Evening star., 1924-06-03
Sweeping Changes in Organization
of Federal activities Proposed

cheney, il they were assembled under
the same administrative supervision.
Divided In Three Greo1s.
To illustrate this argument the
committee points out that the ac-
tivities proposed to be drawn into
the department of education and re-
lief fall in three groups: First, the
educational group, consisting of the
bureau of education. Howard Uni
versity and the Columbia Institution
for the Deaf all now either actually
or nominally under the Interior De-
partment. and the Federal Board for
Vocational Education, now an inde-
pendent establishment; second, the
health group. including the public
partment, ST. Elizabeth's Hospital
and Freedmen's Hospital Of the In
terror Department; and, finally, the
veteran relief group, consisting OF
the independent Veterans Bureau,
the bureau of pensions Of the In
terror Department and the National
Home for Disabled Volunteer Sol
diers, an Independent establishment
which the committee proposes should
be given afffliation with the new de-
partment. '..'.'
The committee gave careful con-
sideration to the question of trans
ferring also the following services
to the new department.: The Indian
schools, now under the Interior De-
partment; the childrens bureau and
the women's bureau of the Depart
ment of Labor; the Soldiers Home,
now under the War Department; the
federal prisons, under the Depart
ment Of Justice. and the Smithsonian
yNf Ia IlNyf
monty advanced are largely the
oretical and, in the Judgment OF the
committee, should not prevail against
the practical consideration that all
these agencies are being satisfac-
| " ""~'*~istered under their pres
ent auspices
Will Not Interfere.
The Soldiers Home does not. prac-
tically speaking, overlap the field of
the Hon Veterans, era n, Bureau Ss or the Natiensl
diers, since, for the most part, it
undertakes to provide asylum only
Tor disabled or superannuated veter-
ans OF the Regular Army, as distin-
guished from the much larger class
Of war veterans, composed chiefly of
volunteers or drafted men.
The committee feels that there
should eventually be an amalgama-
tion of all the services which provide
institutional care for disabled war
veterans. but it believes that there
should be no interference at the pres
ent time with the Regular Army and
Navy homes.
Nor does it believe that Indian
schools should be placed in the de-
partUent of education and relief.
The administration Of Indian AFFAIRS
has always been regarded by the gov
ernment as single problem. 1t Of
course presents educational and
health questions of large Importance.
but no practical basis suggests itself
for the separation of these questions
10 the governments relations with its
Indian wards, which, due to the rela-
tive Importance of land matters,
seems properly to belong under the
Interior Department
The Smithsonian Institution is one
of the chief educational establish
ments under the government, and the
suggestion that it should be ineor-
porated in the department of educa-
tion and relief seems. at first blush,
to be entirely logical. But the insti-
tuition is effectually a corporation es-
tabtished under the terms of a pri-
vate beQuest. 1t is only quasi public
in character. Its growth and it's
splendid success have been due not
loss to private benefaotions than to
public support; and there is every
reason not to endanger it's develop
ment by altering its relationship to
the arrangements under which it
has SO greatly prospered.
Changes I'm Commeroe.
The committee finds that the De-
partment Of Commerce shares with
other departments the authority
which Congress originally intended
it should exercise in the interests of
commerce, industry and navigation.
1t is most active. for instance, in the
promotion, protection and regulation
of fisheries and in the development
of foreign markets: but relatively
much less effective in promoting the
manufacturing interests, although it
devotes considerable attention to the
development of standards of meas
urement and the establishment of
specifications of materials and equip
meut. Functions of such direct and
vital interest to commerce and indus
try as the supervision Of patents. the
collection and dissemination of sta
tiStics Of mineral production, the COL
lection and distribution OF nautical
information relating to the Great
management and operation of the
life saving stations, are entirely out
side it's Jurisdiction.
The committee recommends that
Congress- should. 50 far as przc-
ticahle, place in the Department. of
form work which comes within the
scope OF the depar tim entS business as
defined by the act OF February ii.
1903, as amended.
ices is specifically recommended:
From the War Department, the
lakes survey and the inland and
ceastwise waterways sefvios.
patent Office and the bureau Of
mines.
| From the independent astabIish-
meHts. the national advisory COM
mittee for aeronAutios.
Bapea1 Of Tra1sDsrtatisa-
The committee also recommends the
Commerce of q bureau of transporta-
|tfon.
The Department of Commerce has
never had opportunity to develop the
function of promoting the interests
OF transportatien, the committee hnds.
Such studies a. are made by the gov
|ernment of the needs Of the country
fer truna hiahways and motaF-tflck
trade routes are made BY the bureau
oi puUiie TVAuS oI the DePdFIHenI OF
Agriculture, whose duty it is to pro-
vide the proper eo-erdination Of state
highway construction. The Post Of
fee Department is the only federal
agency which is pfomoting CONNER
cia1 aviation. its efforts. as q matter
of fact, being devoted more particu-
lsrly to the improvement Of the
aerial mall service. In the matter of
developing transportation by inland
waterways and in the investigation
of terminal facilities at the seahoard
some steps have been taken by the
inland and eoastwise waterways serv-
ice and the Corps of Engineers of the