Evening star., 1921-05-08

| "AII pupii' anu 'i'N
| army of government employees
more directly, are somewhat
| perplexed regarding the pro-
posed reorganization of the federal
government service by these facts:
% Congress has organized joint
| congressional committee to investi-
gate the need for reorganization and
to make a report with recommended
| tions to Congress.
| (2) The federal budget legislation
| contains a provision which authorizes
| the budget bureau. under direction OF
! the President, to make A regrouping
of the federal services.
90 BY passage of A joint resolution
both branches of Congress authorized
the President to appoint personal
! representative to work with the joint
! congressional committee.
| 60 Various piecemcal bills have
been introduced, with support Of the
executive or administrative branch of
the government. proposing the estab-
i lishment of new government divi-
| sions, bureaus or departments.
New Agencies Proposed.
AS illustrations of this latter might
| be cited the proposed department of
public welfare, pledged by Mr.. Hard
| ing to the women of the country dur
ing his campaign, publicly empha-
| sized by the President in his first ad-
dress to Congress. and which leSis-
! lation Representative Simeon ID. FesS
| of Ohio, chairman of the republican
| congressional committee. is preparing
! to press. Another example is the Joint
! resolution recently introduced by SEN
ator Calder of New York and Repre-
sentative George II. Tinkham of Mas
sachusetts. supported by Secretary
| Hoover. to establish a division of
housing and construction in the bu-
! reau of standards. Department Of
Commerce.
! What the public, and especially the
| government employees, who are per-
: sonally affected by the proposed re-
organization want to know is how
all these reform agencies and propo-
sails dovetal together. and whether
they will not be overlapping and du-
| plica ting, Just as it has been COM
|
tapping and duplicating various ac-
tivities.
! Function. Of Budget Bureau.
The federal budget bill contains the
following section in regard to the
bureau of the budget. which many
have construed as authorizing another
agency to do exactly what the joint
congressional committee was specially
organized to do:
The bureau. when directed by the
President. shall make detailed study
of the departments and establishing ents
for the purpose of enabling the Presi-
dent to determine what changes
with view of securing greater
economy and efficiency in the conduct
Of the public service) should be made
in % the existing organization. ac-
tivities and methods of business of
such departments or establishments,
(2) the appropriations therefore. CD
the assignment of particular activities
to particular services. or 90 the re-
grouping of services. The results of
such study shall be embodied in Il
! report or reports 10 1ne fFeSldent-
who may transmit to Congress such
report or reports. or any part there
of. with his recommendations on the
matters covered thereby"
Now here is the answer as given by
those who have been most earnest in
framing and putting through the legis-
lation for the joint congressional COM
mittee on reorganization, and also the
llecislation establishing federal budget
system:
Both the President. as general man
lager, and Congress. as board of direc-
tors, have the responsibility of seeing
that the government is properly and eff
ciently organized.
! Responsibility of President.
The responsibility is primarily that of
the President. 1t is his duty as general
manager to take such action as is within
his powers, and when he cannot act
kimself-when legislation is required
to bring it to the attention of Congress
as board of directors.
1t is, therefore, imperative that the
, President. not only for the present
emergency, but permanently. should
have an agency through which he could
get all the facts necessary to enable