Evening star., 1937-01-12
Conclusion

Your committee has no illusions
about setting up perfect system Of
administrative management, for we
realize fully that any substantial i'm
provement Is task which will re-
quire time for its achievement and
that other problems will always be
emerging. To revive the dropping
merit system. to straighten out
warped lines of responsibility, to SIM
plify a topsy-turvey organizational
growth-these are by no means simple
advances.
Moreover, these changes cannot be
adopted and maintained unless the
American public itself fully appreci-
ates the advantages Of good man.
agement and insists upon getting
them. The need for reorganization
rests not alone on the idea Of savings
considerable as they will be, but upon
better service to society. While good
management Is important to those
who have much, it is still more i'm
portant to those who have not or have
little; for they need the help OF gov
ernment in their struggle for justice
security, steadier employment, better
living and working conditions, and a
growing share of the gains Of civil
lization.
In order to avoid any misunder-
standings, it must be made perfectly
clear that it was not the task of this
committee to determine whether par
ticular activities Of the Government
should or should not continue in
operation or upon what scale of mag
nitude This is an important question
Of policy determination which fell out
side the field Of our undertaking. 1t
has been our problem to consider
what forms of administrative manage
ment are most suitable, given such
governmental activities as they are
As the work of the Government
changes. the form of management will
also alter somewhat, although moi
greatly unless the changes are con.
siderable.
1t will be noted that We have made
no estimate of the amount Of money
that will be saved by such a rear
rangement and reorganization Of the
executive branch as We have sug-
suggested We have not made such an
estimate for two reasons, despite the
fact that We are convinced that the
establishment of the managerial
agencies and the reorganization Of the
administrative departments that We
have recommended will result in
large savings, not only of money, but
Of time and effort.
The two reasons that We have not
made such an estimate are as follows
First, the scope of our inquiry was
limited to the realm of administrative
management and excluded the realm
of policy. 1t would have been easy to
say that so much might be saved by
utterly abolishing this. that, or the
other activity of the Government
but this was not our task. We have
been charged with the duty of sug-
gesting means of making more effec-
tive, more efficient, and more eco
nomical the machinery for admins
tering whatever activities have been
decided upon by the people, the Con-
gress, and the President
Adequate Management
Results in Savings.
Second, it has been demonstrated
over and over again in large organi-
zations of every type in business and
in government that genuine savings
in operation and true economies are
to be achieved only by the provision
Of adequate managerial machinery
which will afford an opportunity fol
central executive direction to pursue
day after day and year after year
in season and out of season. the task
of cutting costs, of improving the
service, and of raising the standard:
of performance. 1t cannot be done by
arbitrary percentage cuts. arbitrary
dismissal of employees, arbitrary con-
solidation Of agencies. 1t is an oper-
alton that must be performed. but fol
its successful performance we must
reuuisition the skill of the surgeon
and his scalpel and not be tempted
to call in the butcher with his cleaver
To equip the executive branch
with better means OF managerial
direction, better personnel, better fis.
cal controls, better machinery fol
planning; to simplify its organization
and reduce the number Of its agen'
cies; and to sharpen its accountability
to the Congress will result in savings
savings in money, in time, in energy
To estimate these savings in terms o
dollars and cents would be but II
guess in q situation where not guess
ing but intensive scientific research
is the means, and the firm and cour
ageous application Of the results o
the research IS the method, II tn
aim is to be achieved.
The paramount purpose Of you
committee has been throughout Il
find modern methods Of carrying ou
the national aims and programs o
America as far as this duty Is i'm
posed upon our Executive by ou
Constitution. We have not beel
concerned with strengthening tn
Executive alone and as such, but will
the larger aim of strengthening tn
American system as whole in it
practical operations.
We should be the first, moreover
to recognize that there is wide room
for differences in the details of an
program, but we believe that ther
should be no division upon the sound
ness of the broad principle that tn
managerial powers and equipment o
the President should be equal to hi
responsibilities under the Constitution
With the program here suggested
your committee believes that tht
may b accomplished. and that I'd