Evening star., 1921-06-02
NY WILL p. KENNEDY.

Abolition of the departments of In
terror and Commerce is recommended
to the joint congressional committee
tive branch of the government by the
Institute for Government Research.
In a general way it may be said
that it has been the policy in the past
to attach to the Department of the
Interior and to a less extent to the
Department of Commerce all services
which did not seem to find a place in
one Of the other departments. Both
consequently now have more or less
polyglot character. comprehending
services which neither fall in the
same general field nor are of nature
making it desirable that they should
have a close working relation with
each other.
No proper organization of the de-
partments upon unifunctional basis
can therefore be effected without the
institute argues. 1t should be noted
that, while this action is called abo-
lition. it really consists in the con-
version of the Department Of the In
terror into a department of public
works and public domain and the De-
partment of Commerce into a depart
ment Of maritime affairs (and trans
portation).
Proposals for Changes.
The institute proposes to dispose Of
the services Of the Department of the
Interior as follows:
Q) That the returns Office be abol-
ished. (2) That the bureau Of mines
be abolished as a Separate service
and its duties assigned to certain
other services. ((3) That there be
transferred to Congress the office of
Of he 10 hot
there be transferred to the proposed
department of public works and pub
lie domain: (a} The United States
reclamation service; (b) the Alaskan
engineering commission; (c) the gen.
eral land office; (d) the board of ap-
() the United States geological sur
vey; (g) the United States bureau of
mines. (5) That there be transferred to
the proposed department of education
and science: (a) the bureau of edu-
cation and (b) the patent Office.
posed department of public health
the st. Elizabeth's Hospital. ca That
there be transferred to(the govern
ment of the District bf Columbia:
(a)< Howard University, (b) Column
bia Institute for the Deaf and (c)
Freedmen's Hospital.
CD That there be transferred to the
proposed territorial government, In
dian reservations-(a) the office of
Indian affairs and (b) the board of
Indian commissioners. (9) That there
be transferred to the Independent es-
adjustments (a) the bureau of pen
sions and the retirement division for
civil service employees.
Declared Out-of-Date.
In recommending the abolition of
the returns Office the institute says:
1T represents a service which, what
ever may have been the justification
for its creation. now furnishes strik-
ing example Of the maintenance of a
service which no longer serves any
useful purpose"
In recommending the abolition of
the bureau of mines the, institute says
that "a careful study OF it's activities
show that there is nothing done by it
which cannot be done by other serv-
ices. and particularly the bureau of
standards and the geologicaf-survey.
This being SO, it is believed to be in
the interests of economy and eff
cheney that it should be discontinued
and the duties taken over by the other
services"
In a general way the activities Of
the bureau of mines may be said to
fall into two classes: (a) Those of a