The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-08-25
Ask Curb On Govt. Groups

W88Hlu4ton. AuH. ao-tUFD-Ine special house committee lnvestlgat. ing executive agencies, citing an urgent need" for action. called on ConaIess today Co restrict the wide and often assumed" authority of government agencies such as the Of. flee oi price administration.
 1n a report naming no specific agency but believed aimed primarily al the OpA and the War Labor Board. the committee urged passage of legislation Co make sweeping changes ln methods of settling dls- pules between individuals and agen- cles ''which are assuming more and more of the actual government Of our nation"
 s'1f the citizens of the country are Co have any protection whatevei from the arbitrary actions of those in charge of executive agencies oi the government. said chairman Howard W. Smith, D.. Va. in of. fefing the report. congress must enact proper ligislatlon so that they may assert their rights in the prop- CT courts of the land
 "The administrative arm Of gov. ernment has expanded enormously. And the signs are unmistakable that a vast field of administrative rcgu. latlon will continue to exist after hostilltles cease"
 Smith said the new legislation should specifically prohibit any "tm. piled powers" by government agen. cies. In the absence of congression- al provisions of powers to any agency. he said, their assumption" is "a usurpation of legislative auth ority and an infringement upon con- stitutlonal government"
 OPA Criticized
 Tn previous reports. the commit. tee singled out the OPA for special criticism for ''usurping" authority. in particular. it denounced what 1t called the agencys kangaroo courts where 1t acts as investigator, pross ecutor and judge in complaint eases.
 The committee today outlined legislation under which the Presi- dent would name hearing officers to settle disputes between individ- uais and federal agencies. with pro. visions for ultimate court review. These officers. 1t said, would be in- dependent of the agencies involved in the litigation. instead of being subseFvient to the agency heads"
 The committee also proposed standardization Of procedures "so that a lawyer who practices before one agency will have little difficulty in transferring that practice to other agencies" The procedures now vary SO greatly, it said. that mo more than a dozen" lawyers are able 10 practice before a majority of gov- eriiment agencies
 The bill in effect would prevent OPA from suspending licenses or granting or denying any privilege or relief not specified by law.
 Written Notification
 cnae section, apparently an out growth of the governments seizure of Montgomery Ward & CO. would require any government agency to notify in writing under what legal authority and jurisdiction 1t is pros ceedsng before acting in any case involving the rights or other legal relations of any person.
 About the time of the Ward seiz- ure, the committee issued a report charging the War Labor Board with "f0Bnenting labor disputes" by fix ed policy of imposing maintenance Of membership clauses in union cons tracts, and went on to say:
 s'The VILE has compelled employ CTS and employees to agree to submit disputes to arbitration in viola.