Evening star., 1941-12-21
10000 More
Workers Here
To Be Moved
LEGISLATORS Attack
Transfers, Especially
Of Patent Office
BY J. A. FOX.

AS disturbed Government en-
ployeS yesterday digested Presi-
dent Roosevelt's unexpected order
sending 10000 away from WASH
lngton, it was said in an authori-
tative quarter that another batch
of 10000 to 10000 "or perhaps more"
also will be moved to make room
for the expanding war machine.
At the same time, however, rum
bles of displeasure came from
Capitol Hill, with the plan to shift
the Patent Office to New York the
particular object of attack. Mem
bers Of Congress were quick to
point out, too, that the whole de-
centrallzation program means dis
ruption of the contacts which they
must maintain with the various
agencies for the benefit of their
constituents.
In some instances. officials pre-
d1cted administrative difficulties,
and it was learned that Attorney
General Biddle will seek to avert
the proposed transfer of the I'M
migration and Naturalization Serv-
ice which would take $50 Justice
Department employees to Phila-
delphia, and ask instead that some
other units of the department be
moved.
Broken-up homes was another
threatened by-product.
d. c. Committees to Meet.
In an unusual move, Chairman
McCarran of the Senate District
Committee arranged a joint session
of Senate and House District Com
mittees for 1890 am. tomorrow at
which District officials and civic
leaders will be invited to appear
and discuss the effect of the mass
exodus on the economic life Of the
Capital. The Nevada Senator also
plans to approach the subject from
the standpoint of the interference to
be worked on congressional con-
facts.
A point already raised in this
connection is that members of Con-
gress have no allowance for long
distance telephone calls, and that
extensive use will have to be made
OF this facility if the shifts go
through.
Senator McCarran made it clear
In announcing the meeting that he
was not questioning the wisdom of
the decentralization order, but felt
that the serious implications war
ranted study.
OMahoney Objects to Shifts.
One of the conferees tomorrow
will be Chairman OMahoney of the
Senate Appropriations Subcom-
mittee for the District, and an out
spoken opponent Of the proposed
shift, who described it yesterday as
a mistake" and unnecessary"
explaining that there is more than
enough land in the District "on
which to provide quarters for all
the temporary agencies we need.
Il feel very deeply that the pre-
servation of easy contact between
Congress and all of the regular
bureaus is of the highest import
ance," Senator O'Mahoney con-
tinued. ITO separate Offices like the
Farm Security Administration. In
dian Affairs, Patent Office and the
Securities and Exchange Commits
sion from the members and commits
tees of Congress having RESPONSE
bility for legislation relating to
those agencies cannot help but be
disadvantageous to the bureaus and
to the people they serve 1t will
tend to increase the disadvantages
of bureaucracy and to decrease the
capacity of Congress to deal with
administrative problems.
1 am advised that the Bureau Of
the Budget has not consulted the
District committees Of either the
House or Senate. and so far as I
know. neither was the Committee
on Public Buildings and Public
Grounds aware of the plans"
Hearings Have Been Going On.
For several months. subcommit-
tees of the House Public Buildings
and Public Grounds Committee
headed by Representative Downs of
Connecticut and Boykin of Ala
bama, have been holding hearings
on decentralization proposals that
had their origin in a resolution in
troduced by Representative SABBATH,
Democrat of Illinois.
Surprised by the Presidents or
der yesterday, in view of the COM
mittee's work. some of the mem
bers indicated their belief that it
would be futile to hold further
hearings if the White House pro-
poses to move on its own initiative.
Chairman Lanham of the Public
Buildings committee said his group
would get together after the holi-
days to decide if further action
would be taken.
From his home in Norwalk, Conn.
last night. Mr.. Downs telegraphed
The Star that his committee
planned to go ahead with its hear
ings and make a report to the
House. He warned that decentral-
ization should be effected carefully.
"lest operating costs be increased
and efficiency be decreased" The
Forthcoming report to the House,
he said, will show that it will be