The Wrangell sentinel., 1940-04-19
ON THE
*

The recommended combination oi the Bureau of Biological Survey and the Bureau Of Fisheries, both oi which bureaus have extensive fune. tions in Alaska. will undoubtedly be the item of principal interest te residents of the Territory in Reor. ganization Plan No 3. transmitted to Congress on April ? by the Pres ident
 Under Reorganization Plan No 2 which became effective last year the Bureau of Fisheries was trans. ferred from the Department of Com merce to the Department of Interior and the Bureau of Biological Survey was transferred from the Depart ment of Agriculture to the Depart ment of Interior. which. as ex- plained by the President, "# * kcon- centrated in one department the two bureaus responsible for the con- seryation and utilization of the wildlife resources of the Nation. On the basis of experience gained since this transfer, 1 find it necessary and desirable to consolidate these units into a single bureau to be known as the Fish and Wildlife Service"
 Purposes of the plan of Govern ment reorganization, of which this is part, as set forth in the Act of Congress, approved April 3, 1889, are to reduce expenditures, increase efficiency, consolidate agencies ae- cording to major purposes, reduce the number of agencies by consoli- dating those having similar func- tions and by abolishing such as may not be necessary, and to eliminate overlapping and duplication of eff fort Those particular purposes which appear to be objectives in the consolidation of these two bur eaus are indicated in the President s statement that "The Bureau of Bio logical Survey administers Federal laws relating to birds, land man. malls, and amphibians, whereas the Bureau of Fisheries deals with fish es, marine mammals, and other a. quatic animals. The natural areas of operation are interrelated and similar in character Consolidation will eliminate duplication of work, facilitate coordination of program, and improve service to the public. Although economies are expected to be effected in the administrative overhead of the Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, Delegate Di- mond said that he did not expect the consolidation would have much, if any, effect on employees in the Alaska field
 * * * *
 The long delay in filling the ap- pointment for the office of the Com missioner of Fisheries indicates that the union of these two bureaus has been in preparation for some time
 pr. Ira Gabrielson, Chief of the Bureau Of Biological Survey, is be lieved to head the list of eligibles who would be in line for appoint. ment to direct the activities of the Fish and Wfldlife Service. He has been with the Biological Survey since 1915 and has been it's chiei since 1885. Without reference to the prospect of his appointment, Dr Gabrielson several months ago made plans to be in Alaska for two ol three months this summer to make personal observations of the wild life situation there.
 s: * *
 The outline plan for the nev agency is as follows:
 "The Bureau of Fisheries and thu Bureau of Biological Survey in tn, Department of the Interior witl their respective functions are con solidated into one agency in th' Department of the Interior to b. known as the Fish and Wildlife Ser