Evening star., 1921-05-12
MEET PRESIDENT
ON RE0RCAN|z|NG
Work of Congressional Com
mittee Formally Begun at
Conference Today.

The special joint congressional com
mittee created for the purpose of re-
organizing and readjusting the va
rious departments and bureaus of the
federal government formally or
ganiZcd today in the office and in the
presence of President Harding and
at once entered upon it's work.
The first official step Of the com
mittee was taken during the confer
ence with the President when Walter
F. Brown Of Toledo, Ohio. who yes
terday was appointed as the admins
tration's- personal representative on
this committee, was elected perma-
nent chairman and Senator Reed
Sn1oot of Utah was elected vice chair
man. Quarters in the Capitol or in
either House or Senate Office build
ings will be comma ndeered today or
tomorrow by the committee. at which
time an official force will be obtain ed
and an actual physical part OF the
task entered upon.
Confer for Hour.
President Harding sat with the COM
mittee more than an hour. during
which time the scope of the reor-
ganiZation contemplated was briefly
outlined and agreed upon. The execu-
tive made known his views regarding
the problem, as we'll as those of several
individual members of his cabinet,
who. like himself, are intensely inter-
ested in the governmental reform. The
objects to be attained also were dis
cussed. and the meeting concluded with
the development of an unanimous
agreement among the committee men,
hers that no time would he lost in car
ho IA ha n
tigation to be made preliminary to any
ACCOMMODATIONS IOf changes should
be of the most thorough nature.
AS agreed upon following the con-
ference with the President. the first
step Of the committee will be the
making Of complete surveys of the
personnel of the departments and bu-
reaus and the individual work of the
federal employees. When these sur
vcys have been made and reviewed
by the committee. Investigations will
follow, as will hearings, which will
be fore the purpose of getting more
complete Information and for the de-
veIopment of ideas and suggestions
for the general Improvement of the
government service. The committee
made it very plain that these hear
ings will be public. The committee
in fact, is most desirous of making
no secret of any Of it's activities.
The members also gave evidence Of
their determination to do plenty of
slashing and wedding out in the de-
partments when ii is deemed neces-
sary for the good of the service
Economy and efficiency are to be the
keynotes of its Investigations and
recommendations.
To Consider New Departments.
Besides these efforts at readjust-
ment the committee will consider the
creation of proposed new government
departments, such as a department OF
national defense. to embrace both the
Army and Navy departments: d de-
partment Of public welfare, for which
a survey is now being made by Brig.
Gen. Sawyer. President Harding S
physician; unif1catiOn of the various
government investigation bureaus
into one central investigation service
and placed under the Department of
Justice. and the placing Of such in
dependent agencies. such as the Ship
ping Board. the Interstate Commerce
Commission. under one Of the gov
ernment departments. probably the
Department of Commerce.
Besides Chairman Brown and Vice
Chairman Smoot, the other members
of this reorganization committee are
Senators Wadsworth of New York
and Harrison of Mississippi, and Rep
resentatives Reavis of Nebraska,
Temple of Pennsylvania and Moore Of
Virginia.