Evening star., 1921-09-21

campaign President Harding let it be
known that he was in favor of such a
reform.
Drive by Engineering Profession.
There has been an organized drive
by the engineering profession for a
new department of engineering or OF
public works. in which all the engi-
neering activities of the federal gov
ernment in cooperation with the
states will be concentrated. Several
definite proposals have been made to
Congress for abolition of the present
Department of the Interior. 1t is now
pretty well agreed among the reor-
ganizerS that there is nothing to be
gained by changing the name. so that
1t is likely there will continue to be
an Interior Department" but that
the reorganized department will con-
tain exclusively those federal activi-
ties having to do with public domain
and public works.
This means that such existing
agencies as the pension bureau. the
patent office, the bureau of education
and the bureau of Indian affairs will
be divorced from the Interior Depart
ment. Pensions will go into the new
welfare department and all the vet
erans' relief work will be concen-
trated in the welfare department. The
patent office will go to Commerce. be-
cause it has a very direct and i'm
portant relation to commerce.
In building up the new Commerce
Department a number of such busi-
ness agencies will be taken from other
departments. Considerable discussion
has developed with regard to the bu-
reau of markets. now in the Depart
ment of Agriculture. 1t is pretty GER
tain that there will continue to be a
bureau of markets in that depart
ment, but the reorganizers say that
the line must be drawn so that the
bureau of markets in the Department
Of Agriculture will not duplicate any
work that is being done by the field
agents of the Department of Com
merce.
Supervision OF Radio.
There also has been considerable de-
bate as to what department will be
intrusted with the federal develop
ment and supervision of radio COM
munication. A special interdepart-
mental committee has just drafted
recommendations for the President
1t is known that the attitude of Sec.
retary Hoover. the radio experts of
the Navy Department and the radio
specialist of the Post Office Depart
ment are all agreed that for the best
development of radio the field must
be left open for private enterprise
rather than federal monopoly. as was
careful federal regulation and super
vision.
In the plan of reorganization all per-
maEent radio installation for. communi-
cation with foreign countries Or with the
distant parts of our own counry will be
placed in / bureau of communications in
the Post Office Department In doing
this. however, the rights of the Signal
Corps of the Army and OF the Navy for
communicating with the fleet and of
other government departments are not
being overlooked. The radio service of
the country in the event of war will
promptly be commandeered for military
right OF seV!co shall be given to certain
department in times of need, even in
Gays of peace. Priority for foreign serv-
ice would be given to the State and
Navy departments and priority for do
mestic use to the War and Justice de-
partments. An Illustration of this would
be when such disturbance of the public
peace occur as recently in West Virginia
At such times the right of way over the
wireless installations would automati-
cally go to the War Department
Urge Central Purchase and supply.
The reorganizers are much interested
in plans to establish a central purchas-
ing and supply agency to handle all the
staple supplies needed in Uncle Sans
workshop. Representative Wood of In
diana. member of the House appropri-
ations committee. is fathering a bill for
such reform, claiming that it would
save hundreds of thousands of dollars
year besides getting prompter service
and standard supplies. There is every
il dication thai this will be included in
the plan of reorganization which the
President and his cabinet will recon-
mend tc the reorganization committee
iS IN nj
directly to the executive offices, on the
ground that any service acting for all
departments should not belong and be
administered by any one department.