Evening star., 1937-06-10
COMMITTEE GETS
.RE0RCAN|z|NC BILL
Confidential Draft of Presi.
dent S Proposal Laid
Before Senators.
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.

The confidential draft of the PreSi-
dents omnibus reorganiza ton bill
which he insists should be passed at
this session of Congress, was laid be-
fore the Senate members of the joint
Reorganiza ton Committee in an ex-
ecutive session today by Senate Leader
Robinson.
Minority Leader McNary protested
vigorously that the bill grants too
much absolute authority to the esPresi-
dent. and declared his opposition to
the measure as whole He left the
meeting apparently in no amiable
frame of mind
Senator Robinson indicated he
would be willing to consider changes
in the bill to meet serious objections
by members of the committee. The
bill as presented today, contains some
very important changes over the meas
ure previously considered to carry out
the recommendations of the BroWnlow
Committee. The committee is to meet
again next week, at which time SEN
ator Robinson said he expects to have
tllC piONlSlUIlS Vi tIlt OIL LOIS CELL
nitely and distinctly drawn.
The broad general power which this
draft would give to the President and
against which Minority Leader Nc
Nary particularly protested, takes
practically the same language used
several years ago, during the Hoover
administration. giving reorganization
powers to the President for two years.
Provisions in the bill presented today.
however, makes that authority perma-
nent
Regarding civil service, the bill con-
sidered today is practically the same
as the Brownlow measure, providing
for a single civil service admins
traitor directly under the tontrol of
the President. with an advisory COM
mittee, abolishing the present Civil
Service Commission.
The new measure would leave all
independent Offices and commissions.
such as the l. C. C. and the Maritime
Board, free fro mexecutve interference
1t would leave the Forest Service in
sAAt CpdI lllClll. Ills 10
one of the proposals under the Brown
low bill which resulted in Nation
wide protest, with direct appeals to
every member Of Congress for preser-
vation of the Forest Service as an in
tegral part of the Agriculture De-
partment. The new bill also leaves the
engineers in the War Department.
The President apparently is still
firm in his determination to get the
present controller generals Office and
the audit system on Government ex-
penditures away from Congress and
under executive control. This is one
phase Of reorganization which both
houses of Congress seemed determined
to preserve as an agency of Congress-
with pre-audit powers. The new bill
differs from the BroWnloW bill in that
it places the new Office of auditor
general under the Executive and not in
the Treasury. but that officer could
be removed by executive order and
would be wholly subservient to the
President
Senator McNary questioned directly
on this point and was told it would be
entirely a post-audit, rather than
pre-audit, on which many leaders in
Congress. including Senator Byrd,
Democrat, of Virginia, chairman of the
original Reorganization Committee, are
insisting.
The bill submitted today creates one
opE for he nor orty ant
of Welfare. 1t changes the name of
the Interior Department to the De-
partment of Conservation