Evening star., 1939-04-23

BY the Associated Press.
A proposal that Secretary Hopkins
have a voice in the administration
OF some Federal labor activities was
reported yesterday to have been ad-
vanced as part of general program
for revitalizing the Commerce De-
partment.
Friends of the Secretary said they
expected that making the Com
merce Department into a more pow
erful agency would be one objective
OF forthcoming Government reor-
ganization plans, and that in this
connection it had been suggested
that the department supervise the
wage-hou administration, now un-
der the Labor Department, or that 1t
have jurisdiction over the National
Labor Relations Board.
The labor board, at present an in
dependent agency. has been criti-
clzed by some members of Congress,
businessmen and labor groups. Crit
lcism has been directed at the ad-
ministration of the labor act as we'll
as at the context of the law itself.
There also have been reports that
various Government lending agen-
cies would be consolidated and put
under the guidance of an expanded
Commerce Department.
Talk Termed "Guesswork."
President Roosevelt termed this
talk "guesswork" at a press confer
ence Friday, but hinted some consol-
idation of lending agencies was
under consideration. He said the
first reorganization plan probably
would go to Congress this week.
Under reorganization legislation
enacted recently. Mr.. Roosevelts S
proposals become effective unless We
toed by Congress within so days.
Commerce is one Of the youngest
Of the Federal departments. 1t
gained little importance until Her.
bert Hoover. starting in 1921, began
to build 1t into vast fact finding
agency to help businessmen know
what opportunities they had at home
and abroad
When Mr.. Hoover became Presi-
dent. he gave new prestige to the
department. and at that time its
staff reached a peak of 20.7O9 per-
sons. Since then. although New
Deal activities have swelled the
staffs Of most other agencies, the
number of Commerce Department
employees has dwindled below $4,000
Congress first shipped off the de-
partment's control over radio. Then
control over merchant shipping and
air traffic were trimmed of.
Interior Changes Proposed.
Secretary Hopkins Is reported to
be willing to give up his fish super
vision to the Agriculture Depart
ment, the map-making to the Inte-
rior Department, and possibly light
houses and marine inspection to the
Maritime Commission. But in re-
turn he wants the vast lending
power of the Reconstruction Finance
Corp. and the housing activities of
other independent corporations.
At present, the heart of the de-
partments business activities is its
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce which maintains agents
in principal domestic cities and at
taches in principal foreign capitals
in order to supply businessmen with
data on business opportunities and
trends.
In addition to changes in the
Commerce Department, other reor-
ganization possibilities repeatedly
under consideration include:
l: Concentrating conservation and
public works activities in the In
terror Department., including fish
cries from Commerce, Biological
Survey from Agriculture, Coast and
Geodetic Survey from Commerce,
Government building activities from
Treasury, Public Roads Bureau from
Agriculture and possibly others.
2. Grouping around the Social
Security Board as a nucleus other
welfare agencies, including the Pub
lie Health Service from Treasury
and the Office of Education from
Interior.
3. Intra-departmental shifts. such
as the definitely proposed merger
OF the Treasury's six law enforce