Evening star., 1939-02-20
Cites Inefficiency Of
Governmental Setup'
Believes ReoI Reorganization
Would Prove Of Great
Benefit to Nation
To the Editor Of The Star:

Benefit to Nation
To the Editor Of The Star:
With all due respect to Uncle Sam,
considering his honesty integrity, ETC.,
the writer feels inclined to offer a few
criticisms regarding the present Gov
ernment organization scheme The ex-
ecutive branch of the United States Gov
ernment consists of a few departments,
each department being a group of bu-
reaus or agencies, some of them rather
heterogeneous as to scope and character
of work, and number of misplaced and
superfluous independent organizations.
A reorganization co-ordinating and
grouping these units so that those activi-
ties which are related to each other
would fall together in the same depart
ment would undoubtedly result in econ
omy and efficiency.
For instance, in the Department Of
Agriculture we have the Bureau of Pub
lie Roads, the activities of which bear
practically no relation to agriculture. In
the Treasury Department, there are the
Coast Guard and the Public Health
Service, neither of which has anything
to do with the work that was originally
intended to belong exclusively to the
Treasury Department.. And, in the War
Department is the work of river and
harbor improvements, which has no
connection with war. These are only
examples. long list Of such misplaced
activities could be made
In the Treasury Department, it would
seem that there should be placed only
those activities which have to do with
money matters, finance, revenues, bank
ing, etc. There are some independent or
carnations such as the Reconstruction
FINANCE Corp. and the Securities and Ex-
change commission which properly be-
long to the Treasury Department.
The Labor Department could very we'll
be enlarged and, in addition to labor
matters, made to include also education.
health, pensions, Indian affairs, emplov-
ment service, social security, etc. Such
department might be called the de-
partment of public welfare.
Scientific bureaus, such as the Patent
once, Bureau of Standards, Smithsonian
Institution, National Museum, astronom-
teal, geological and mining research
work, ETC.. could likewise be grouped to-
gether and placed under department of
science and research
A department of public works is need
ed very much. In it would logically fall
public roads, public buildings, public
parks, public lands, land reclamation bv
irrigation, drainage or flood control,
river and harbor Improvements, public
surveys. including the present mapping
work OF the Geological Survey and the
Geodetlc Survey. The work of this de-
partment would be primarily engineering
and construction on a large scale. Work
OF this nature on a small scale should
remain where most of it is now, SUBJ
sldlary to the department to which it
naturally belongs.
The name Interior" as applied to the
Interior Department is a misnomer. The
activities of the Interior Department are
SO scattered and SO diverse that the oues-
tlon arises as to whether most of them
could not to very good advantage be dis
trlbuted among the other departments
ana the department of public works, as
suggested above, made to replace the
Interior Department.
A reorganization such as that indi-
Gated above would make more probable
the selection of suitable cabinet officers
with special qualifications along the line
OF work which they are to direct. Too
often, and possibly in most cases, in the
appointment of cabinet officers, too much
consideration is given to their political
Affiliations and not enough to their
qualifications for service.
II possible, some kind of reorganiza-
tlon should provide for the selection of
cabinet officers as follows: For the Sec
retary OF Agriculture, an agriculturist.
for the Secretary of Treasury, financier
or banker; for secretary of science and
research, an all-around scientist: for
secretary of welfare, a sociologist. for
secretary OF public works, an engineer.
Tor Secretary of Commerce, a successful
business or commercial man; for Secre-
tary OF War, former Army officer or
military expert: for Secretary of NAVY
former naval officer or naval exnert
etc. OF course in addition to the above
requirements, all cabinet officers should
be men with executive ability.
BY all means the Civil Service Com
mission should continue as a commission
and not changed to a one-man lob
especially If that one man is to be a DO
htlcal appointee. But the scope of the
commission should be enlarged and made
more OF personnel bureau. 1t would
undoubtedly be wise provision to ap-
point by promotion civil service employees
to the position of civil service commits
sioner VIM. NORMAN Hail
Quantico, Va.
February 10.