Evening star., 1932-12-20

.. SENATOR HIRA
ments free from the control OF the Cfh-
GERS who head the executive depart
ments and have places in the PreSi-
dents cabinet. Although the exist
ence of the large number of agencies
of this kind has been in recent years
the cause Of much criticism, yet as
matter of fact Congress seems to have
acted with much consistency In their
creation. It's reasons for providing
these independent organizations have
not always been the same, but they
appear to have been always forceful
and in most cases entirely sufficient.
Single Field of Work.
"'In the first place. some agencies
have been set up outside the executive
departments in the interests of pre-
serving a principle which has been re-
peatcdly mentioned in this report-that
each department should, so far as prac-
ticable, be restricted to single field OF
work. This was unquestionably the
reason which made the Department OF
Labor in 1888, and in more recent times
the Veterans Administration. In such
cases Congress has decided, with much
reason, not to confuse the admln1stra-
tion of the work involved by putting 1t
under some executive department whose
primary interests lie In an entirely dif-
ferent direction.
I'm the second place, many agencies
have been set up outside the Jurlsd1c-
ton OF any executive department for
the reason that they are designed to
attend to the common Interests OF two
or more departments. In these cases
Congress has authorized form OF cr-
garization in which ell the departments
concerned have an equal voice. There
have been and still are many indepen-
dent establishments or commissions OF
this type. The Office OF the superinten-
dent of the State. War and Navy De-
partment Building was placed under
the control of a commission composed
of the secretaries OF State, War and
Navy. The Federal Board for Voca-
tional Education responsible for carry
ing out program to encourage voca-
tional education in the trades, COM
merce and manufactures and agrlcul-
ture Is composed of the Secretary OF
Labor. the Secretary of Commerce. the
Secretary of Agriculture and the Com
missioner of Education, ex offlcio. to-
gether with three appointive members.
terests OF the country, the manuiactur-
ing and commercial interests and the
agricultural interests.
THAT it would be proper to lntrust
the functions given to agencies of this
type to any single department is in
most cases doubtful The criticism
would usually appear that the interests
of certain departments were unneces-
sarily and improperly subordinated to
the control of the particular depart
ment selected Furthermore, no econ
omy is Involved.
I'm the third place. certain func-
tions have been undertaken by the
Government which pertain exclusively
to such details of administration as the
recruitment of civilian personnel for
executive agencies, the regulation OF
Gisbursing and accounting and the pro
curements Of supplies, materials and
equipment. Many objections are ap-
parent to intrusting centralized control
over these matters. which affect all the
executive departments and establish
ments alike, to any single department.
particularly a department which itself
functions primarily as an operating
unit This explains the independent
status of the Civil Service Commission,
charged with the examination and Ger
tification of candidates for employment
in all branches Of the executive service,
and its direct responsibility to the Pres
ident and to the Congress. And the
same theory has justified the indepen-
dent Bureau of Efficiency, created to
study the personnel needs Of all depart
ments, look into their methods of bust
ness and investigate the duplication
and overlapping of their work; the Cen
eral Accounting Office, responsible 1or
the audit and settlement of the revenue
and expenditure account arising in all
departments; and the Government
Printing Office, which supplies the need
of all branches, including Congress, Tor
printing
Ice. Act Is Cited.
THE most powerful of the indepen-
dent establishments of the Government
owe their existence to a still dlf1erent
consideration from the three which
have been discussed. From time to time
Congress has delegated to the executive
branch certain functions with both
legislative and judicial aspect, necessl-
tatirg for their satisfactory perform
ance the employment of the board or
commission form of organization. The
first important instance OF this kind is
found in the interstate commerce act OF
February 4, 1887, creating the Inter
state Commerce Commission and giving
it broad powers to regulate transporta-
ton rates in interstate commerce: AL
though the commission has certain in
vestigative and administrative duties
which might conceivably be as well per-
formed by bureau located, say, in the
Department of Commerce, vet Its more
consequential functions are legislative
fixing transportation rates-or judicial,
hearing and acting upon complaints.
Powers of this kind could not be be-
slowed upon any single authority, such
as the head of an executive department,
without giving rise to general olStrust
and dissatisfaction.
BY some it has been suggested that
the establishments like the Interstate
Commerce Commission should be given
departmental affiliation, without, how
ever, destroying the form Of their or
ganization as it now stands. These
suggestions may be dismissed with the
comment that the principle involved
requires the complete independence OF
all organizations having quasi judicial
functions from even the appearance OF
arbitrary control. Short Of terminating
their work altogether, there seems to
be no alternative to continuing estab-
lishments of this type, among which
may be mentioned, in addition to the
Interstate Commerce Commission, the
Federal Reserve Board. the Federal
Trade Commission, the Shipping Board
and the Railroad Board of Mediation.
In the anew recommendations re-
Gently made by the President total
of So executive agencies and parts Of
agencies have been grouped or consoli-
Gated. The number of independent
agencies has been reduced by about Is.
No estimate has been made Of the ex-