Evening star., 1939-05-09
Reasons Held Based
On Studies and
Own Experience
Designed to Increase
Efficiency and Cut
Expenditures

HSSlSHSO ~ s"SiS0SS
Efficiency and Cut
Expenditures
President Roosevelt's message to
Congress, transmitting reorgani-
nation plan No. 2, follows:
70 the Congress Of the Unite'
States:
Pursuant to the provisions
OF the Reorganization Act Of
1899 public, No. 10, Seventy
sixth Congress, first session.. ap-
proved April 3, 1899. I herewith
transmit reorganization plan
No. 2, which, after investigation,
I have prepared In accordance
with the provisions OF section 4
of the act: and I declare that
with respect to each transfer,
consolidation or abolition made
in reorganization plan No. 2 I
have found that such transfer,
consolidation or abolition is nee
essary to accomplish one or more
Of the purposes of section l (a) Of
the act.
In my message to the Congress
On April rs, 1899, transmitting
Reorganization plan No. l, I took
occasion to say that, it being OBJ
Viously impracticable to complete
the task of reorganization at one
time, I had decided, in view of
the declaration of the Congress
that it should be accomplished
Immediately and speedily, to un-
dertake it in several steps.
Plan No. l had to do with
overall management. Plan No. 2,
transmitted herewith, is designed
to improve the work of the ex-
ecutive branch for which, al
though carried on through exec
utive departments and agencies,
the responsibility to the people
Is through the President. 1t is
concerned with the sole pur-
pose of improving the admins
trative management of the execu-
tive branch by a more logical
grouping of existing units and
functions and by further re-
duction in the number of in
dependent agencies.
Based on Personal
Study Of Several Years.
I am transmitting Reorganiza-
ton Plan No. II, as the result of
studies that have been made for
me and of my own experience
over a period of several years, as
the best way in which to re-
group the agencies affected so as
TO fulfill the purposes of the act:
l. To reduce expenditures;
2. To increase efficiency;
3. To consolidate agencies &C
eording to major purposes;
4. To reduce the number of
agencies by consolidating those
having similar functions and by
abolishing such as may not be
necessary, and
5. To eliminate overlapping
and duplication of effort.
The plan I now transmit I
shall describe briefly as follows:
I propose to transfer the For
eign Commerce Service of the
United States and its functions,
now in the Bureau of Foreign
and Domestic Commerce of the
Department of Commerce, and
the Foreign Agricultural Service
of the United States and its func-
tions in the Department of Agri-
culture to the Department Of
State. and to consolidate them
with the Foreign Service Of the
United States under the direction
and supervision of the Secretary
Of State.
Single Foreign Service
Achieved by Consolidation.
BY this transfer and consolida-
ton there will be a single for
eign service in the Department Of
State, but this does not mean
that the interests of the CONNER
cial and agricultural communities
are to be neglected, for it is a
part Of the plan that representa-
tives of the Secretary of Agricul-
ture and the Secretary Of Com
merce shall be placed on the
Board Of Foreign Service Person
mel and that specific investiga-
tions relating to commerce and
agriculture shall be initiated di-
rectly by the Secretaries of these
two departments, who will receive
directly the results of investiga-
tons in their own fields.
A much greater degree of CO.
ordination and effectiveness in
our foreign establishments can
be achieved under the plan than
has even before been possible.
The needs of the different de-
partments and agencies of the
Government will be met more
efficiently and the responsiveness
Of the foreign establishments to
these needs will be greatly i'm
proved.
The plan presupposes that 1t
may be necessary from time to
time for various departments and
agencies of the Governments to
send abroad specialists and
technicians for relatively tenn
porary duty. While these will
not be in the Foreign Service,
strictly speaking, they will be
given q suitable commission by
the Department of State, on a
temporary basis, so that they
may have the same obligations
as other officers of the Foreign
Service while on duty abroad.
The plan also presupposes a
special training period within the
Department of Commerce and
the Department of Agriculture
for Foreign Service officers select
Cd to specialize in commercial
or agricultural work and con-
templates the fullest utilization
Of the experience gained abroad
BY Foreign Service officers In the
work Of the Departments of Com
merce and Agriculture in this
country There will be stationed