Evening star., 1939-10-15
D. T.. Officials Give
General Approval 10
Reorganization
SeuI's D. G. Plan Is
Fundamentally Sound,
Some Believe
By DON S. WARREN.

District officials yesterday with
held direct comment on the munich
pal government reorganization plan
being whipped into the form of
bill by Corporation Counsel Elwood
H. Seal, chairman of the Commits
sioners' kitchen cabinet" However,
while there were indications of a
determined fight over some obviously
controversial items, rather general
approval was given the outline.
The Commissioners refrained from
comment, explaining they have not
yet received anything formally from
their Reorganization Committee.
They said they would tackle the
problem actively when a proposed
bill and report on the Griffenhagen
plan-considered at the last session
OF COngress-are received.
So far there has been no final vote
by members of the Kitchen cabinet"
on any major point. The committee
is expected to be called into session
this week to begin final action.
Aside from Mr.. Seal, other members
are Maj. Daniel J. Donovan. District
auditor and budget officer; Rich
mond B, Keech, vice chairman of the
Public Utilities Commission. and
Capt. H. c. Whitehurst, director of
highways.
Fundamentally Sound.
Some important District officials,
While withholding direct quotations,
declared they felt the Seal plan was
fundamentally sound.' with the
possible exception of some elements.
1t appeared likely there will be a
real battle over proposals for aboli-
ton of the Department of Vehicles
and Traffic and the transfer of most
OF its functions to the Police De-
partment: the transfer of jurisdic-
ton over the municipal hospitals
from the Health Department to the
Board of Public Welfare, from which
they were taken about three years
ago; and over some details of the
field OF operations of the proposed
new labor department.
1t appeared certain that friends
OF Traffic Director William A. Van
Duzer would fight to retain that
unit as a separate agency; that
friends of Health Officer George C.
Rutland would battle to retain
Health Department control over the
municipal hospitals; and there was
some indication that some officials
of the District Unemployment Com
pensation Board, and possibly also
OF the United States Employment
Center, would oppose a shifting OF
the powers of those groups to the
suggested new labor department,
which would be directed by board
OF five. Two members would be rep
resentatives of labor, two of en-
ployers and one of the general pub
lie, under the Seal plan.
Finance Unit Change.
There was rather general approval
at the District Building of the sug-
gested creation of a finance depart
ment, to include the present auditor,
tax assessor, tax collector, purchas-
ing officer. disbursing officer and
new position of budget officer; the
creation of position of executive
assistant to the Commissioners, not
as a "city manager" but rather as
an administrative agent of the
Board of Commissioners; and the
proposals for retention of the Board
of Commissioners as the head of the
city government; freeing of the
District budget from the domina-
ton of the Budget Bureau: and de-
velopment of municipal civil serv-
ice as an addition to the merit sys-
TENS now operating for the police
and fire departments and the school
and library systems.
The Seal plan calls for the Gre
alton of II departments, which
would change somewhat the lineup
as to many, of the present services
and semi-independent agencies, al
though retaining the quasi-judicial
or administrative functions of vari-
GUS registration or license or regu-
latory boards. ...s.
His plan calls for recognition in
basic low of "streamlining" of the
present organization to the extent of
creating the following departments:
Finance, law, engineer, personenl,
police, fire, health. licenses, insur-
ance, labor, welfare and recreation.