Evening star., 1922-12-13
WAR-NAW MERGER
RECOMMENDED IN
REORGANIZATION
Plan Submitted to President
May Be Urged by Him
in Message.

Consolidation of the War and Navy
departments into a department Of ma
tional defense. designed to function
under cabinet member with assist
ants in charge of the Army and Navy.
respectively. has been definitely
recommended to. President Harding
by Walter +. Brown. head Of the COM
mission appointed to prepare a plan
Of governmental reorganization.
The President is giving serious con-
sideration to this and other recon-
mendations submitted by Mr.. Brown
and may lay them before Congress
within a week or two, accompanied
by a specia! message expressing the
opinion Of the administration on each
Of the changes suggested.
Full Scope Not Revealed.
The full scope of the reorganiza-
tioq plans has not been revealed. but
it Is known to provide for long list
Of changes In the present alignment
Of the various government depart
ments and bureaus. In connection
with his message to Congress. the
President is expected, among other
things, to renew his recommenda-
ton for creation of a new depart
ment of public welfare.
The War Department would be one
Of the governmental divisions most
affected by the proposed reorganiza-
today to comment on the recommen-
dation for the consolidation of the
War and Navy departments, adding
that in view Of the position he holds
his opinion might not be correctly
understood.
He Approves Changes.
The War Secretary, however, said
he entirely approved that part of Mr.
Browns plan which recommended
certain duties 1t has conducted here
tofore, but which have no relation to
national defense.
Secretary Weeks believed. however,
that the Army engineers should re-
main in charge of the nations river
and harbor improvement and main
tenance because no other agency, in
his opinion. could improve the work
now being done in that field.
President Harding is to confer this
afternoon at the White House with
Mr.. Brown. This conference follows
one with the President yesterday. and
1t is expected to be followed up by
another one tomorrow.
The finishing touches are expected
to be placed by these conferences upon
the plan worked out by the committee
to be organized in the administrative
branch Of the government.
Plans Not Complete.
Mr.. Brown declared the plans have
not yet been completely worked out,
but were rapidly being given the final
touches at the conferences which
President Harding is holding, and had
held. with various cabinet members.
Mr.. Brown said he and his COM
mittee members were reasonably in
accord on the proposals thus far
worked out, and said that the mem
bership of his committee included
men Of forceful character and repre-
sented both political parties
The question Of reorganization Of
the forestry service has not been set
tied. Nr. Brown said. He favored,
however. dividing the service into
two parts, one to remain under the
Department of Agriculture and the
other to be placed under the Depart
ment Of the Interior.
Such a change. he explained. would
leave the care Of the forests of the
public domain to the Department of
Agriculture. 1t was in the Interior
Department control over the disposal
of the timber and over the land itself,
which he thought IT should have be-
cause Of the minerals underneath the
ground and the potential water power
Of the streams.
Much interest was expressed today
as to the outcome of the conferences,
it being felt in some quarters that the
reorganiza ton scheme is as much up
in the air" as ever. Chairman Brown
held two conferences this morning.
presumably at the Capitol. but took
care not to inform his own secretary
~ to the persons with whom he was
comforting, according to the latter.