Evening star., 1931-12-29
Single Head for All Public
Works Indicated at Press
Conference.
END OF OVERLAPPING
is BASIS OF PROPOSAL
Creation of Administrator Figures
in Project Called Direct Way
to Cut Expenses.

The administration plans a new drive
for consolidation of Government depart
ments and bureaus as a means Of re-
ducing Federal expenditures.
The President made the plan public
today at a press conference.
Within a month or two after Con-
gress has acted upon his emergency
economic program he will transmit a
special message urging various con-
solidationS.
OF major importance in his plan he
considers the grouping of all the pub
lie works and construction activities of
the Government under one head and
also the transfer of all merchant ma
rine activities to the Department Of
Commerce.
In consolidating all public work and
construction activities, the President
has in mind the creation of an ad-
ministrator of public works, similar to
the administrator of veterans affairs.
The President would not, however, make
this office OF cabinet Importance.
Advantages Pointed Out.
His plans also would include the con-
servation activities and all the activities
having to do with public health and
education matters, besides other activ1-
ties OF general and major Importance
which are now carried on by the various
independent agencies and bureaus Of
the Government.
In discussing his plan today, Mr.
Hoover stated that advantages to be
derived would not only be the removal
of overlapping governmental authority
and a duplication of effort, but would
promote efficiency by bringing these
activities, which are now scattered
throughout the various departments,
under one single administrative head.
But, most OF all. the President is con-
Vinced that his plan would result in a
rigid and definite reduction of govern
mental expense.
In the opinion Of the President, this
step is the most direct in the interest
of economy. He believes also that if
his plan is adopted it will discourage
new appropriations not provided for in
the administrations budget. Economy,
according to the way he has figured it
out, seems sure in the consolidation of
the Government bureaus and general
reorganization.
He recalled that he has recommended
dresses in the past 10 years and in re-
ports and messages to Congress since he
has been President.
Special Message Due.
In his message to the present Con-
gresS he called attention to the need
for reorganization and consolidation,
and in that message he advised Con-
greSS that later he would send a special
message dealing with the subject more
definitely
Il particularly emphasized conSolida-
ton of Government bureaus and general
reorganization of the Government de-
partments," Mr.. Hoover said today, "as
the basis of constructive economy in
my message to the second session of the
Seventy-First Congress. 1 again re-
ferred to it in the message to the third
session of that Congress, and in my
message to the present Congress I again
traversed the subject.
Some of my recommendations have
been carried out, the most notable one
being the consolidation of all veterans
activities into the veterans admins
tration. AS a result, Gen. Hines reports
that we are saving somewhere from
S10,000,000 to Sl5,000000 year in this
service alone.
'OutStandlng among these reOrganl-
cations would be consolidation of all
construction activities Of the Govern
ment under an administrator of public
works Other cases are the consolidation
of all merchant marine activities into
the Department of Commerce, the con-
solidation of all the conservation activi-
ties of the Government, of the Public
Health Services, of education activities
and numerous other groups on the
:ame major purpose under single headed
responsibility.
Would End Overlapping.
Such action would result in the
elimination of many expensive agencies
and overlap resulting in very great
economies. These economies could run
into many millions.
In addition to the actual economy by
concentrated administration and elimi-
nation of overlapping, further great
economies would be brought about
through the curtailment of the self
expanding capacity of scattered bureaus,
which could be much better controlled
if they we're grouped together. 1t
would enable policies in connection with
Continued on Page 2. Column 81