Evening star., 1933-03-12

tCOnClnueO fTOIl IuoG IdSct
conducted by commerce agents on 6
"dollar- a-year" salary basis.
Cities in which the district office, are
lecated are Atlanta, Birmingham, Bos-
/ ton, Buffalo, Charleston, Chicago, Dali
las, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, El
Paso, Galveston, Houston, Indianapolis
jacksonville, Kansas City, Los Angeles
Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Mime
apolis, Mobile, New Orleans, New York
Norfolk, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Port
land, Ore; st. Louis, Salt Lake City
San Francisco, Seattle and Wilmington
Functions Are Explained.
A recent departmental publication
explained the functions OF the district
and cooperative offices thus:
Near -at-hand service to American
business was the idea back OF these
branches. These offices serve to expe-
Cita the distribution cf commercial in
formation. They obtain, first-hand in
formation as to the needs of the busi-
ness men of their locality and further
generally the bureaus policy of Keeping
In the closest possible contact with
manufacturers, eXpcrterS and distrlbu-
tors.
In addition, the bureau has made
arrangements with 40 chambers of
commerce and other commercial bodies
whereby these organizations, undsr the
title of cooperative offices, act as direct
representatives of the bureau in the
work cf foreign and domestic trade pro-
motion in areas not served by the dis
trict Offices
A REORGANIZATION of the foreign serv-
ice set-up of the bureau aEo Is said to
Be in prospect, but the nature OF the
change has not been divulged. The
bureau has SO foreign offices in At
countries, in charge of commercial at
taches and trade commissioners. Amer
1can consular officers of the State De-
partment are required by law to supply
data on economic and trade conditions
abroad and there is possibility that
the consuls hereafter may bear most OF
the burden of furnishing the Commerce
department with trade information.
Other savings will be effected through
consultations of many bureaus and d.
visions within the big department.
Combinations Predicted.
Retiring officials of the department
have predicted that Secretary Roper
will combine into one bureau the pres
ent activities of the Bureau of Light
houses, AeTOIlduIlC Dull eau, Sodo1 e.iASS
Geodetic Survey and the Navigation
and Steamboat Inspection Service.
Other reports have forecast an ultl-
mate merger of these commerce units
with the Shipping Board and the Inter
state Commerce Commission, to form
. new department of transportation.
Such a drastic move would require spe-
cial legislation, however.
Appropriations for the Commerce De-
pertment for the next fiscal year total
S36, 6,588,465. Economics said to be con-
templatcd under the Roper regime
would bring the appropriations down
to about s27,OO0,0o0. The department
now has more than 5000 employees here
and 1880 in the field.
Secretary Roper has made an lnten-
sive study of reorganization proposals
not only for his own department, but
for the whole Federal machinery Of
departmental administration. President
Roosevelt some weeks ago appointed
him on a committee with Representa-
tive Swascr Sherley of Kentucky and
Budget Director Douglas to recommend
a general plan of departmental reor-
ganization.