Evening star., 1937-07-18
PROGRESS LOOMS
INSTRUMENTATION
House Expected to Advance
All Four Measures
This Week.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

BY WILL p. KENNEDY.
Progress is expected to be made In
the House during the coming week on
all four of the reorganization bills to
carry out the Presidents recommended
tions. while the Senate is marking
time on the general omnibus reorgani-
zation bills sponsored by the late
Senate Leader Robinson.
Either tomorrow or Tuesday the
House is expected to take action on the
Robinson bill, authorizing the Presi-
dent to appoint six additional "ad-
ministrative assistants" at salaries OF
$4,000, outside of civil service laws
This bill was held over from last
week for two reasons: ID The ab-
sence of Representative Tabor and
the illness OF Representative Clifford,
the two Republican members. and t2)
the desire to expedite procedure on
the Interior Department appropria-
tion bill. Now both Tabor ana Clifford
are back.
Passage Is Expected.
Speaker Bankhead, as soon as the lat
ter returns from Senator Robinsons
funeral, to recognize him to call up
the measure II is expected to pass,
despite Tabor's opposition, and there
Is group Of administration Demo-
Gratis" who are raising the question of
whether, If this bill is not passed. the
President has wholesale authority to
appoint as many secretaries as he
wants at $1,000 salaries.
Chairman Mead of the subcommit-
tee in charge of the civil service reor-
ganizatlon bill is arranging for a sub
committee meeting Wednesday at
which the bill probably will be
approved. The measure runs closely
along the lines of the Presidents
recommendations as included in the
Senate omnibus bill
On Wednesday, also. Chairman Vim
son of the subcommittee in charge
of the controller general General Ac-
counting Office reorganization bill is
expected to present his bill to the
subcommittee and introduce it in
the House. This will be followed
by brief hearings. This is the phase
Of reorganization which is expected
to arouse strenuous Congressional op-
position, since the Presidents pro-
'poSal was to abolish the controller
general as an agent of the legislative
establishment. and the pre-audit of
Government accounts, and to make
the substituted Office subservient to
the executive, with Congress allowed
only post-audit.
Confident Of Passage.
Chairman Vinson said last night
there has been tentative agree
ment on this bill. We are trying
to work out the best bill We can" he
said, and lit is good bill" He ex-
pressed confidence that it will be
passed.
Other members of the subcommit-
tee explain that the tentative agree
ment covers giving the controller gen.
eral at least as much control as he
has at present, with as much pre-
audit power as possible, and that it
will strengthen conditions in the
General Accounting ONCE
The bill has been drafted to re
move friction between the account
ing office and the various Govern
ment departments and agencies" and
would broadly strengthen conditions
in the controllers Office Members of
the subcommittee profess confidence
that the bill will be passed, while
those in Congress best informed on
previous attempts at reorganizations
still believe there will be no serious
interference with Congress absolute
control over the accounting system as
necessary corollary Of the budget
system.
Some members Of this subcommit-
tee say the tentative agreement pre-
serves" as much of a pre-audit as
possible" and that it is distinct
departure from the Presidents recon-
mendations as embodied in the Sen
ate bill" The big feature, they say,
is that it removes, as far as possible,
friction between the various Govern
ment agencies and the General Ac-
counting Once. Members of the sub
committee say they expect this bill
to pass at the present session Of
Congress.
Fourth Bill Being Drafted.
In the meantime the fourth reor-
eanization bill is being drafted Chair
charge, has not called any meeting
for the coming week, but said last
night that progress Is being made
and this bill will be ready for its
turn"
1t is contemplated that this measure
will be the last of the four to be
passed. 1t will give blanket authority
to the President to reorganize, con-
solidate, regroup or abolish various
Government agencies. Opponents of
this measure say 1t would give the
President wholesale and unlimited po-
1itical power over the entire Govern |
ment establishment, would bring back |
"spoils system" would throw the |
civil service open to political patron
age and would set aside hundreds OF
acts of Congress setting up various
Government establishments with spe-
cif1c duties
Leaders in Congress still feel GER
tain the only reorganization measure
that will be passed is the one that
gives the President power to appoint
six additional administrative assist
ants" They say that the most the
administration can expect beyond this
Is to blanket into the classified civil
service the New Deal" agencies Of the
Government-Which is outside of the
other three bills advocated and which
has the support Of the regularly con-
stituted House Civil Service Commit
fA%