The Washington herald., 1922-12-12
NO DIFFERENCE
IN PAY ROLLS,
sMO0T SAYS
Rearrangement of Various Bu-
reaus Will Avoid Much Du-
pIication, Senator Explains
CABINET TO ACT TODAY
Congress, However, will Not
Consider Changes Embodied
In Report Until Next Session
CABINET TO ACT TODAY
By WILLIAM p. FLYTHE,


Universal Service Staff Correspondent.
Final agreement on President
Harding's plan for recognizing
executive departments will be
worked out by the Cabinet today
and Immediately forwarded to
Congress, it was officially stated
last night.
The reorganization will make
little difference in the number of
Federal employees on the Govern
ment rolls in Washington, it was
stated. The idea is not to make
sweeping reductions in personnel,
but to rearrange the bureaus and
avoid duplication so as to promote
the general plan of efficiency.
The plan to merge the War and
Navy departments into one minis
try Of national defense and sweep
ing transfers of bureaus from the
Department of Agriculture to the
Department of the Interior have
been abandoned, 1t was stated.
A new cabinet post will be recon-.
mended in the creation of a De-
partment of Public Welfare, bring
ing together all of the Govern
ment's activities in health, educa-
ton and the care of disabled vet
Grams, the President proposes.
CONFERS WITH HARDING.
Senator Smoot. of Utah, chairman
of the Joint Congressional Commit
tee on Reorganization late yester-
day conferred with the President on
every detail of the report.
A new department is to be Gre
ated, which it is believed by the
President, will furnish employment
to any who are displaced In case
Of bureaus being consolidated.
The Department of Agriculture
and the Department of the Interior
are to remain practically intact, it
was learned. Secretary of Interior
Fall made a determined effort to
have the division of forestry trans
ferred from the Department of Agri-
culture on the ground that the
forests come within the Jurisdiction
of public lands.
Secretary Wallace declared that
II any change is made in the for
ests 1t would result in great loss
to the public and private interests
getting control of valuable timber
lands. Secretary Wallace was sus-
tanned by a decision Of the Cabinet,
it was learned.
Secretary of War Weeks was to
become the head of the new defense
department, absorbing the duties of
the Secretary of the Navy and leav-
ing him without a portfolio. Both
Mr. Weeks and Mr.. DENLY are said
to have declared the plan to be
impracticable.
MADE ONE DEPARTMENT.
Activities of the Public Health
Service. now under the Treasury.
disqualification for disabled veterans
and even the administration of the
War Risk Bureau are to be brought
under the proposed Department OF
Public Welfare. 1t was stated. In
addition education and child welfare
activities Of the Department OF
Labor and the Department of In
terror are to be placed in the new
department.
The proposals call for merging
the various government detective
agencies under the Bureau of Inves-
tigation. Department Of Justice. and
suggests that prohibition detective
agents also be transferred.
This latter transfer, it was stated,
could be arranged without abolish
ing the dry bureau, or seriously In
terfering with its work and at the
same time result in a larger field
force being engaged in enforcing the
law