Evening star., 1939-12-01

UNEMPLOYMENT CoMPEN-
SATION BOARD,
PUBLIC UTILITY COMMIS-
SION.
In addition there are scores OF
other eristing agencies not men
toned, Without proDtston either
for continuing them or for dis
continuing them and merging
them Nth the departments
specified.
KENNEDY BILL.
List of proposed departments
intended to include all local 0oD-
ernment functions and activities
OF the District:
FINANCE,
LAW,
PUBLIC WORKS,
PERSONNEL,
HEALTH,
PUBLIC WELFARE,
RECREATION,
PUBLIC SAFETY (polce and
fire.,
COOSn 4OlN,
INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS,
PUBLIC UTILITIES,
INSURANCE,
REVENUE,
LIBRARIES.
Thus, the actual number Of de-
partments under the Seal draft
would be far in excess Of that under
the Kennedy bill, but the Seal draft
would leave the whole situation
vague and indefinite.
Not Within Organization.
In Title III, the term depart
ment" is applied to every depart
ment, independent commission,
board, bureau. omcer, agency or
other establishment" supported by
District funds, All these are brought
within the scope Of the budget. But
apparently they are not all brought
within the organization Of the gov
ernment of the District as set up in
Title II.
No Evidence Of Consistent Basis or
Purpose in Setting Up Departments.
The department list seems to pro-
vide merely a rough grouping OF
some of the existing agencies as
complete units. It largely disregards
the principle of the Kennedy bill Of
bringing together like functions, ac-
tivities and processes that can best
be carried on together. For ex-
ample:
It would combine financial ac-
counting, control and service func-
tions with tax administration, which
are functions involving distinctly
different operations that call for en-
tirely different specialization. It
would omit the provision made by
the Kennedy bill for financial con-
troll over the money handling trans
actions. The same department would
both handle money and account
for it
The bill reads that the depart
ments of finance, personnel, licenses
and corporations are to include all
functions of the District in their re-
spective fields. However, nothing Is
done to place all such functions In
these departments by transfer from
other existing agencies. In fact,
some references imply that certain
of these functions are to be left
where they are. For one example,
the treasury functions, now exercised
by the United States Treasury
Department, would be continued
therein.
Continues Several Departments.
Furthermore, the proposed de-
partments of law, police, fire, health
and public welfare would be ex-
pressly continued "as is," with all of
their present functions, including
those in the fields of finance, per-
sonnel, licensing, etc., in direct con-
tradiction to the provisions placing
all such functions in the departments
named in the next preceding para
graph
The license department would be
q conglomeration of independent
boards and not . department in any
real sense. The director would have
little to do.
The provisions for merging all ad-
functions with respect
to corporations In one department
are ludicrous In their effect. II
fully carried out they would merge
purely ministerial record keeping
with the highly and differently spe-
ciAlized functions Of insurance and
public utility regulation. Further
more, administration Of tramc,
sanitation, building, Soning and