Evening star., 1922-03-05
BY WILL p. KENNEDY,

- COMPREHENSIVE. thorough re-
organization of the administra-
tive branch of the federal
government, in the interests Of
economy and efficiency-one Of the prin-
cipal campaign promises made by Pres
ident Harding, and of bread-and-butter
interest to the army of government en-
ployes, who have been wondering for
about A year in which direction they
would be moved on the checkerboard Of
the federal service-now seems very
likely to be indefinitely postponed.
resident Harding finds himself in
hard dilemma, striving to adjust COM
prehensive program Of reorganization
that the administration can stand as a
unit behind A serious situation has
arisen with respect to the forest service,
now under the Department of Agricul-
ture, which Secretary Fall is determined
shall be placed under the Interior De-
partment under the reorganization pro-
gram. President Harding, it is said.
has about reached that stage where he
would put his foot down firmly and say,
there it stays" OF one other thing
the President is overtired and he has
let it be known that he wants no
more nter-departmental press-agent
contests, such as has attended the
forest service controversy.
+ x X x
There are somewhat similar i'm
passes between other departments
notably between Secretary Hoover OF
the Department of Commerce and
Secreary Wallace of Agrilture over
which shall have jurisdiction over
the bureau OF markets, now admin
istered as part of the Department
of Agriculture. Secretary Hoover is
especially determined that this ac-
tivity of the government must be in
cluded in the new Department Of
Commerce. Secretary Wallace is just
as determined in his stand.
In the meantime, while the cabinet
members are in dispute among them
selves over activities they desire to
direct, and while President Harding
is growing more and more impatient
to the verge of washing his hands
of the whole matter until after cleo
ton, at least Congress. which took
the initiative in starting the effort
for reorganization, is patiently wait
ing.
1t is only fair to recall here that it
was a democratic member of the
House, Representative r. Walton
Moore of Virginia, who first proposed
resentative c. Frank Reavis, republic
an. of Nebraska, who introduced the
first bill making definite ALLEGATION of
service in a suggested scheme of re-
organization.
For eight months now Congress has
been waiting to get report from a
Joint committee named to study the
various bills and 10 recommend a
definite program of reorganization.
committee has not met-because it
was waiting to get the Presidents
promised ommenda tions.
x x X
desperate and impossible as il seems.
| While the original intention was to do a
| thorough, whole and complete job in one
lump-to give the people complete
picture of the entire federal service as
| it is and as it is proposed it shall be
with each bureau and division and COM
mission fitted into its new position on
the economy efficiency chart-it is now
| realized that not only for political ex-
pediency. but because it would be a
practical legislative impossibility to get
| it through, this all-at-once reorganiza-
ton scheme will have to be abandoned.
1t has been shown above where
three cabinet members are working
| now at cross purposes! If a COM
piete reorganization program was an
nounced these cross currents would
| be multiplied; practically every differ
ent unit would be geeing or having
Then, again, all the outside interests
business. financial, engineering, ag-
ricultural. scientific, practical and
theoretical-would be criscrossing
| wires and fretting and stewing. How
! Congress would react to such infiu-