Evening star., 1925-05-22

Congress will authorize the President
or some board, or a committee or its
own members. to take the time to do
It," he declared.
"On the executive side Of the Fed
eral Government" he continued, I'VE
have grown to have more than 200
different bureaus, boards and COM
missions, employing several hundred
thousand people. For the most part,
they have been thrown hodgepodge
into 10 different executive depart
ments under cabinet officers. But
there are more than 40 independent
establishments either directly under
the President or directly under Con-
gress.
"The big thing is to bring these
kindred agencies together under one
authority, so that their overlapping
edges can be clipped and their fights
stopped. The divided responsibility,
with absence Of centralized authority,
prevents the constructive and con-
sistent development Of broad national
policies"
Needs Conservation Policy.
"The Government should have a
continuous, definite and consistent
policy directed to intelligent conserva-
ton and use of national resources"
Mr.. Hoover continued. But 1t can
have no such policy so long as re-
sponsibility Is split up among half
dozen different departments.
THE recent occurrences in oil leases
are a fair example of what may hap
pen by the lack of single-headed
responsibility in such matters. No
policy of real guardianship of our re-
serve resources will exist until we
put all conservation business in the
hands of an undersecretary for con-
servation, with the spotlight of pub
lie opinion continuously focused upon
him.
THE same is true of our deplorable
lack Of a definite and organized mer-
chant marine policy thing which
has caused the waste OF a few hun
dreds of million dollars which might
have been saved had the Government
from the beginning concentrated all
administrative matters relating to
shipping under single responsible
officer for merchant marine. ! may
remark. incidentally that I would not
place the Job of liquidating the war
fleet under such an official. That is a
temporary job requiring specialist.
Preventive of Fraud.
1.-THE largest of the independent es.
adjustments is, Of course, the Vet
erans' Bureau. 1t is my belief that
sponsible to a cabinet officer there
would have been, as in the case of
other departmental bureaus, so many
more safeguards in management as
to have prevented the frauds which
have been exposed in the courts in
the recent history of that bureau"
There Is one side of the Federal
Government" he added, that is GER
tainly not sufficiently expanded to-
day-that Is scientific and economic
research and the promotion of public
interest by voluntary cooperation with
the community at large
Mr.. Winslow told the business men
that Congress is and has been in re-
cent years composed Of members who
possess average capacity 8 great as
those of any earlier period.
Congress is not made up Of super
men, but 1t does contain men OF high
average intelligence, patriotism and
a desire to work we'll and do the right
thing" he insisted. ascribing the
criticism being heaped upon that
branch of the Government to pro-
NOTED propaganda. Members of
Congress have all they can do with
their Office, committee and floor work.
For the most part. they want to do
it and do 1t we'll. but If they are to
be deluged, as they are time and time
again throughout a session, with
communications meaning nothing but
the result of some great propaganda
ist influence, they have neither time
nor strength to think and to work
as they should and as they desire
The general accomplishments of
Congress indicate a membership of
honest, patriotic men deserving gem
eral encouragement and public CO.
operation"
Oppose Coastwise Change.
The transportation group yester-
day afternoon approved and sent to
the resolutions committee an express
sion favoring instructions to the
American delegation to the Interna-
ttonal Chamber of Commerce con-
vention at Brussels next month to
oppose any attempt to remove Amer
lean limitations on the country's
coastwise trade. This group also
was informed by representatives of
automotive interests and State public
service commissions that they favored
governmental regulation of busses
and trucks as common carriers in
interstate commerce.
The domestic distribution group
passed on to the resolutions commit
tee an expression supporting the posi-
ton Of the Department of Agriculture
in its effort to curb speculation on
grain exchanges.