Evening star., 1924-06-03


purpose of consolidating two Offices
nominaEy separate at the present time,
but actually administered by the same
officer. These are the office of the su-
perintendent Of the State, War and Navy
public buildings and grounds. The for
mer is under the supervision Of a COM
mission composed of the heads of the
state, War and Navy Departments,
while the latter is subject to the con-
troll of the Secretary of War.
The proposal to consolidate the two
offices as an independent establishment
directly under the President follows the
theory that an organization maintained
for the benefit of all government offices
generally should be independent of any
executive department, the report says
The committee recommends that those
departmental solicitors who are now un-
der the Department of Justice be trans
ferred to the departments which they
severally serve. In order, however, to
prevent the possibility Of misunderstand-
ings and conflicts Of jurisdiction, the
committee feels that the final authority
of the Attorney General in legal matters
arising in the departments should be
recognized by statute and it believes
that Congress should provide that any
question of law arising in any executive
branch shall be binding upon all de-
partments of the government.
Bureau of Budget.
By the budget and accounting act,
1921, the bureau Of the budget was
placed in the Treasury Department,
although made subject to the ex-
elusive control of the President. The
committee recommends that Con-
gress provide definitely by law that
the bureau of the budget shall be
partment.
The recommendations made by the
com mittee involve the incorporation
in the regular departmental organ
ization of number of establish
ments which are now independent of
any of the executive departments
These include the Federal Board for
Vocational Education and the United
States Veterans Bureau. placed in
Relief; and the national advisory
committee for aeronautics, placed in
the Department of Commerce The
greater number of the present inde-
pendent bureaus. Offices and commits
sions should, however. in the judg-
to retain their present status.
Reasons for Chanxes.
The report made to Congress today
discusses at length the reasons for
providing various Independent or
CARNATIONS and the various sue-
gestions for bringing them within
department af6liation without de-
stroying the form of their organiza-
ton.
most part the existence of those es-
Adjustments which are maintained out
side the ten executive departments is
justified On both theoretical and prac-
tical grounds. The committee in it's
report SAYS that no action should be
taken looking toward their absorp-
ton by the executive departments.
Committee Submits Bill.
With it's report to Congress the
joint committee submits a bill cover
ing the necessary legislation to carry
the proposed changes into effect.
The committees bill seeks to take
away from each executive department
all services which perform functions
that are clearly extraneous to the
major departmental purpose. 1t seeks
also to concentrate under unified su-
lie in the same field, whose working
programs have important points of
contact. or which employ similar
plant and equipment in the accom-
plishment of their objects.
1T is unnecessary to say, however
that the mere shifting of executive
agencies from one department to an
other will be itself of little benefit"
the committee warns Congress. The
real reorganization must come later,
as the result of executive action"
The committees specific recommen-
dations go only to the question of SO
rsaiIsninE existing services as to
gous OF related functions, involving
greater or lass duplication Of person
mel and equipment, if not actual du-
plic2tion of work, under the execu-
tive direction of a single officer. Upon
that officer must devolve the respon-
sibility of effecting such a. rearrange-
ment of the agencies intrusted to his
department as may be necessary to
reduce overhead to minimum, to
eliminate duplicat tions of plant and
effort, and to bring about the most
Of the departments work as a whole.
To insure the neceSsay consistency
Of action as between different depart
ments. and to provide for reasonable
Iom24lIy, II IS suggested that legiS-
lation On this point should stipulate
that al intradepartmental changes of
the kind specified should require ap-
prevail by the President. The COM
mittee's bill makes provision accord
tnGly.
. The committee proposes that the re-
organization legislation If adopted,
shall be effective on March 4. 1926
at the. beginning of the next adminis-
tration. The bill has been drafted ae-
|cerdingly; but in order to allew fer
necessary preliminary arrangements,
1t provides that those sections which
relate to the tRansfer of agencies
from one department to another shall
not be operative until July 1, 1926,
the he1iunjnr of the fiscal year