The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-03-21
Our Government
How II Operates
INDEPENDENT
AGENCIES
By William Bruckart

= come such a gigantic thing that
only those who have daily cetltaet
with it in all it's forms readily rec,
ognize its magnitude. Consequently.
there has developed throughout the
country a feeling on the part of
thousands that there are lot of
governmental agencies whose exist.
ence is not justified. There are
others who are not certain the COY.
ernmenf ought to be as big as it Is.
but they retain an unquestioned
faith in those they elect to represent
them.
There is plenty of ground. for the
Keeling in each instance. The gov
eminent Is certainly doing lot of
,, things that the Fathers of the Conn-
try did not contemplate, but which
astnte politicians since have con.
ceiyed. Many of these functions
ought never have been started ::
vast numbers of them ought to be
done away with now, but the law
of averages has worked again and
some of the things the government
is now doing represents services
which the country needs and which
its citizenry finds of value in one
manner or another.
In the course of examining the
governmental structure in detail as
l have had bo do in preparing these
discussions, located a total Of 81
agencies operating independently Of
the established departments over
which cabinet members preside
They spend total of about $60000..
600 each year, exclusive of the vast
sum-$ $685., 0000-paid out by the
veterans administration which has
been discussed separately. So it
would seem that there was sufficient
reason for that Tennessee woman
who. having read criticisms of the
great number of bureaus. boards
and commissions. wrote to the presi.
dent, saying that she could use one
Of the useless bureaus" and would
be willing to pay the freight charges
On 1t if one were shipped to her.
Most of these independent offices
spend less than "a million dollars n
year apiece. Some of them cost only
few thousand u year. but there are
some whose annual cost 10 the tax.
payers range much higher. Surely
none questions the value of the
radio commission in these days
when we all enjoy extracting things
from the mir. nor is there Il ques
tion as to the principles actuating
creation OF the federal power com
mission. The board of tax appeals
AMOUNTS to u court and serves rax
payers and the government alike.
But there Is the shipping board
and the United States tariff commits
sion and the federal trade commits
sion and the bureau of efficiency.
two or three commissions to adjust
disputes growing out of boundary
questions between the United States
and its neighbors. the national screw
thread commission. any number of
memorial and battle monument com.
missions, boards for this and boards
for that. The tariff commission was
created on the theory that the tariff
| question would he taken out of mol.
itics, but politicians did not want
that to happen. The federal trade
commission was established to pro
tect the little fellow against the oc-
tOpus of business.
There are such groups as the civil
services commission who. If politi
clans kept hands off. might establish
federal service that would contain
only satisfactory workers eventu
ally, and the joint commission on
printing that would hold down gov
eminent costs OF printing except
that the government departments
and members of the house and sen.
ate are continually clamoring to
stock the country with printed ma
terial.
A board OF mediation was set I'm
to settle railway labor disputes. but
there Is little doubt that it could be
dispensed with along with two
scores of other agencies.
Maintenance OF such organizations
as the Smithsonian institution is nc.
cepted as normal function of gov.
ernment for IL preserves TO posterity
physical record of what has han.
pened and Is educational purely. At
the other side OF the Mall from the
Smithsonian In Washington. how
ever, Is u beautiful building that
serves rs headquarters Of the Pan.
American union.
| Then there are several agencies
representing wartime. hangover
such as the alien property custodian
the War Finance corporation, the
railroad administration. They are
existing because all ut this time has
been required. and more. to wind I'm
their affairs. There are the new
agencies, too. the Reconstruction
Finance carTnTatinn and the Fed,
| erai Home Loan hank board. the
hrst strictly an emergency relief
corporation and the second a Der
Inaaent addition 10 The nations
financing unit. Good untsouhte,fsy
has come from the first and the a..
tabllshment 81 the Home Loan hank
system Is generally recognized az a
move In she right direction. and ii
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