Evening star., 1945-09-06

OF ulCle OF the F1rSt war Powers
Act. This act expires six months
after the termination of the war, OF
at such earlier time as may be desig-
mated by appropriate governmental
action.
If the Congress or the President
were formally to declare the pres
ent war terminated, it would auto
matically cause all the steps taken
under the First War Powers Act
with respect to the war agencies tc
expire and would have the Govern
ment revert automatically to its
pre- existing status six months after
the declaration.
If this were to occur, it would
cause great confusion and chaos in
the Government.
1t is the policy of this administra- :
ton not to exercise wartime powers
beyond the point at which it is
necessary to exercise them.
Similarly, the wartime agencies
Of the Government will not be al
lowed to continue to perform func-
tions not required by present con-
ditlons.
| Wants Quick Termination.
Those functions of the wartime
agencies which must be retained dur
ing part or all of the period of recon-
version should be transferred as
promptly as practicable to the per-
manent departments and agencies
| 0f the lxnUqrfo -;
functions, appropriate only to the
crisis through which we have passed
should be terminated in an orderly
systematic fashion as soon as DOS
slble.
A program of winding up war
time agencies and distributing their
functions on peacetime basis is
now being pursued under the pow
'ers vested in the President by title l
OF the First War Powers Act.
Therefore, l urge that the Con-
gress do not yet adopt a resolution
proclaiming the termination of the
war or the termination of the
emergency or the cessation of hos
tilities. Such a resolution would
automatically cause the death of
many war powers and wartime
agencies before we are ready.
At the same time l recognize that
the Congress may wish to repeal
certain specific wartime statutes. If
this is to be done, the repeal should
be on a selective basis, through the
adoption of specific statutes dealing
with each wartime power which the
Congress decides should be ter
minated
In my message dated May "a, 1945.
it was recommended that perma-
nent legislation be enacted which
| would authorize the President to
submit to the Congress, from time
to time, plans providing for the re-
organization of executive agencies,
each such plan to become effective
! unless the Congress should reject
1t by concurrent resolution
Joint Action Produces.
This type of joint action by the
Congress and the President has pro-
duced, and will produce, far better
results than can be achieved by the
usual legislative process in the field
OF executive reorganization. If
proper progress is to be made, 1t is
necessary TO permit the President
/ to lay out the machinery for carry
ing out his responsibility for the
conduct of the executive branch
subject to rejection by the two
Houses of Congress. Executive
Initiative, subject to congressional
veto, is an effective approach to
governmental reorganization.
The responsibility of conducting
the executive branch rests upon the
President. 1t is fair and efficient
to permit him to lay out the ma
chinery for carrying out that re-
sponsibility.
The means for doing this should
be generally along the lines of the
Reorganization Act of 1899, which
gives the initiative to the President
put reserves power to the Congress
by majority vote to nullify any
action of the President which does
A1oS hittN NiNll itsS dpl1lofdl.
Considerable progress was made ir
efficiency of government under this
Reorganization Act of 1889. I rec.
)mmend that such powers be made
OF permanent duration and thai
the legislation be sufficiently flex.
lole to permit any kind of adjust.
ment for which necessity may arise
1t is clear to all of us that the
Government has difficult and i'm.
portant task in the years which lie
ahead. Our Government belongs tt
the people and the people have 6
right to expect from their Govern.
ment the greatest possible efficiency
In carrying out its task.
Our Government has never beer
as efficient as we should like to SET
1t. To some degree this may b,
charged to the size of some of thu
tasks assigned to it. To some exten,
1t is also due to the lack of trained
Government personnel and the low
salaries paid to Government off.
cials.
Room for Improvement,
There is no question that the wal
has taught us great deal about
Government administration, There
is still, however, much room for i'm.
provement.
have undertaken directly through
the members of the cabinet and also
through the directors of the Office
OF War Mobilization and Recover
sion and the Bureau of the Budget
to emphasize the need for more eff
cient operation in all the executive
branches of the Government. have
requested them to examine admin
istrative procedures and to speed up
and simplify their operations to the
maximum practical degree.
have also requested the Bureau
OF the Budget to examine closely
with each department and agency
head the actual needs of his office
following the surrender of Japan
They have been asked to reduce
budgets promptly and fully wherever
cuts are indicated. The Bureau OF
the Budget is now completing stu
dies which will result in reductions
of millions of dollars in the expense
of operating our Government.
We must continue relentlessly this