Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-08
ny WILLIAM HARD.

the Hoover administration, II seems
to Washington at the week end. Is
making grand progress toward getting
all the citizens of the United States
and commissions to which they
should belong.
The Presidents new Commission on
Illiteracy met yesterday morning in the
ONCE of Secretary of the Interior Wilbur,
who, having been an undergraduate at
Leland Stanford University In company
with the President, is now one of the
Presidents PRINCIPAL agents in stimulat-
ing and stnh :. 3 the committee and
The com.hittee on illiteracy is now COM
posed of only 23 members, but 1t I'M
doubtedly will grow and undoubtedly
also will produce large litter Of sub
committees.
The Presidents Commission on Child
Health and Protection, according to the
latest reports of its expanding activities,
now has some 400 citizens laboring In
various branches Of its endeavors and
intentions. Its executive secretary. Dr..
H. Z. Barnard, Is obliged to maintain
formal headquarters in the Interior
Department, whence he directs the
growth of the commissions cordial
corps Of cooperating volunteers in
widening ripples, which, presumably, in
time will inundate every corner OF the
country.
One of the sublimeSt beauties Of this
sort Of scheme Is that, besides nobly
occupying the citizen and keeping him
out Of harmful mischief, 1t also gets q
lot Of money away from him without
calling in the resented powers OF the
income tax division of the Internal
Revenue Bureau. In support, for in
stance, of the Presidents Commission
on Education, Mr.. Julius Rosenwald Of
Chicago was induced to part with $780,
600. The general notion Is that people
with bank accounts should contribute
them to these efforts and that the re-
should at least contribute their time,
thus imposing upon everybody q syS-
tenn of supplementary taxation accord
ing to his capacity.
The Presidents Commission on Edu-
cation has Il full members, who form
q sort of voluntary parliament OF all
factions to debate to an intellectual nm
ish the whole terrific problem OF the
proper relations between the Federal
Government and the schools, colleges,
universities and research institutions OF
this country. 1t has three subcommit-
tees, under the general Craftsmanship OF
DR.. Charles Riborg Mann, who Is the
directing head of the whole enterprise,
and 1t also has in cooperation with It
q sort of interdepartmental committee
of the Government, consisting OF some
80 oflcials who have governmental con-
facts with various phases Of the AT1ert-
can educational problem. 1t Is hoped
that all these experts will presently talk
themselves into q stalemate, or else into
something that Congress can pass.
II
Mr.. Julius Barnes, chairman Of the
board Of the United States Chamber
of Commerce, will shortly appoint o
considerable committee of business men
to continue the work of the recent con-
ferences held by the President on the
subject of encouraging everybody to go
In for business as usual" and for more
new works Of building and Of general
construction. This committee will oper-
ate through a multitude Of subsections
of the United States Chamber OF Com
merce, reaching down into virtually
every branch Of industry. The number
of citizens thus involved into the or
ganized combat against the conse-
ouences Of the recent stock market
crash will come to many thousands.
The Presidents committee on recent
economic changes, not content with Is
suing q report in $50 pages last Spring,
here again next month.
The Presidents Commission on the
Conservation Of Public Domain, charged
with the duty Of trying to md out how
to make the grass grow again on the
Federal lands in the Western States
differs from the others so far men,
toned, in that the President Is seeking
financial support for 1t from Congress.
The Presidents Commission on Law
ES-.R g.. L. Ill
gressional financial recognition. 1t now
happily has grown into having IL sub
committees, with IL notable chief ex-
perts and dozen or so OF almost nota-
BILE subexperts labOring with their sub
subaSsistants in all parts OF Continental
United States.
The President seems earnestly to
hope that he can get Congress to join
him in the commission habit. Toward
this end he will set Congress An ex-
ample by presently appointing a COM
mission to take q look at Haiti and our
Marines there. Perhaps having thus
| finally used UP o large part OF the
commission material of the country, he
looks to Congress, out of its own MEM
bership, to help stan four new COM
/ missions, two Of which will be only Tor
| inquiry, but two of which Will De also
! for action,
The two for inquiry as already out
lined In a Recommendation TO congress,
would study respectively the merits or
dement's of "chain banking" and the
improvement of the organization OF the
Government for prohibition enforce
ment The two for action would De OF
an almost revolutionary character.
One of them would be empowered py
Congress, on the basis Of some general
stated principles, but without any
further subsequent detailed autnoriza-
ton, to sanction, in the name OF Con-
gress, any and all changes Wnicn the
President might recommend ana Wnlcn
the committee might approve IN the
Whnle nraa MIA tinra Of the COYernment