senate. Mr.. Good
urged that it would be easy in the
next session Of Congress to amend the
budget bill, giving Congress authority
to discharge the budget officials rather
than vesting the authority with the
President
Representative Moore pointed out
today that the bureau OF the budget
ia tfquired to dc practically identical
work with regard to elimination OF
DUPLICATION and overlapping in the
federal service az Is the Legislative
agency which has Just been GRATED
bill:
A. budget bill. whether it IS passed
at the ure1ent or at the next secession.
he says would provide for an0ther
AGENCY. and in the interest OF economy
and eficiency he believed their work
shouid be co-ofSiinated. The two
aSehcies, one legislative and the other
lines with reference to the matter OF
cutting out duplication and regToup-
ing, services. and otherwise improv-
ings the departmental situation. Rep
resentative Moore thinks that the two
agencies, by co-ordinating their ac-
tivifies. would avoid unnecessary
of efforts and expense.