Evening star., 1939-03-10
Kennedy Claims
Commissioners
Lack Plan
Contends Alternative
To Griffenhogen
Proposal 'Hophozord'
BY JAMES E. CHINN.

subcommittee of the House District
Committee In charge of the Grif-
fenhagen plan for recognizing the
municipal government, charged to-
day that the substitute program pro-
posed by the Commissioners has
the outstanding defect of showing
no evidence of being a plan at ALL"
1t was further charged by Repre-
sentative Kennedy that the 'pri-
mary objectives" of the Commits
sioners in offering a reorganization
plan of their own seems to be to
keep their jobs intact, land TO
maintain their prestige and at the
same time to curry favor with the
officials of other agencies who might
exert strong influence against any
changes in their status"
The reorganization plan of the
commissioners proposed continua-
tlon OF the present form of munich
pal government, the grouping Of
various agencies under nine de-
partments, and the creation of a
new Office of business manager or
co-ordinator who would be subor-
dlnate to the present Board of Com
missioners.
Statement Answers Proposal.
Mr.. Kennedy's analysis of the re-
organization plan of the Commits
slonerS was contained in a 1.2OO-
"ord statement. Each point raised
by the Commissioners in favor of
retention of the existing commits
sion form of government was an
sWered in the statement, and final
ly, Mr.. Kennedy said:
The Commissioners plan of or
ganlzation of the local government
agencies, offered as an alternative
to the Griffenhagen plan has the
outstanding defect of showing no
evidence OF being a plan at all. It
accepts the Griffenhagen proposals
IN the main, but with some changes,
as to its proposed nine departments,
but IN substance proposes to leave
the rest OF the chaotic situation in
the mess in which it is now. 1t is
made up Of haphazard suggestions
Tor which no explanation or reasons
are given. There is no indication
that the suggestions have any re-
Iatlonshlp to any unified plan in
mind, or that any consistent pur-
poses or principles underlie or run
through them. They bear every
earmark of whim and caprice"
In answer to the complaint of the
Commissioners that they were not
consulted during preparation of the
Griffenhagen report, Mr.. Kennedy
said:
"The attempt of the Commits
sioners to make some point, not
disclosed, by contention that they
had not been consulted during the
preparation of the report, was
quickly foiled by a showing that the
contention had no basis in fact.
The Commissioners did not repeat
their assertion that copies of the
report were not furnished them.
This assertion previously had been
given wide publicity in the press
even after it had been shown to be
baseless; that copies of the report
were supplied to the Commissioners
on February 4. the same day on
which they went to the members
of the District Committees.
Denies Commissioners Are Target.
Continuing. Mr.. Kennedy said:
The Commissioners make the
erroneous assumption that the al
legations in the Griffenhagen re-
port as to complexity and confusion
In the organization were directed
expressly at the part of the govern
ment organization under their con-
troll. In this they are unduly sensi-
tive. The report (Grifenhagen)
makes very clear that it is the
entire aggregation Of Federal, Dis
trict and nondescript, independent
agencies that is under criticism, and
not just that part that is directly
under the Commissioners.
The Commissioners assume that
Congress would not delegate to any
local governing body any more
powers than it has so delegated.
That is, of course, for Congress, not
the Commissioners to decide. Ger
tainly. it is suitable and proper to
recommend to Congress that such
powers as are necessary to provide
for effective and economical gov
ernment be so delegated. And 1t
is not proper to assume the Con-
gress would not welcome relief from
the burden of acting as city coun-
Gil for the District on multitudinous
matters of trivial detail"
Mr.. Kennedy also declared that
mo foundation can be found for
the unsupported claim" that the
Griffenhagen plan would increase
operating costs by more than
$3.50 900.
1.-THE Commissioners" he said,
obviously ignored the fact that the
simplified organization proposed
would call for fewer executive posi-
tions, rather than more. These
few would justify larger salaries, but
the net effect should decidedly be
in the direction of economy. Fur
thermore, the more unified plan
and centralized management from
the top to the bottom should pro-
vide If the Griffenhagen plan is
carried out according to its purpose
and intent, for very substantial
economies and much improved ef-
fectiveness.
"On the whole, it seems, on care
full analysis, that the statement of
the Commissioners is not in fact
responsive to the Griffenhagen
plan, and that it has failed to make
a dent therein at any point"