Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-14
ENC|NEERSFAVOR
INTERIOR CHANGE
Abolition of Department and
Creation of New One
Sought in Bill.

Proposal 10 abolish the Department
Of the Interior and to create In It's
stead a Department Of Public Works
md Domain was Endorsed by the as.
sembly Of the American Engineering
Council At ITS second days session at
he Nayfaowpr Hotel today. A hill
smhodyinS this proposal in complete
plan Of Government reorEa ni2Ation
will he introduced In the House next
week hy Representative Wyant of
Pennsylvania.
A Nation wide campaign. enlistinE
the aid OF 100000 engineers to win
public support Of the plan. was author
lied. It will he directed by a com
mittee headed by Gardner s. Williams
of Ann Arbor. Mich. seventy allied
technical orga nizations are hack OF the
movement. among them the American
Institute Of Architects. according to
announcement by Dean Dexter s.
kimbali Of Cornell University, presi
dent or the council.
Would Include Utilities Bureau.
Under Secretary Of Public Works
and Domain there would ne created
bureaus OF waterways and ports, pub
tic roads, geological survey. reelAna-
ton and power, and national parks.
combined with A general land ONCE.
There would also he a bureau of
utilities TO administer Government
owned utilities. such as telephone and
cable lines and inland waterway
carriers.
The plan provides for one assistant
secretary 10 direct bureau Of Ad-
ministrative and technical service.
Directors IT bureaus. not to exceed
SIX, would he named. with rank equal
to that ~ the assistant secretary.
Some argument developed over the
titles to he given to the heads OF the
bureaus. the committee objectinE to
any title which would include the
word secretary. on the grounds that
it suggested clerical rather than ad-
ministrative duties.
The bill makes these transfers to
the proposed department: From the
Department of Agriculture, the
Bureau of Public Roads, except the
agricultural engineering division;
from the Treasury the office of the
supervising architect: from the War
Department, the rivers and harbors
improvements, including the board of
engineers on rivers and harbors. and
the duties of the chief OF Engineers,
the Mississippi River Commission, the
California Debris Commission, the
Alaska telegraph and cable system,
and all other civil engineering and
construction work. including all iuris-
diction over navigahie waters. The
Board of Road Commissioners for
Alaska and the Inland Waterways
Corporation. now under the jurisdic.
ton OF the War Department. would
also be shifted to the new depart.
mept.
Would Use Army Engineers.
Engineering officers OF the Army.
the bin provides. may be detailed
to certain non.military duties with
projects under the Jurisdiction OF the
new department.
banquet OF the council at the Willard
Hotel tonight, 1t was announced at
the meeting. Charles M. Schwab OF
New York also will speak
Increased production in directly
traceable to decrease In accidents. a
committee OF the council declared in
its report at the session last night.
The COMMITTEES for more than a wear
has conducted study of nearly / 1. 600
companies representing Is basic indus
tries.
In practically every industry
studied" said Leon p. Afford OF New
York, and upward tendency in pro-
ductivity is accompanied by a down
ward tendency In accident frequency.
Plainly. industry cannot operate with
The highest degree of success in the
presence OF peril"
The committees report declared a
check had shown that the average
loss OF time for each accident was
that of nine men, or 5.ss hours. The
average cost per accident was s24.0S.