Evening star., 1932-12-20

bureau: in other words, the bureau Is
retained in the department where 1t
now is. but is regrouped under new
assistant secretary This IS the case
with the Bureau of Reclamation, with
the Geological Survey and with the ac-
tivities and duties relating to reads and
bridges in the Territory of Alaska. 1t
is also true with the Office of Educa-
tions Howard University, the Columbia
Institution for the Deaf. the Bureau OF
Indian Affairs, St EliZabeth's Hospital.
Freedman's Hospital and the National
Park Service. all of which are already
in the Department of the Interior. A
number of commissions are deprived of
their duties, powers and functions
which are transferred to one or the
other of the departments. but the COM
missions are required to serve in an
advisory capacity. There may be a
slight saving in expense in doing away
with one or two clerks: on the other
hand, some of the commissions are not
likely to continue interested in services
of q purely advisory capacity. For in
stance. the administrative duties. pow
ers and functions of the Arlington
Memorial Bridge Commission are trans
ferred to the Department. OF the !nte-
rior and the commission Is to serve IN an
advisory capacity to the Secretary OF
the Interior. Now the Arlington Memo
rial Bridge Commission consists Of sew
etAl very distinguished officers OF the
Government. Its chairman is the Pres
ident OF the United States himself The
other members are the Vice President,
the Speaker Of the House. the chairman
Of the Senate Committee on Public
Buildings and the chairman ct the
House committee on the same subject.
1t is rather amusing to find the highest
officials of the Government, including
the President, placed by an executive
order in an advisory capacity to a
member Of the cabinet. Like the mem
bers of many other commissions. these
commissioners receive no salary for
their activities. The commission was
created by the Congress with the idea
of securing services of the most emf
nent officials in our Government and
giving them power to make important
decisions. It is difficult to see what
is to be gained by taking away from
them that power and requiring them to
serve merely in an advisory capacity to
the Secretary of the Interior.
Difficult to See Gain.
"The same holds true of the Rock
Creek ana Potomac Parkway Commis-
sion. The members of the commission
are three cabinet officers, including the
Secretary of the Treasury. the Secretary
of War and the Secretary OF Agr1cul-
ture To be sure, their duties are very
nearly completed. in any event. But it
served from depriving them OF their
x ,icfr
tions until the parkway is completed.
THE George Rogers Clark Sesqu1-
centennial Commission is another one
Of the commissions which has been de-
prived Of its duties, powers and func-
tions and left in an advisory capacity.
The members of this commission receive
no salary They consist of three Scna-
tors three Reprl lsentativeS and num-
Der of distinguished citizens, mostly from
the State of Indiana. They have had
the outy Of directing the construction
of the memorial to George Rogers Clark
at Vincennes, Ind. Here again it is
difficult to see what Is gained by taking
away from them the duty of directing
the building and dedication of this
monument and giving them merely an
advisory status. The Mount Rushmore
Memorial Commission is Of a similar
character.
"The National Capital Park and
Planning Commission has been given
by the Congress q number of very i'm
portant duties powers and functions.
These are taken away from them under
this new proposal and the commission
Is merely to serve in an advisory capac-
ity to the Secretary of the Interior.
The members Of the commission include
the chief of engineers of the United
States Army, the Engineer Commis-
sioner of the District of Columbia, the
director of the National Park Service,
the chief of the Forest Service, the
chairman of the Senate Committee on
the District of Columbia and the
chairman of the House Committee on
the District of Columbia and several
distinguished citizens. They receive no
salary and do their work for the salts
faction it gives them in beautifying the
Nations Capital. If you remove this
satisfaction and give all their duties
and powers to cabinet officer, to whom
they serve only in an advisory capacity,
it is easy to see that you take away
from them the Importance of their task
and the desire to serve, since they have
no real responsibility. 1t IS difficult to
see how any savings can be made by
the transfer. Furthermore. as in the
case with quite a number of others, the
cost of making the change must be
carefully considered. The loss of time
and effort in training new officials to
take new responsibilities. loss of time
in transferring files, office equipment.
ETC., all make it seem as though any
savings, during the first year at least,
would be more than wiped out by losses
and additional cost.
"The Bureau Of Public Roads is
transferred from the Department of
Agriculture to the Department of the
Interior Here again there is no sug-
.gestion of any saving. and only the
possibility of loss of time and expense
in getting adjusted to a new environ
ment.
Perhaps the most important sugges-
ton made in the new recommendation
for reorganization is taking most OF the
non-mintary activities now administered
by the chief of engineers of the United
States Army, including the work on
rivers and harborS, flood control work
and various commissions connected
with the Mississippi and the st. Law
oceanic Canal Board, and transferring
them all from the War Department to
the Department of the Interior and
requiring the commissions and boards
to serve in an advisory capacity to the
Secretary of the Interior. Some of
these commissions consist almost en-
tirely Of Army officers, VINO receive no