Evening star., 1945-07-24

Also mentioned Is former Senator
Sherman Minton of Indiana, now a
Federal Circuit judge. Judge Min
ton also is considered possible
choice for the Interior portfolio
should Mr.. Ickes retire.
The latter is known to be plan
ming a showdown with Mr.. Truman
on his status in the cabinet. The
upshot is expected in some admins
tration quarters to be presidential
suggestion that he remain "for a
time" only.
Besides Justice Minton, Senator
O'Mahoney of Wyoming and Cows.
Robert Kerr of Oklahoma and Her
bert B. Nav of Utah, all Democrats,
are regarded as likely to receive
White House consideration for the
interiorship.
Fred M. Vinson became Mr.. Tru-
mans sixth cabinet officer Of his
own choice yesterday when he was
sworn in as Secretary of the Treas
ury, succeeding Henry Morgenthau,
jr. The others are Postmaster Gen.
eral Hannegan, Secretary Of State
Byrnes, Secretary of Labor Schwel-
lenbach, Secretary of Agriculture
Anderson and Attorney General
Clark.
Supreme Court Vacancy.
Another high-level administration
change went into effect late yester-
day when John w. Snyder took the
oath as director of war mobilization
and reconversion, succeeding Mr..
Vinson.
In addition to filling Mr. Snyder's
former post as Federal loan admin
istrator, Mr.. Truman also soon must
name a successor to Supreme Court
Justice owen J. Roberts, who retires
July 81.
In the meantime, proposal to
create an 18th cabinet post-Secre-
tary of the Department of Welfare
and Security - rendered uncertain
today the political future Of Paul ".
McNutt, war manpower commits
sioner and director of the Federal
Security Agency. The suggested
new department would take over the
half f-dozen or more agencies now
loosely attached to FSA.
Wallace Plans Changes.
Mr.. McNutt is absent from Wash
ington on a rehabilitation mission
to the Philippines, and hence there
was no immediate comment from
him on the proposal, which is under
study by other Government officials
At the Commerce Department,
meanwhile, it as learned that Sec
retary Wallace is planning a thor
ough reorganization which might
also require congressional action.
He wishes to reshape commerce for
better promotion of business activity
after the war.
The proposal for a full-fledged
new security department is highly
tentative, but is being studied at the
Office of War Mobilization and Re-
conversion. The new secretary pre-
sumably would administer the ex-
banded postwar social security pro-
gram for which the administration
is plugging.
Truman Wants Consultations.
OWMR'S pending recommends
ton for the Governments own re-
conversion are in line with Mr.. Tru-
mans request for consolidation and
Sinplif1cation of the Federal struc-
ture.
One phase of WMR's work-the
consolidation of manpower agencies
asked by Congress-already has
jeopardized Mr.. McNutt's Manpower
Commission. Some of the functions
now exercised by VINO might be
transferred to the Labor Depart
ment.
Alive to the possibility that VINO
might be liquidated as the labor
shortage lessons, Mr.. McNutt has
told friends he would not remain in
Government If he had charge Of
FSA alone. Neither, he has stated,
would he relish return to the post
of high commissioner of the Philip
pines.
Mr.. Truman's obvious preference
for cabinet members of his own
choosing makes it unlikely that he
would select Mr.. McNutt for the
welfare and security post If the new
department were created.
Among the McNutt agencies
which would go to the proposed new
department under the tentative
plan are these units of FSA: Social
Security Board, once of Vocational
Rehabilitation, Public Health Serv-
ice, Food and Drug Administration,
Office of Education and some small
er agencies.
The United States Employment
Service, which constitutes the bulk
of the VINO in terms of budget
and personnel, also might be as
signed to the proposed department.
Some high officials believe USES
should be kept apart from labor
union influence and pressure which
might develop if it became part of
the Labor Department.
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