The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1933-07-20
OurGovernment
How 1t Operates
By William Brnckar5
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES

\ come Sucn gigantic thing tuaA
only those who have daily contact
with 1t In all of its forms readily rec
ognize Its magnitude. Consequently.
there has developed throughout the
country feeling on the part OF thou
sands that there are lot OF govern
mental agencies whose existence Is
not justified. There are others who are
not certain the government ought to
be as big as 1t is, but they retain an
unquestioning faith In those they
elect to represent them.
There is plenty OF ground for the
feeling In each instance. The govern
ment certainly is doing lot Of things
that the Fathers of the Country did
not contemplate, but which asture poll
ticians since have conceived. Many
of these functions ought never have
been started, vast numbers OF them
ought to be done away with now. but
the law Of averages has worked again.
and some of the things the government.
is now doing represent services which
| the country needs and which Its citl-
zenry finds of value In one manner
or another.
In the course OF examining the gov
| ornamental structure In detail as
have had to do In preparing these dis
cussIons, I located total OF So agen-
cies operating Independently OF the
established departments over which
cabinet members preside. They spend
a total Of about $4,000. 900 each year.
exclusive of the vast sum-s985, O0O,-
| 0OO-paId out by the veterans admin
| istration which has been discussed
separately. So 1t would seem that
there was sufficient reason for that
Tennessee woman who, having read
criticisms OF the great number OF bu-
reaus, boards and commissions, wrote
to the President. saying that she could
use one OF the useless bureaus" and
would be willing to pay the freight
charges on 1t II one were shipped to
| her.
Most OF these independent Offices
spend less than q million dollars Z
year apiece. Some Of them coat only
few thousand year. but there are
some whose annual cost to the tax-
payers range much higher. Surely.
none questions the value of the radio
commission In these days when we all
enjoy extracting things from tho air,
nor Is there question al to the prin-
ciples actuating creation OF the fed
eral power commission. The board
OF tax appeals amounts to court and
serves taxpayers and the government
| alike.
But there Is the shipping board ana
the United States tariff commission
and the federal trade commission and
the bureau OF efficiency. two or three
commissions to adjust disputes grow
ing out of boundary questions between
Fthe United States and Its nei2hbors.
the national screw thread commits
sion. any number Of memorial ana
battle monument commissions, boards
for this and boards for that. Tho
tarlfY commission was created on tho
theory that the tariff question would
be taken out OF politics. but politicians
did not want that to happen. The
federal trade commission was estab-
. lished to protect the little fellow against
the octopus Of business, but there Is :
school OF thought that believes It
started nowhere and continues on that
| course.
| There are such groups as the civil
| service commission who, II politicians
kept hands OF, might establish fed
eral service that would contain only
satisfactory workers eventually. and
the Joint committee on printing that
would hold down government costs Of
printing except that the government,
departments and members OF the house
and senate are continually clamorina
to stock the country with printed ma
terial
A board OF mediation was set uT
to settle railway labor disputes. but
there ID little doubt that 1t could b.
dispensed with along with two scores
sf other agencies
Maintenance Of such organization
as the Smithsonian INSTITUTION II &C
cepted as normal function Of gov
eminent, for 1t preserves to posterit
q physical record of what has hAr
pened and Is educational, purely. A
the other side of the Mall from tn
J, Smithsonian In Washington. howavel
!, Ia beautiful building that serves a
!. Headquarters of the Pan-Americal
- union.
n 1t Is supposed to knit the nation
% OF the two Americas. 1t has accom-
- plished some things. but 1t has faile
A In many.
"a Then, there are several agencies reT
of resenting a wartime-hangover, sue
a. as the alien property custodian, th
"a war Finance corporation, the railroa
b. administration. They are existing b
l. cause all OF this time has been r
ouired, and more, to wind up the
affairs. There are the new agencies
too the Reconstruction Finance co
poration and the Federal Home Loa
Ia bank board, the first strictly m eme
-. rency relief corporation and the -