Evening star., 1944-06-24
BY j. A. O'LEARY,
star Staff Correspondent.


to work on home-front problems,
while the Foreign Affairs Suocom-
mittee continued to deliberate over
the tentative draft of plank pledg-
ing the party to work for interna-
tional cooperation to maintain
peace. ,
Gov. Thomas e. Dewey sounded
the keynote for an attack on Demo-
cratic handling of domestic affairs
in the statement he sent to the
Resolutions Committee yesterday
calling for efficiency and economy,
for probing and abolishing unneces-
sary agencies and personnel, for
effective fiscal and personnel con-
trolls and for an entirely new spirit
in our Federal Government"
Reports rs Mackinac Chairman.
Kenneth s. McAffer of New York
read the statement for Gov. Dewey,
who was reporting as chairman OF
q committee on reform OF Govern
ment administration appointed at
the Mackinac conference. It's inn
portance sprang from the fact that
Gov. Dewey is far out in front for
the presidential nomination.
There are other signs that the
COP will try to center the campaign
on domestic, peacetine problems.
william Hutcheson, chairman OF
the Platform Subcommittee on
Labor, who heads the AFL Carpen-
ters' Union, predicted that the ex-
istence of 26 Government boards
and agencies affecting labor matters
undoubtedly would be one of the
questions dealt with by his group
The solution to be considered, he
indicated, would be a return of au-
thority over labor affairs to the
Labor Department.
Representative Daniel Reed OF
New York, chairman of a subcom-
mittee on international economic
problems, denounced the admins
tration's reciprocal trade agreement
program, declaring it has been
nothing but q subterfuge to lower
tariffs" Asserting that more than
1900 reductions have been made IN
tariff rates to foreign countries, MIR.
Reed said: "Our foreign trade is
important, but not to the extent OF
sacrificing American standards OF
living to expand such trade"
Further Hearings on Peace Plank.
The Foreign Affairs Subcommit-
tee granted further hearings yester-
day afternoon at which opposing
witnesses indicated the tentative
blank on international cooperation
for future peace does not meet fully
the views OF either the National
United Nations Association or OF
the groups representing the nation
alist viewpoint. Nevertheless, II the
proposed short version OF the Mack
inac declaration is finally adopted 1t
viii be difficult for the Democrats to
make a major issue of postwar CO.
operation with other nations to
maintain peace.
Gov. Dewey's brief but bitter at
tack on the administration was
transmitted along with volumi-
nous review of the policies of gov
ernment since 1888 prepared by the
Mackinac subcommittee of which
he was chairman. The New York
Governor said:
The national administration has
become a sprawling, overlapping bu-
reaucracy; it is undermined by ex-
ecutive abuse of power, confusion OF
authority, duplication of effort, in
adequate fiscal controls, loose per-
sonnel practices and an attitude OF
arrogance previously unknown in
our history.
THE times cry out for the resto-
ration of harmony in government,
for a balance of legislative and ex-
ecutive responsibility for efficiency
and economy, for probing and abol-
ishing unnecessary agencies and
personnel for effective fiscal and
personnel controls, and for an en-
tirely new spirit In Our Federal Gov
eminent.
1--WE need an administration
wherein the President, acting in
harmony with Congress, will effect
these necessary reforms and raise
the Federal service to high level
Of efficiency and competence.
Excerpts From Document.
The detailed report which accom-
panied Gov. Dewey's statement was
joined in by six other members OF
the Mackinac gathering, and dwell
at length on the growth of Govern
ment bureaus and personnel. Fol-
lowing are brief excerpts from the
document:
The Federal Government has be.
come q vast complex OF statutes
regulations, agencies, bureaus anc
employees concentrated in Washing.
ton and reaching from that cCntel
every interest, locality and either
in the country"
The committee said it recognized
that expansion of the Federal Gov.
ernment is inevitable, just as 1t ha.
been inevitable In State and loca
governments, and added, I'VE do no
find that such expansion is an evi
In itself, an increase In Fedora
functions, services, personnel anc
costs is a natural and inescapabl'
consequence Of the increasing com.
plexity of American institutions. A
normal, orderly and economical in
crease should not be regarded as {
public injury, but such expansion
may carry with it grave dangers. /
may result In a swarming mass o
employees feeding on the labor of tn,
people"
Excessive Expansion Charged.
Your committee has surveyed tn,
evidence and draws the conclusion
that over a period of IL years. IL
peace and in war there has beer
an excessive expansion of the mum.
ber OF Federal employees" the repor
continued. Taken as a whole, i
Will be the task of the next admin
1stration to examine further EN-
ployment and wherever overstafinl
Is discovered to reduce the numbel
n the interest of economy, eficien