Evening star., 1939-01-22
BY JAMES E. CHM.

ny JAMLS 4. SHlNN.
President Roosevelt would like to
see the District Government reor-
ganized and city manager or a
business manager substituted for the
present Board of three Commission
ers, 1t was said last night in au-
thoritative quarters.
For that reason, the President, it
was asserted, has purposely delayed
the appointment of a successor to
former Commissioner George E
Allen, who resigned several months
ago to take an executive position in
Washington as representative of a
New York insurance company.
Mr.. Roosevelt, it was reported, is
awaiting the outcome of an investi-
cation of the present municipal set
up directed by Congress before max
ing any further move toward filling
Mr.. Aliens place.
President Dissatisfied.
The President, according to latest
reports from the White House, is dis
satisfied with the commission form
of government and believes it should
be streamlined for efficiency and
economy with single administrator
at its head-either a city manager
or business manager. Should his
plan be followed the Board of Com
missioners would be abolished and
there would be no need of filling the
vacancy left by the resignation Of
Mr.. Allen.
Information has been given Mr..
Roosevelt that the municipal eX-
perts now completing survey Of the
District Government for the House
and Senate District Committees may
recommend a radical change in the
present form of the District Govern
ment and support his idea for one
man rule.
Any change in the form of govern
ment, however, would require con-
gressional approval-a procedure
that probably would require at least
two or three months.
The study of the District govern
ment was undertaken originally with
a view to increasing efficiency and
effecting economics in operation.
There apparently was no idea be-
hind it of a reorganization that
would abolish the Board of Com
missioners. The major proposal
was development Of a plan that
would result in the consolidation of
various departments and agencies
1,LN Nunr1or
duplicated.
Survey Nearing Completion.
Within the last few weeks the
President has conferred with the
two members of the House directly
in charge of local congressional ac-
tivities-Chairman Ross Collins of
the Subcommittee on District ap-
preparations, and Representative
Jennings Randolph. Democrat, of
West Virginia, new chairman of
the District Legislative Committee.
He discussed the health situation
with Representative Collins and the
tax and reorganization plans with
Mr.. Randolph.
The reorganization survey. un-
dertaken last summer by Chicago
firm of municipal engineers headed
by E. o. Griffenhagen, is now near
ing completion. Mr.. Griffenhagen
has promised to have his report
ready for consideration of the two
committees the first week in Feb
ruary.
No details to the reorganization
plan have yet been disclosed. There
have been reports that Mr. Griffen-
hagen would recommend either a
single administrator" or a business
manager subordinate to the Com
missioners. However, Mr.. Griffen-
hagen replied to these rumors:
Somebody is doing some guess
ing"
Opposition Likely.
In fact, Mr.. Griffenhagen said his
reorganization plan would not deal
with the "top organization" of the
municipal government primarily,
but with the various agencies and
departments whose services are
either duplicated or overlap. And
representative Ambrose j. Kennedy,
ranking majority member of the
District Committee who was instru-
mental in initiating the reorganiza-
ton study, has declared he would
not support a plan that contem-
plated scrapping the present COM
mission form of government estab-
lished in 1878.
Mr.. Kennedy believes the Dis
trict government should be mod
ernized and various agencies and
departments consolidated in the in
terest of efficiency and economy,
but that the commission form
should be retained
AS soon as the Griffenhagen re-
port is completed, Chairman RAN
dolph of the District Committee
plans to appoint Mr. Kennedy at the
head of a special subcommittee to
consider the recommendations it
will contain.