Evening star., 1923-02-16
The Reorganization Plan.


departmental reorganization 10 Con
gress at this late hour in the final ses-
sion President Harding expresses re-
gret that delays inevitable in such Il
vast undertaking should have caused
the poStponement of the recommenda-
tionS tp such a season, when there is
so little chance for action. The prof
ect, therefore, is submitted for study
rather than for Immediate adoption.
For many years the inconsistencies
Of the government organization have
been evident TO any person who has
made the least study of the situation.
1t has been, indeed, veritable patch
work, with many overlayings. In the
beginning there were only four de.
partments. State, Treasury, War and
Navy. Each had its definite and dis
Iinct function. The Attorney General
was added as a legal adviser. without
department at first. and the Post
- master General was next created as
the officer III charge Of the mail Serv-
ice, also without cabinet seat. Before
1ablished these other two officials We're
given cabinet rank. Then came Agri-
culture and finally Commerce and La
bor. which soon was divided into two
separate departments. bringing the
number of executive branches up to
ten. the present number.
In the steady growth of the federal
business as new functions We're Great
ed they We're assigned" to different
departments, as seemed at the time
most suitable. Thus under the Treas
ury We're gathered the supervision of
lighthouses as well as the collection
s9f customs, navigation and life-savins
a.rvice. and at one time the marine
hospital service. The creation Of the
Commerce Department permitted the
relief of the Treasury of many mis-
cellaneous bureaus that had thus been
allotted 10 it.
Now ii is proposed TO reallocate the
government services, according to a
broad scheme of organization. The
most marked change is the merger of
der the title of National Defense, a
consolidation which in the light of the
recent experiences in the great war is
much to be desired, and will doubtless
work to the material improvement of
both branches of the service.
\ new department is TO be created
that of Education and Welfare, becom-
ing in a sense the miscellaneous
branch of the service. From the In
terror Department will be shifted sew
eral bureaus, such as patents and
mines. which properly go to Com
MERGE while Interior gets the Federal
Power Commission, now independent
Without doubt this proposed plan
will be subjected TO objections. 1t is
inconceivable that any plan could be
devised that would meet with univer-
sal approval. But at any rate a def
mite proposal is now before Congress.
q working plan upon which careful
thought has been expended. Disinter-
ested minds have weighed contending
factors, and have finally proposed a
system which at least reduces to a
minimum the inconsistencies and
wasteful Implications that now prevail
in the governments administrative
organization.
This plan offers a job for the next
Congress. one that is most important
despite the fact that it has been long
in the framing, and that it presents
the makeshifts and compromises Of
many years. That it will yield greater
degree of administrative efficiency and
effect a substantial economy in cost
is plain, regardless of any differences
of judgment that may exist on the
score of this or that feature.