Evening star., 1933-02-21
DEBATE IS BEGUN
ON REORGANIZATION
House Republicans Not to
Offer Organized 0pposi-
ton to Proposal.
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page)
report, said it would empower the
President to abolish bureaus and func-
tions and impound appropriations, but
excluded the Bratton 5 per cent cut.
The report also restores the S19.-
100000 for airmail. stricken out by the
Senate, and continues most of the pro-
visions of the economy act last year.
including the Hoover furlough PROPOSE
ton. The House will have to pass on
the report.
The House quickly adopted all the
provisions of the $960,000,000 Treas
ury-Post Once bill, on which the Sen
ate and House conferees agreed and
began consideration of the economy
provisions.
Provisions agreed upon include res
toration of $4,000 for inland air
mail, which had been stricken out by
the Senate, and restoration Of $19 900,-
900 for the Customs Service which had
been reduced to $17,500,000 by the
Senate.
The report provides s3o,s0O,Ooo for
collection of internal revenue, instead Of
S29. 100000 approved by the Senate.
The Senate will have to act on these
given, however
Standing firm. the House voted 218 to
0 against accepting $4,000 Senate
amendment to tho measure to continue
assay Offices at Boise, :5aho, Salt Lake
City. Helena, Mont, and larson City,
New.
Debate on the new amendment aCered
by Chairman Byrns covering al eS the
controversial subjects in the bill was
limited by unanimous consent to three
hours during which amendments are 20
be offered. The time consumed in
voting on these amendments is not to
be deducted from the three hours set
for debate.
Previous to this agreement, Chairman
Byrns offered an amendment to change
the price limit fixed in the bill for dis
tinctive paper for United States cur
rency and other negotiable papers from
IS cents to 32H cents per pound. He
then proceeded at the suggestion OF
Minority Leader Smell to explain the
House substitute which he proposes for
the Senate provisions in the economy
section.
Byrns Issues Warning.
Byrns warned the House the applica-
tion of the Bratton amendment would
destroy the number Of Government bu-
reaus whose appropriations already have
been pared to the bone. He further de-
clared the amendment should not be
approved by the House, since the econ
omy section of the Treasury-Post ONCE
bill would give the President the au-
thority to reorganize bureaus and make
necessary reductions.
IF you should apply the per cent
reduction to certain bureaus already
trimmed to the bone, you would destory
them" declared ByrnS.
IF the Bratton amendment goes
through, our Navy will not be equal to
that Of Japan. I have also been told
by Postmaster General Brown, a retir-
ing Government official, that the appli-
cation of the amendment to his de-
partment would require the dismissal
of seven or eight thousand Post Office
employees"
Defends Efficiency Bureau.
Byrns also strongly defended the
Federal Bureau of Efficiency which the
Senate bill seeks to abolish. He pointed
out the bureau had been invaluable to
the Federal Government and had saved
millions of dollars more than 1t had
cost to operate. He pointed out, too,
that President-elect Roosevelt Is now
making use of the bureau.
An attack was made on the bureau,
however, by Representative McDuftie,
Democrat, of Alabama, who declared 1t
was a useless unit of the Government
service. He said the Budget Bureau
and other existing Government agen-
cies can do the work the Efficiency
Bureau Is supposed to do.
Chairman ByrnS emphasized yester-
day that his purpose in making the
partial report was to get the wording
of the new economy section before the
House so any member who might care
to offer an amendment would be able
to do SO with the full facts before
him. II the House adopts the revised
section as presented by Byrns, 1t would
be equivalent to instructions to the
House conferees to stand firm against
the Bratton amendment, since that has
been omitted from the economy section
as reported.
1t is probable, Chairman Byrns said.
that the reorganization provision will be
accepted by the House as included in
his report Under this, the President
would have authority to consolidate,
transfer or abolish any executive agency
or the functions thereof, except that
he could not abolish any executive de-
partment or all its functions. A re-
organization order would have to be
submitted to Congress and would be-
come effective after go days, unless
Congress fixed an earlier date.
Whereas the present law enables one
btanch of Congress to stop reorgan-
ization order by simple resolution, the
new plan would require Congress to
diSapprove by law and this would have
to be passed in identical language by
both House and Senate and be signed
by the President within the so days.
If the President vetoed the diSapproval,
a two thirds vote of both houses would
be necessary to prevent the recrganiza-
ton.
The Bratton amendment. which
Government officials fear would neces-
state dismissal of many Government
employees because Of the Costigan
amendment banning pay cuts or fur
loughs to save this per cent. is strong
ly opposed by advocates Of adequate ma
tional defense. 1t is not the only Sen
ate provision left out OF the revised
proposal before the House today.
Others are:
The Senate effort to abolish the Bu-
reau of Efficiency, the Senate amend
ment to apply the existing civilian pay
cut to enlisted personnel of the Army,
Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard;
the Gore amendment authorizing the
Civil Service Commission and the Sec
retary of Labor to make study and
report on the feasibility of establishing
a system of adjusting the pay of Gov
ernment employees from time to time
on the basis of prevailing price levels,
including rents.
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