Evening star., 1933-11-05
CONGRESS TO GET
PLAN TO REGROUP
DISTRICT BUREAUS
Committee Making Survey Is
Expected to Urge Many
Changes.
ECONOMY AND SPEEDIER
SERVICE CONTEMPLATED
Creation of Departments of Finance
and Public Safety Probably
Will Be Proposed.

Numerous changes in the depart
mental organization OF the District
government Will be recommended to the
Senate District Committee by the three
officials designated by the committee to
make survey OF the methods and costs
OF the local government, it was indl-
Gated Yesterday.
The survey is being made by F. j.
Bailey, an official of the Bureau CT the
Budget; Maj. Daniel j. Donovan, Dis
trict auditor and budget officer. and
William A. Roberts. special assistant
corporation counsel. The report will be
submitted to Chairman King of the
Senate Committee when Congress con-
Venes next January.
Important units OF the engineering
branches. inspection services, public
safety units and the offices OF the as
seaSor. collector CT taxes. auditor and
dlsburSing and purchasing officers are
involved IN the regrOuping plans to be
recommended, it Was said
The study has bcen conducted with
the thought of setting up greater CEN
tral responsibility CT effccting savings
in cost and OF speeding up service to
the public.
Outline of Methods Submitted.
Each District department and each
of the more or less independent District
agencies has submitted a. the request
of The committee agents, an outline of
present methods of operation and costs
1t has become known that the Off
cia,s are using as partial basis for their
work the comprehensive study on the
government CT the District published by
the Institute for Government Research
OF the Brookings Institution. This was
the work of Laurence F. ScAmocAebier
and w. F. Willcughby
The agents also have before them
vo!uminCus data On methods Of opera
ton and costs Of government Of num-
Der of cities CT important size.
From present indications it is ex-
pected that creation Of q department
Of finance Will b. urged. This would
involve consolidation unde- one re-
sp~nsible had CT NEST Of the present
functions Of the assessor, the collec-
ter Cf taxes. the d-sburs.ng officer, the
purchasing officer and certain phases of
the superintendent of licenses. that is,
the issuance Of Hccrga permits en- pay
mGnt o. fce-.
Billing DIVISION Planned.
Also under the direction OF finance,
urdcr this CONTEMPLATED plan, would
be developed a division of billing and
p sting 10 handle all the preparation
Of tax bills and the posting of tax
ledgers, now done by the assessors
Cffice, and the preparation Of miscel
laneous bills and the posting of such
ledgers. nov done by the auditors Ct
flee. The purpose here would be to
ccnsolidste t. functions of a type now
scattered amcng different departments
In present practice the District audi
tor now maintains form cf contact
and control over all the divisions named
here. but the departmental orsaniZa-
ton is split up.
Whether the District should be
given prac ical control over its finances
and budget. subject only to decisions by
Congress, is a question related to the
financial department organization. Mai.
Donovan some months ago compiled
legal and other arguments for remov-
ing District budget estimates from con-
troll of the Federal Bulge Bureau.
This subject ha5 been studied BY men,
EaIs of Congress.
An important recommendation under
consideration would call for creation
@ ? Department of Public Safety. Such
q division would include both the Met
rOrOlltan Police and the District Fire
Department. The purpose would be to
;5-ure closer coordination of their
: motions The suggested plan. however
IS understood, would go further and
! ing the Park Police under the Dis
t~ict administration. Thought has been
{ ven also TO the proposal. voiced in the
1a5t- for including also the Capitol
l1'ice.
Would Involve Other Functions.
1e29nt would involve st1lI other func-
tons 1t has been proposed that the
Various types of inspections should be
under the public safety head, as the
Police and firemen now do some in
Specting. Inspectors of other depart
ments. it is argued. logically should be
placed under the same direct authority
TO assure better enforcement and ad-
ministration. Some functions of the
present weights and measures division
also would come under public safety,
il present ideas prevail District Off
Gals have agreed for some time past
that more attention well could be paid
10 enforcement of weights and stand
ards regulations
1t is believed at the District Build
ing that the committee agents will
recommend q regrOuping of the en-
glneerlng, planning. construction and
maintenance functions of the District.
a considerable number of divisions are
involved in proposals now under con-
sideration.
1t is believed greater economy and
efficiency would result from closer CO.
ordination of the various units now
operating under the engineer depart
ment One suggestion here contem-
plates much closer coordination Of all
types of construction work under a
structures division. This would be
charged with direction of all construc-
ton of buildings bridges and repairs
to District properties. Then there
would be- under such a proposal
highway division. a sanitary division
(including sewers and water engineer
ing),, and a drafting division. One sug-
gestlon being given thought is that all
types of drafting work. now done by
the water, sewer, streets bridges and
architects offices, would be grouped IN
Cne central Office Some observers say
the saving here could be considerable.
Clerks May Be Affected.
Another thought said to be definitely
IN mind at this time is for new deal
in the handling of the clerical staf1s
of various divisions of the District gov
ernment at least those related in func-
tions. The purpose would be to pre-
vent loss of time when one division mas
a slack period of work and to make
available sufficient help for others at
time of greatest activity. The opera
tions of number of departments are
rather definitely seasonal IN character.
There is reason to believe the COM
mittee agents are considering recon-
mendation for consolidation of the Of
fee of the inspector of buildings and