The New York herald., 1922-01-22
Harding, who will be compelled TO serve
as a mediator in their adjustment.
Hitch I'm Prohibition Bureau.

hitcn IN frOhtDlt1On burcau.
The chief of these disputes seems TO
be the disposal of the prohibition en-
forcement service. which is al present
under the Treasury Department. Mr..
Brown has been unable to obtain the
assent OF the prohibition officials as well
as influential factions which have GER
tain power with some members OF Con-
gress. such as the Anti-Saloon League,
to have the service transferred to the
Department of Justice, where he believes
1t properly belongs.
The prohibition enforcement service
went into the Treasury Department
originally because X had to deal with
the collection OF taxes on whisky and
other spirits taken from bonded ware
houses. Congress deemed 1t ill-adyised
to separate the collection of taxes from
the enforcement of the law, and made
the service a unit of the Bureau OF
Internal Revenue OF the Treasury De-
partment.
Mr.. Browns proposal is to have the
Government buy up all the whisky in
the bonded warehouses and distribute
it for legitimate use, thereby doing
away With expensive guarding and tax
collection. 1t would cost about $50,-
100000 to buy all the whisky in the
warehouses. but Mr.. Browns scheme
provides for its complete return within
a year. Altogether this is a matter Mr..
Harding will have to decide
Another feature of the scheme which
Mr.. Harding will have to solve is that
relating to foreign trade promotion. A
conflict exists between the State De-
partment and the Department of Com
merce over which will maintain trade
agents in foreign lands. At this time
both 0epa rtmcnts are doing so
Clash on Markets Bureau.
Similarly the program is lacking in
agreement between the Department OF
Agriculture and the Department OF Com
merce over the Bureau or Markets. at
present under the Department OF Agri-
culture
The fourth troublesome feature Of the
program is that pertaining to forestry
which work is now in the hands OF
both the Department of Agriculture ana
the Department of the Interior. The
question Of placing the whole forest
service in one or the other of the de-
partments has developed fight which
has not been ended.
With such disputes as these Mr.
Brown has been struggling since his
appointment to work with the Congress
sional joint committee. What he has
been trying to do has been TO prepare a
program of reorganization which would
meet The approval of the President and
Cabinet. it is to serve as the basis for
hearings to be held by the Congressional
committee, which in turn will make its
recommendation to the Senate and
House for legislative action
There is reason to believe Mr. Har-
ding wishes to reach a decision on thu.
disputed parts of the program as soon
as possible, SO that it may be sent TO
the Congressional committee within a
week or ten days.
100000 a Year Saved.
AS soon as Congress acts on a pro-
gram for reorganization in a general
way the work of reorganizing the de-
partments will be begun That will
come as the second phase of the scheme,
and it will be tedious and difficult.
The best estimate of saving to tax
payers possible to be made from a study
OF the program as submitted to Presi-
dent Harding to-day is that Govern
ment expenses may be reduced at the
rate of a million dollars for each work.
ing day, or not less than $500, ,0O0,00 a
year. The Importance of this reorgani-
zation to every taxpayer is evident from
the fact that on this basis it would be