Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-20
D. c. GOVERNMENT
CHANGE IS URGED
Research Body Recommends
Reorganization Under City
Manager in Report.
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.


Reorganization of the government of
the District Of Columbia, under a city
manager, with the Board of Commits
sioners abolished, with the District bud
get removed from the Jurisdiction of the
Federal Budget Bureau, with the school
board and the board of library trustees
abolished, creation of departments Of
education and law enforcement, Is
recommended by the Institute for Gov
eminent Research in report In book
form today laid before Congress and the
administrative authorities.
This is the second volume in the re-
port made on the District government
by this agency OF the Brookings Insti-
tuition, devoted to public service
through research and training In the
humanistic sciences" The first volume,
published last year. was prepared by
Laurence r. Schmeckebier, which was
wholly descriptive in character and its
whole purpose was to present a history
of the successive provisions for govern
ment of the National Capital and de-
tailed account Of the existing form of
government.
New Volume Critical.
The new volume by Mr.. Schmecke-
bier ana William r. WilIognby, director
OF the institute, represents \ crlrlCal
examination TO oetermlne the extent TO
which the existing government is UNI
satisfactory and recommendation Tor
"a better governmental ana aumlnlStra-
tive organization" Attention has been
concentrated on the basic features oil
the governmental structure, it is ex-
planned, rather tran upon more second
airy matters of internal organization
and procedure of the several operating
units, which have recently been subject
to study by other agencies, such as the
Gibson subcommittee of the House
District committee and the United
States Bureau of Efficiency.
Two matters of general Importance
which have, tor years, attracted atten-
ton of citizens of the District-the
question of local suffrage and fiscal re-
lations or the proporEionate amount
that the Federal Government shall con-
tribute to the support of the Nations
Capital-have not been discussed in
this report, because-'im as
IA1Cy they uO IlOJ nave 10 90 OIL
rectly with the structure Of the District
government"
In view of the present controversy
over the Police Department and the
district attorneys Office. particular in
tereSt attaches to the revolutionary
recommendation for department Of
law enforcement" The line of thought
expressed by MIR. Willoughby being thai
when you have big task of govern
ment, there ought to be a special de-
partment for this work-such as q
health department, a department OF
public works. The proposed depart
ment Of law enforcement for the Dis
trict would be equivalent to the De-
partment of Justice in the Federal
Government. with the police force act
ing as field agents, the same as we now
have prohibition enforcement agents
and agents Of the Forest Service. The
man at head of this department would
be held responsible, it is emphasized
and should carry the blame for any
failure within his department, even
though he must depend on the work
of others. 1t would be his duty to see
that they all did their work right.
Would Create Council.
In abolishing the Board of District
Commissioners, the Institute for Gov
eminent Research recommends the
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