Evening star., 1932-07-17

quest for third filing of the data, for
he was clothed by ample authority.
Commenting on this phase of the prob
lem, Mr.. Hoover said to Congress-: "Our
industries and business are badgered to
death for duplicate information by a
host of nonco-ordinating agencies. Fur
thermore, there can be little definition OF
broad governmental policies in these
matters when there are rival functions
dealing with them in many different
departments of the Government. How
badly the functions are scattered is indi-
Gated by rough estimate of the bureaus
or functions that should be transferred
in order to obtain grouping by purpose:
Education, IA fragments from three
sources; health, six fragments from four
sources; merchant marine, 13 fragments
from five sources; industry, eight frag-
ments from four sources; public works,
16 fragments from five sources"
On the executive side of the Federal
Government we have more than 200
different bureaus, boards and commits
sionS with total of about 550, 900 en-
ployes. They have been thrown hodge,
podge into 10 departments under cabinet
officers. But in addition there are more
than 40 Independent establishments re-
porting directly either to the President
or to Congress. These Mr. Hoover has
often characterized as "the floating
islands of authority, technically an
chOred, but sometimes actually response
BILE to nobody" In addition to saving
them from their isolation, he would also
simplify their complex duties. Here is
a field that it has taken years Of careful
thought to chart, for Congress has dele
gated to the executive branch Of the
Government many secondary legislative
functions, such as the making of regula-
tions. Next come secondary judicial
regulations.
THE result of these too numerous grants
Of authority is that citizen may find
himself summoned before some remote
clerk for an infraction of some regula-
ton promulgated by the same clerk. And
now the clerk, having served as legisla-
tor and administrator, is prepared to try
the citizen in his capacity as Judge and
impose a penalty. The penalty usually
takes the form Of a fine. theoretically
the citizen can appeal to the courts, but
actually he would do much better to pay
the fine and keep mum.
There has been the crudeSt sort OF
mixing of legislative and judicial func-
tiOnS with the executive duties of single
officers. At the same time, purely ad-
ministrative duties are often delegated
to boards of three or more members
when precisely the opposite would be
in line with the experience and wisdom
of the race. Judicial and legislative
duties for more than one head so that
wisdom may flow from counsel; executive
duties for one head so that there may be
promptness and centralization of respon-
sibility to the utmost Boards and COM
missions are soundly adapted to delibera-
tive functions, while administrative work
is best handled by one mind.
Not only has judicial and legislative
authority found its way into the hands
of executives, but administrative duties
have been imposed upon boards created
originally for judicial work, which is, If
possible, still greater error. The Ship
ping Board . to cite probably the most
gIaring case was originally created
to regulate rates and abolish diScrimina-
ton in ocean-going traffic. These semi
judicial functions quite naturally belong
to board. But later this body was
suddenly saddled with orders to con-
struct and operate the greatest single
merchant fleet in history. The losses
and waste may very probably be due in
part to the blunder of assigning such
a colossal administrative job to judicial
body.
Not only was this mistake in organiza-