Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-05-30
Industry Lesson Cited
on Army Merger
Decentralization Found Better
When Problem Gets BIGGER
By David laurence

By David Laurence
The merger" and Consolidation
urge seems to be on again in govern
ment. The latest idea is to merge the
War and Navy Departments under a
single Secretary of Armed Services"
Back in 1929. private industry got yery
enthusiastic about mergers, and when
the crash came 1t was discovered that
many organizations had grown too big
10 De handled by single supervisory
group OF executives. In fact. decen-
traiization has since started In MANY
industries with a result that is deemed
lar better than that which prevailed
before 1929.
But speaking Of mergers and CONSOLE
cations, there are good many people
who are wondering why 1t Is necessary
to have a Senate and a House OF
Representatives. II Congress really Is
interested IN efficiency it could merge
the upper and the lower houses and
save the taxpayers q considerable
amount Of money. The State of Nebraska
used to have two houses, but now GETS
along with single legislative body.
Also, in the Senate and House there
are two restaurants and one probably
could serve both.
Duplicating Committees.
II the legislators are serious In irving
to avoid duplication in government thew
will find much more to do in this
legislative halls about duplicating COM
mittees than in trying to upset the
Army and the Navy, especially in the
middle of war.
There are two sets of committees
Tor instance, taking up a lot of time
dealing with the same problems of both
the House and the Senate, and on naner
at least, the consolidation of all these
committees would save a lot OF time
and would avoid duplication of expense
and effort.
inere are, on the other hand. MANY
Americans who are not SO much inter.
ested In what efficiency looks like ar,
paper but they believe in specializa-
ton. Some of these observers have
thought it Is probably a good thing to
nave the Senate and the House separate
because each represents a different
viewpoint and a different approach
Legislation in the peoples interest Il
too important perhaps to be HURRIED
through a single chamber.
Inus, there are many arguments that
might be made for the evidence OF du-
plication between the War and NAVY
departments, but over long period of
years reasons have developed for the
separate services which are not lust ma
per reasons. They have their roots II,
the differing methods Of the two
organizations.
Even In the matter of purchases It
would seem at first glance that there ia
duplication between the War and NAVY
Departments. But the needs for the
products that are bought will differ in
the case OF the Army and Navy,
Case Of Plane Engines.
When all the advantages and disad-
vantages OF various kinds of airplane
engines have been analysed, 1t will be
found that the Navy Departments pri-
mary use of the engine differs from the
Army's. But someone might rule that
both the Army and the Navy must take
the same kind Of airplane engine. It
Is precisely this kind Of Standardization
which might appear as if it were efficient
In one case, but it could really mean dis
ruption and retardation of scientific
progress.
1t is regrettable that any one in Con-
gress is pushing at this time the passage
OF legislation to merge the Army and
Navy. especially when the lessons of
the present war have not yet been fully
disclosed. Thus, the organization of an
Army OF seven and half million men
Is In itself task that has been re-
garded by some observers as too big.
There Is one school Of thought which
thinks the present Army organization
Is top-heavy in the sense that the
staff is too far away from the actual
services themselves. This may be In
evitable because the Army has been ex-
panding so rapidly that it could not
absorb Its own organizational problems.
When the war is over, however, and
1t Is ascertained just how the Army
functioned with its own units, there
will be time enough to find out whether
even the merger which the Army itself
has introduced within its own jurisdic-
ton has really been sufficiently success
full to warrant adding the Navy and
Marine Corps to the merger.
Decentralization pyrbt,