Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-16
VIZ ASHINGTON, D. c., July 1.-THE
wv American governments first great |

move for economy in administration,
already under way in the inauguration of
the budget system, Is to be aided materially
by the reorganization of the executive de-
partments of the government. For some
time the congressional joint committee on
reorganization has been quietly at work. 1t
is composed of three senators, three repre-
sentatives, and Mr.. Walter F. Brown, of To-
ledo, Ohio, chairman.
Mr.. Brown is devoting all of his time to
the business of mapping out a new workin g
plan for the government departments which
will enable the executive branches of the
government to operate more smoothly and
effectively, and at the same time at a con-
siderable saving in money. Mr.. Brown s
task is nothing more nor less than to put
the greatest piece of business machinery In
the world, the government of the United
States, on an economical footing.
1t is noSsecret that government machinery
now is anything but the smooth running or
ganization that such big corporations as the
United States Steel company and the Stand
ard Oil companies have built up. 1t is old
fashioned and clogged with dead wood ham
pered by countless Implications of effort on
the part Of the many branches of the execu-
tive end of government, bound down with
red tape, loaded with useless papers and
records, and hide-bound in many instances
by out-worn traditions.
Mr.. Brown is not going at the task like an
ing out some way in which a clerk can rub
ber-stamp 80 additional letters each day by
adopting some curious twist of the wrist in
using the stamp. He is going at it along
very broad and general lines. He aims to
save hundreds Of millions of dollars
1t is fully realized by the members of the
joint committee that myriad elements must
be considered in their task, and that great
harm instead of the hoped for great good
might easily come out of their efforts unless
they are guided by real wisdom. 1t is real
lied that the system in vogue now has grown
up with the nation for nearly a century and
half, and that the whole machine cannot
be taken apart boldly and put together agaaI
haphazard with any expectation that it would
run easily and economically.
Method Employed
Broadly, the committee has laid out the
executive work of the government along %
distinct branches. These branches are fiscal
affairs, criminal Investigations, adminstra-
tive service, national defense. defense and
prosecution of suits, territorial and colonial
affairs, communications, including the postal
service, commerce regulation, foreign rela-
tions, regulation Of banking, assistance to
navigation, trade promotion, industry pro-
motion, agricultural development, public ed
ucation, public health, public works, conser
walton of natural resources, labor problems
administration of the public domain, primary
statistics, rehabilitation of war veterans, and
immigration, including naturalization.
Charts have been made for each of these
subjects. Then investigation has been made
to see how many departments, bureaus, and
commissions of the government have been
duplicating each others work. The result
of this has been the discovery Of scores and
scores of overlapping efforts, evidence that
widely separated departments have been
spending valuable time and effort doing the
same work and getting the same results, du-
plicating not only the work, but it's cost
as well.
The joint committee has it's general goal
rebuilding the governmental departments so
that each will have great major purpose,
and the activities which naturally fall within
the scope of that department will be assigned
to it.
Probable Saving
When the committee began it's work, it
was hoped that not less than $300,000,000
might be Topped off the yearly bills of the
government, but as the work has progressed
new possibilities have been shown and it is
now more likely that a saving Of half a bill
lion a year can be worked out. One reason
for boosting this estimated saving is the
suggestion that the present war and navy
departments be amalgamated into one de-
partment Of war, with army and navy
branches.
When the plan on which Mr.. Brown and