Evening star., 1925-01-13
EARLY ACTION SEEN
ON REORGANIZATION
House May Take Up Bill to
Regroup Bureaus in Next
Two Weeks.

REORGANIZATION of the executive de
partmcnts, which was promised seN-
oral years ago by President Harding.
and approved by President Coolidge,
the general framework of which is
provided for in report by joint
committee made to the Hous? on
= June s, 1924. will bc considered IN
the House within the next two weeks.
This has been practically de'lutu
upon by the House steering. commit
tee, which has thoroughly discussed
the advisabiIity of taking up 'h's
legislation at the present session as
one of the major legislative measures
urged by President Coolidge houSe
Leader Longworth had conference
on this subject with the president
last week.
The recommendations made oy the
Joint committee for reorSahlEalloii
probably will be considered III Ihe
House under d special rule lhllleuid
tely following the next appropria io' I!
hill This may be the independent
Ctfices concentration bill which has
been reported and is now awaiting
action in the House, of the reofsahl-
zation measure may follow the State
and Justice, Commerce and LABOR De
partments supply bill which is TO DC
reported TO the House late this week.
Special Rule Probable.
Tho rules committee is ready to
issue a special rule for this leSlsla-
tion as soon as the steering commit
tee says the word.
The essential recommendations
made by the joint committee on reor-
Kanization, the membership OF Which
is composed of Senators Reed Smoot'
Utah; J. w Wadsworth, jr., New York,
and Senator Pat Harrison, Mlssls-
sippi. and Representatives Carl T.
Mapes. Michigan: H. W. Temple,
PENNSYLVANIA, and Il. Walton Moore,
Virginia, are as follows:
The establishment of a new depart
ment to be known as the Department
of Education and Relief and the con-
centration 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 Educa-
ton, St Elizabeth's Hospital, Howard
University and Freedmen's Hospital,
all of which are now in the Interior
Department; the Public Health Ser
vice, now in the Treasury Department
and the Veterans Bureau, an inde-
pendent establishment
Other Additions Possible.
The committee has recommended
that this new department assume the
functions now performed by the Fed
eral Board for Vocational Education
and that il be given the nominal su-
peryision of the Columbia Institution
for the Deaf, now exercised by the
Department of the Interior.
It is further recommended by the
Joint committee that the National
Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers
he associated with the department of
education and relief and required TO
transmit it's accounts. reports ana es-
Inmates of appropriations through the
head of that department
The second major recommendation
is fer the transfer to the Department
of Commerce of certain agencies now
located in other departments whose
work is in the field which the Depart
mert of Commerce was established 10
cover. These are the Bureau of Mines
and the Patent Office, now in the De-
Dartment of the Interior; the LAX e
Survey Office, now under the chief OF
Engineers, United States Army; the
Inland and Coastwise Waterways
Service. now under the War Depart
advisory committee for aeronautics.
The joint committee also recon-
mends the transfer from the Geo
logical Survey and the War Depart
ment, respectively, to the Bureau of
the Census the work of collecting
and publishing statistics of mineral
production and of water borne COM
merce. 1t also recommends the es-
tabliShment of new bureau in the
Department of Commerce to be
known as the Bureau of Transporta-
tion.
Interior Department Changes.
The third major recommendation
of the joint committee is for erec-
tion in the Interior Department of
two subdivisions, one charged with
the administration of the public do
main and the other with the admin
iStratiOn of public engineering works.
The fourth important recomm enda-
tton of the joint committee is for
the creation of a centralized pur-
chasing agency for the Government
to be known as the Bureau of Pur-
chase and Supply
The fifth important recommenda-
tion is for the creation of an office
10 be known as the office of public
buildings and parks in the District
OF Columbia, "hlch Will assume the
functions now performed by two
separate offices the office of
public buildings and grounds under
the War Department and the office
of the superintendent of the State,
War and Navy Department buildings.
The sixth recommendation is for the
transfer of the departmental solic-
itors from the Department of Justice
10 the executive departments which
they serve.
nuds srnH Me- M C.-.-1%@