Evening star., 1933-01-03

| ly defended his proposal Tor the ere
1 alton of public works division in the
Department of the Interior for the
consolidation Of all agencies now en-
gagged in some form of public works
activities. He pointed out that every
study of the reorganization subject for
many years has recommended such q
consolidation. Furthermore. the Presi-
dent pointed out that every o'her ad-
vanced government on earth has a
definite public works department and in
/ his opinion no private business or gov
ernment would tolerate the division of
its public works into 20 authorities in
IL different departments and estab-
| lishments as is now the case with this
Government.
He is positive that 1t Is only by con-
solidation that duplication and waste
of multitude of offices and officials
can be eliminated. In this respect the
President is satisfied that this is the
only way the public can know what is
going on in this branch of the Govern
ment Such activities, he said. can
only be brought into the limelight if
they are concentrated under one head
| Moreover, it is his opinion that this is
| the only way to further reduce log
rolling and personal politics" in the
matter Of appropriations.
Constant Opposition"
The President took exception to the
| opposition expressed regarding his pro-
posal to place the rivers and harbors
work and a lot of independent activities
| into such consolidation by saying that
such opposition has been constant for
years. He added that the excuse that
the services of the Army engineers in
connection with rivers and harbors
| d. Sar
the reorganization plan he recently sub
mitted to Congress.
In further defending his reorganiza-
tion plan the President said with en-
phasis that no other government would
tolerate merchant marine activities
separated over seven departments or
| independent establishments and de-
clared that the same could be said
about the Public Health Service, the
| national and other Federal educational
! functions. and land utilization.
In the Presidents reorganization plan,
forwarded to Congress shortly after it
| assembled in December, the President
directed that So boards, commissions
and bureaus should be consolidated into
nine divisions and simultaneously with
necessary executive orders effecting
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The Presidents Statement.
The Presidents statement follows:
THE proposals of Democratic leaders
In Congress to stop the reorganization
of Government functions which I have
made is a backward step. The same
opposition has now arisen which has
| defeated every effort at reorganization
| for 25 years. The chairman OF one
House Committee discloseS: Many men,
bers of the administration itself OPP
posed MIR. Hoover'S plan but that he
had not called them to testify because
he saw no reason to embarrass them
| He could add that outside groups, con-
| gressional committees and members OF
| Congress fear reduction OF influence
| in the administration of these func-
tions The proposal to transfer the job
| of reorganization to my successor is
simply a device by which It Is hoped
that these proposals can be defeated.
| Statements that I have made over 10
years as to the opposition which has
always thwarted reorganization have
come true. Five years ago I said:
"'. Practically every sing.e item
| in such program has Invariably met
with opposition of some vested official,
or 1t has disturbed some vested habit,
and offended some organized minority
It has aroused the paid propagandtsts.
All these vested officials, vested habits,
organized propaganda groups, are In
favor of every item OF reorganization
except that which affects the bureau
or the activity in which they are spe-
| cially interested. No proposed change
is SO unimportant that it is not bitterly
opposed by some one. In the aggregate,
these directors Of vested habits sur
round Congress with a confusing fog
| of opposition. Meantime, the inchoate
voice Of the public gets nowhere but to
swear at bureaucracy"
ANY real reorganization sensibly car
ried out will sooner or later embrace the
very orders I have issued. For in
stance, the consolidation of all agencies
| into one co-ordinated public works
| function has been recommended by
every study of the subject all these
years. Every other advanced govern
| ment on earth has a definite public
works department or division. No pri-
vate business and no other government
would tolerate the division Of it's con-
struction work into over 20 authorities
| in u different departments and estab-
lishments, as is the case of our Govern
ment. It is only by consolidation that
duplication and waste of multitude of
Offices and officials can be eliminated.
1t is the only way that the public can
know what is going on In this branch
of government. They can only be
brought under the hmelight II they are
concentrated In one place. 1t is the
only way to further reduce log rolling
and personal politics In these appro-
priations. The opposition to placing
rivers and harbors work and lot OF
independent activities into such con-
solidation has been constant for years.
| the excuse that the services of the
Army engineers in the direction of
| such work will be sacrificed Is untrue
under the plan / have instituted.
mo other government and no good
government would tolerate merchant
marine activities separated over seven
| departments or independent establish
ments. The same can be said as to
| public health, education, land utiliza-
| ton, ETC. Altogether I have directed
| that SO boards, commissions and bu-
reaus should be consolidated into nine
divisions. There are still others to be
consolidated Many regulatory functions
now in the departments should be trans
ferred to the Federal Trade and other
regulating commissions. The financial
and economic functions relating to ag-
riculture should be consolidated. The
major departments should be changed
Either Congress must keep its.hands
of now or they must give to my Sue
cesSor much larger powers of inde-
pendent action than given to any Pres
| ident IL there Is ever to be reorganiza-
ton. And that authority to be effec-
tive should be free OF the limitations
in the law passed last year, which gives
Congress the veto power, which pre-
vents the abolition of functions, which
prevents the rearrangement of major
departments. Otherwise it will, as is
| now being demonstrated in the present
law, again be merely make believe"
May withhold Orders
At the time the President made these
recommendations he informed Congress
he was further considering the subject,