Evening star., 1924-06-03
SWEEPING CHANGES
IN j. s. EXECUTIVE
BRANCHES FAVORED
Reorganization Report Asks
Department to Control
Education and Relief.
WOULD SPLIT INTERIOR
INTO TWO DIVISIONS
Grouping of Veteran Activities
and Various Health Services
Is Favored.

Definite recommendations for re-
organization of the administrative
branch of the federal government to
be effective March 4, 1925, were made
to Congress today by the joint COM
mittee on reorganization created un-
der the joint resolution adopted De-
| cember IT, 1920. The report Of this
joint committee was laid before the
Senate by Senator Reed Smoot of
Utah and before the House of Repre-
sentatives by Representative Carl F..
Mapes of Michigan. The report is
signed by Senators Smoot and Wads-
worth and by Representatives Mapes
and Temple OF Pennsylvania, all Re
publicans. Senator Pat Harrison OF
| Mississippi and Representative i.
Walton Moore of Virginia, the Demo-
cratic members of the joint commit
tee, made certain reservations.
The recommendations of the COM
mittee follow:
Propose New Department.
l. The establishment of a new de-
partment, to be known as the depart
ment of education and relief, and the
concentration under that department
of the scattered agencies which now
perform work in the fields of public
| health, public education, and the care
| of veterans. Specifically these are:
The bureau of pensions. the bureau OF
/ education. ST. Elizabeth's Hospital,
Howard University and Freedmen's
Hospital, all now situated in the In
terror Department.; the public health
| service, now in the Treasury Depart
ment, and the Veterans Bureau, an
independent establishment The COM
mittee also recommends that the new
department assume the functions now
performed by the federal board for
| vocation education, and that it be
given the nominal supervision of the
Columbia Institution for the Deaf,
now exercised by the Department of
the Interior. 1t is further recon-
mended that the National Home for
| Disabled Volunteer Soldiers be as
sociated with the department of edu-
| cation and relief. and required to
transmit its accounts. reports and es-
| Inmates of appropriation through the
head of that department..
Il The transfer to the Department
| of Commerce of certain agencies now
situated in other departments whose
work is in the field which the Depart
ment of Commerce was esta ablished to
| cover. These are: The bureau of
mines and the patent Office. now in
the Department of the Interior. the
lake survey office, now under the
| chief of engineers. United States
Army; the inland and coastwise
| waterways service, now under the
War Department, and the independent
national advisory committee for aero
| nautics The committee also recon-
me nds the transfer from the geolog-
| ical survey and the War Department,
| respectively, to the bureau of the
census. of the work of collecting and
I n -
duction and of water-borne commerce,
and the establishment of a new bu-
reau in the Department of Commerce
to be known as the bureau of trans
| portation
Would Split Interior.
| III. The erection in the Interior
Department of two subdivisions, one
charged with the administration of
the public domain. the other with
| the administration of public engineer
| ing works; the withdrawal from the
Interior Department of all functions
not connected with public works or
with the public domain. and. comport-
able with the foregoing, the trans
| fer to that department of the bureau
| of public roads from the Department
| of Agriculture and the supervising
architects office from the Treasury
! Department.
The committee also recommend.
the discontinuance of the board of
road commissioners for Alaska and
| the transfer of the boards functions
to the Interior Department.
". The creation of centralized
| purchasing agency for the govern
ment, to be known as the bureau of
| purchase and supply.
| V. The creation of an Office to be
known as the office, of public build
ings and parks in the District OF
functions now performed by two
separate offices-the Office of public
buildings and grounds. under the War
Department, and the office of the sup
| erintendent of the State, War AMI
Navy Department buildings.
Transfer Of Solicitors.
VI The transfer of the depart
mental solicitors from the Depart
ment of Justice to the executive de-
| partments which they serve.
VII. The removal Of the bureau Of
the budget from it's nominal connec-
| ton with the Treasury Department
and it's establishment as an inde-
pen lent office directly under the con-
| troll of the President.
plans submitted by the President on
February 13, 1928. The committee
says that if these recommendations
are followed out they should result
first, in removing from all departs
those functions, extraneous to the
major departmental purposes which
| interfere with effective administra-
| tion or which, being secondary. are
| not vigorously handled; second, in
assembling under the same depart
mental supervision all activities
which are closely related and which,
| therefore, should be co-ordinated in
administration; and, third, the ex-
| tension of the control of the cabinet
| officers to reach all matters save
| those which must, in the nature OF
things, be handled by agencies indie
| pendent of the regular departmental
| organization"
Mont Radical Proposal.
The most radical Of the commit.
tees recommendation is for a new
| department of education and relief
| which is the only new department
suggested. 1t would be created out oil
agencies which already exist and
would perform no functions not now
performed by those agencies. The
committee says that this recommends,
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