Evening star., 1933-06-01
Reorganization Postponed.


The decision by the President not to
force a wholesale reorganization OF the
Government departments and inde-
pendent establishments at this time Is
eminently wise. Governmental reor-
eanization is a subject that requires
careful and prolonged consideration.
II It were attempted at this time. with
the expectation of receiving congress
gional approval before adjournment OF
the special session June 10, neither
careful nor prolonged consideration
would be possible. The President has
indicated that he may make few
changes by executive order which will
affect the work Of some agencies. But
the reorganization plan discussed for
the last few months is definitely shelved
until next Winter.
In the meantime there may be de-
VelopmentS which will radically change
the proposals already made. Before
his Inauguration the President at Warm
Springs discussed with Mr.. Lewis Doug
1U&t N14U1n AlC nuboCAAChSAJ NAAOCC W
head the Budget Bureau, scheme of
reorganization. 1t was understood then
that the administration planned to call
Congress into special session about June
/. The interval between the inaugura-
ton and the first of June would have
provided time for drawing up a reor-
9anization plan and submitting it to
Congress with other elements Of the
reconstruction program. The banking
crisis, OF course, upset those plans. And
since March the President, to use the
now classic sirnile, has been very much
the quarterback Of foot ball team try
ing to make q first down against all
sorts Of unexpected opposition. There
has been little tirne for any shifting of
the players 10 rev. positions.
The President, meanwhile, has never
RtYen any specific indication Of what
he planned to do In reorganization.
Eome Of his advisers have become very
specific as TO what they planned to do,
and some Of the plans Of these advisers
have got as far as the Presidents desk.
But events have progressed faster than
TIE plans. At one time 1t was reported
that the Bureau Of Foreign and Do
meStic Commerce was to be practically
wiped out and cut down to skeleton
that Mr.. Hoover would never recognize
But since those plans were broached
the Government has embarked, or is
about to embark, on . plan Of CO.
operative control Of industry that will
require rather intricate machinery in
washington. 1t is understood now that
the twenty commodity divisions Of the
Bureau Of Foreign and Domestic Com
nerce viii become the nucleus Of the
new machinery to be engineered by the
Industrial Control Board.
There was talk, too, Of skeletoni1ng
ths Department OF Agriculture and
doing away with some Of the depart
naent's valuable scientific bureaus. But
such talk did not take into account q
vigorous young Secretary Of Agriculture
who places great faith and reliance in
the scientific work Of his department.
Instead Of drastically cutting down the
departments personnel, the machinery
70 administer the farm bill is crowding
the corridors at the Department of
Agriculture, and temporary partitions
are being built to incloSe new Offices.
Instead Of retiring Army officers on
half pay and shaking up the. War
Department, the officers are being
called for necessary service In the
forests,
Nobody can accurately forecast the
changes or the new tasks required Of
the Government when the work Of
administering the reconstruction pro-
gram gets under way in Washington.
More about it viii be known next Win
ter. BY that time plan Of reorgani-
zation that is conceived to simplify the
work of the Government and to prevent
unnecessary duplication and waste may
have been evolved. The economy pro-
gram. meanwhile, is going forward
without the accompanying reorganization
(which is not necessarily to be re-
garded as undertaken merely to save
money.