Evening star., 1932-01-31
NEWENG|NEERPLAN
IS PRAISED WIDELY
Change Effective Tomorrow
Approved by Experts,
Dawson Reveals.

Mai Donald A. Dawson. Acting En-
glneer Commissioner. disclosed yester-
day that some of the country'S out
standing engineers, prominent Govern
ment officials and several members Of
Congress indorSed the plan for reor-
ganization of the Engineering Depart
ment Of the municipal government be-
fore it was approved by the COmmiS-
sioners.
The plan, which groups all engineer
ing departments under four directors
IS to 90 into effect tomorrow.
Maj Gen. Lytle Brown, chief of
Army Engineers, was mentioned by
Maj. Dawson as one Of those who first
passed on the plan as medium for
increasing the administrative efficiency
Of the engineering departments.
Others included Budget Director j.
c. Roop and F. J. Bailey his assistant;
William H MCReynolds of the Person
mel Classification Board; Representative
Simmons of Nebraska. former chairman
of the House appropriations subcommit
tee which handles the District appro-
priation bills; Representative Cannon
of Missouri who succeeded Mr.. Sim
mons as chairman Of this subcommittee
and Mai Cary H Brown, former As
SiStant Engineer Commissioner.
Cites Months of Study.
MAJ. Dawson made the disclosure,
he said to show the reorganization plan
was the result of months of study.
There has been a tWOfOld need for
reorganization in the Engineering De-
partment" said Maj. Dawson. First,
because the department as a whole has
grown for more than two decades with
out any major consideration being given
to the basic organization"
Mai. Dawson said he conceived the
plan when Mai, John c. Gotwals, En-
gineer Commissioner, was taken i'll, and
he realized he should be relieved of
some of the crushing routine work"
upon his return. The Engineer Com
missioner, he pointed out is a men,
Der or chairman of five boards and the
commissions, in addition to being head
Of the engineer department.
The major duty Of the Engineer
Commissioner he said, is unquestion-
ably the proper administration Of the
engineer department, but it was never
intended that the details and routine
Of running the department should so
completely smother the engineer COM
missioner as to make it difficult for him
10 md time and energy to devote to
other duties. the proper carrying out
of which are vital also to residents of
the District"
Tells Many Duties.
Aside from being a member of the
Board Of Commissioners, the Engineer
Commissioner, Maj. Dawson explained,
Is a member of the Public Utilities Com
mission, the National Capital Park and
Planning Commission. the Joint board
made up of members of the Board bf
Commissioners and the Public Utilities
Commission. and chairman of the zon-
ing Commission. ..:
LAS new departments have grown up
they have been added here or there TO
an existing organization, a department
head has been assigned and the work
of the new department. has become
routine.
Second, the administrative head of
the engineer department has acquired
so many other duties as TO make it
practically impossible for any one. ia
dividual to review and pass on the
details of administration OF the de-
partment and at the same time give
the necessary time and study to-
decisions which he is required to make
as member of other boards and com
missions
The Engineer Department has here
tofOre been comprised Of 10 depart
ments, each Of which was headed by
more or less independent depart
ment heads, having sole super
vision over the activities of his de-
partment. These 19 department heads
reported through Assistant Engineer
Commissioners for necessary approval
of whatever was to be placed in action.
Practically no effort was made to CO.
ordinate the activities Of any of these
departments until in 1929 the Office of
chief engineer and Co-ordinator was
established to make sure that inter
dependent highway, sewer and water
appropriations were properly aIlocated.
Reform Envisioned Then.
so widespread have been the bene-
fits of this single move at cC-Ordina-
ton that the thought Of a complete
reorganization for the Engineer De-
partment was born at that time. Nine 4
teen department heads are too busy
for any one individual to deal with
Modern organization demands that
there be fewer responsible heads and
that the related work Of the several
departments pass through a single
Office to insure coordination and to
avoid duplication Of overhead and |
labor.
The departments naturally group
themselves into four major subdivisions:
% Construction activities carried on !
by the District of Columbia in the de- |
sign, construction. maintenance and !
repair Of all classes of District-oWned I
buildings % The inspection of all /
phases of private building 81 Activities |
pertaining to highways and the control |
OF public space. "a Engineering utilities |
as they affect property owners.
Under the reorganization plan, the |
former departments Of the Engineer !
Department have been regrouped so as !
to make only four departments. Over |
each Of these departments has been !
placed a director
There should be no confusion based |
on any belief that the former 19 de- !
partmentS still exist and that the
organization is merely a grouping of /
existing departments, under four new ,
headings. Such is not the case The Z
new Engineer Department consists of |
only four departments. The activities |
OF the former departments Will continue |
without major changes, and in general |
each former department becomes a diVi- |
sion Of one Of the new departments.
Head Four Departments.
The former electrical department is
an exception in that its main sctivi- !
ties are included in the department of !
highways, except TOR inspection of pri-
vate buildings which is included in the |
department of inspection.
The four new departments will be