Evening star., 1937-01-12

the President will address the Con-
gress on this subject and look for
ward to his leadership to restore order
and efficiency in our governmental
operations. No top-to- bottom reor-
ganization of any State has ever been
accomplished without executive lead
ership of a Governor.
I believe the country wants a thor
ough reorganization here at Wash
ington-one that will not merely be
regrouping or revamping Of boards,
bureaus and commissions. but the
abolition of many bureaus and boards
and the transfer of necessary activi-
ties to existing agencies so that ac-
tual economy in reduction Of cost will
result.
In any regrouping now undertaken
we must bear in mind that 40 de-
partments, boards or bureaus expire
in 1887. Congress established these
activities to meet an emergency and
the country was so informed. To re-
group these emergency departments
now in permanent branches of the
Government means continuance of
such functions after the emergency Is
over, perhaps for all time to come.
Never before in our history has an
opportunity existed such as it does
now. for a constructive reorganization
Of the Federal Governments reor-
ganization that will save the tax
payers hundreds of millions Of dol
lars, substitute simplicity for con-
fusion, without impairing the objec-
tives of Congress and the President
a reorganization that will eliminate
duplicated efforts, simplify the proc
esses of Government. reduce red tape
and the consequent annoyance to the
American citizen who, of necessity,
must have business dealings with his
Government and, finds himself con-
fronted by several departments with
overlapping authority.
Decision Up To Congress.
1t is not, OF course, the purpose Of
the Senate committee to disturb un-
derlying policies Of governmental
services. Policies are for Congress to
decide. The committee objective Is
the simple aim of every American
citizen in his personal and business
affairs-to determine whether what
we are doing can be done better and
more economically.
Inefficient government and dupli-
Gated effort means high taXes-high
not only in the actual rate, but higher
still in the poor returns for the money
spent.
We, as members of Congress. are
trustees for the taxpayers dollars and
our obligation is to make it buy the
fullest value.
The manifold activities of Govern
ment must be systematized and di-
rected with maximum efficiency.
No essential agency should be
starved. but saving should be found
in consolidation and simplification.
Unless the Government simplifies
itself it will defeat its own objectives.
Most objectives are gained only by the
most simple, direct and efficient
methods.
The Federal machine has become so
top-heavy and unwieldly as to defeat,
by conflicting activity and needless red
tape. the accomplishment Of purposes
for which legislation has been passed.
This has resulted in a tremendous
expenditure for overhead administra-
tion, and excess overhead cost is simply
waste of public money.
The fact Is, we are emerging from
the depression loaded up with the
greatest and most costly bureaucracy
in all history. Forgetting for the
moment the cost of this gigantic Gov
ernment, it Is not unfair to say the
Federal Government has been highly
complex since before the turn of the
century. Now, to the previous ac-
emulation of independent agencies,
we have been saddled with nearly half
again as many as we had in 1882.
Some of them are proper. Others
overlap. Some have outlived their
usefulness or have been superseded.
Most of the new ones we're set-up in q
time of crisis with virtually no regard
for how they fitted into a co-ordinated
Federal Government pattern. There
are glaring cases of duplicated effort.
Some OF the agencies actually have
been found competing with themselves
Where the Government was complex
before, it Is confusing now.
To point out so Federal agency
legal divisions in Washington is
enough to describe the Federal junsle.
There have been at least "a
agencies concerned with lending