Evening star., 1936-06-30
M'Carl Leaves Record of independence
Retiring Controller Has Held Fast to Theory Taxpayers Must
Be Protected From Waste, Big or Small.
BY ]. A.. FOX.
EAVING as his legacy a te


" EAVING as his legacy terse
demand for economy in Govern
ment, John r. McCarl, for Is
H. years controller general of the
United States, goes out of Office al the
close of business today.
Serving through four administra-
tions-Harding, Coolidge, Hoover and
Roosevelt-as the agent OF Congress
designated to see that appropriated
moneys are expended in strict accord
ance with the law, McCarl, always
noted for his vigilant supervision OF
public funds, dropped the reins with
this pointed observation:
"I am deeply interested in the re-
organization study recently authorized
to be undertaken by special COM
mittee, of which Senator Byrd Is
chairman, and if the work is to be sert-
ously taken up I would wish to be
available to give the Senator and his
associates such assistance as can.
"A systematic and sensible reor-
ganization of the regular governmental
agencies and activities would result
not only in vast monetary saving,
but would eliminate duplicate and con-
f1icting operations. bring together re-
lated functions. simplify procedure
and in every respect make for better
administration. This is legislative
problem. and I am in hopes that the
next Congress may be so constituted
that there may be assured not only
systematic and thorough reorganlza-
ton of the regular agencies, with
proper consultations and eliminations,
but that many, If not all Of the exist
ing special or emergency agencies,
which, due to their nature were loosely
and extravagantly set up, and as tax
consuming in the extreme, may be
promptly eliminated with such OF their
functions as may be proper for tenn
porarily carrying on, assigned to the
more economically organized special
establishments.
May Aid Senate Groups.
This statement tends to bear out re-
ports that the Governmental-Reorgan-
ization Committee, headed by Senator
Byrd, Democrat of Virginia, critic
of administration spending, has made
overtures to McCarl to act in an ad-
vlsory capacity. The phraseology in
which McCarl couched it also supports
the contention of his friends that he
would have no part in this study un-
less he was convinced it would be pro-
ductive of some good.
Senator Byrd reacted to McCarl's
announcement with the statement
that he would urge his committee to
use the retiring controller generals
services ito the greatest possible
extent"
Il know he would be of great value
to u.s." Byrd said.
McCarl we'll summed up his own phil
osophy toward Federal Office holding
generally yesterday. when he gave out
the statement which also disclosed his
tentative plans for the future:
Had not been convinced that there
was real need for such an office-the
controller generalship-and that there
was work to be done. would not have
remained here Is years"
Equally as interesting as McCarls
structures on Government spending
was his announcement that he might
take some part in politics" but he
gave no inkling of definite intention
in this regard.
McCarl is Republican: he is an
appointee of President Harding, and
served in the 1920 campaign as sec
retary Of the Republican Congressional
Committee, but no hint of partisan