Evening star., 1948-12-02
The Political Mill
Congress Fight Certain
On Agency Recognizing

On Agency Recognizing
Hoover Commission Findings Could
Save Government Billions Yearly
By Gould Lincoln
During the coming session of Congress an
attempt will be made to reorganize-and how
it needs 1.-THE executive branch of the Gov
ernment, for the sake of greater efficiency and
economy. Congress will have before it, when
it tackles the task, the report Of the Joint
Commission on Reorganization of the Executive
Branch of the Government-properly called
the Hoover Commission, for Herbert Hoover,
former President, is chairman and the direct-
ing genius of the commission.
The work of the commission has been ire.
mendous in scope; its findings will be the re-
suit of months of investigation by the mem.
bers of the commission-a bipartisan agency
and of rs task forces" Mr.. Hoover is con-
f1dent Of two things; first, that If the reorgan.
ization is adopted the American people will
be better served by their Government, and
second, that it will be possible to knock
$4,000 100000 of the annual cost of Govern
ment.
President Truman, who, along with Speaker
Martin of the House and President Pro
members of the commission, has shown him.
self sympathetic with the purpose and with
the work of the commission. While it had
been the hope of the originators of the idea
of this reorganization, Senator Lodge OF
Massachusetts, in the Senate and Represent
ative Brown Of Ohio in the House, that the
commissions report and recommendations
would 60 to a Republican House and Re-
publican Senate, they are still confident that
Mr.. Truman and the incoming Democratic
Congress will see the value of reorganization
and will press it to adoption.
Break" for Truman Seen.
From purely political point of view, Presi-
dent Truman in his support of the reorgan.
ization program could scarcely hope for .
better break than to have it from the hands
of commission headed by the sole living
ex-President of the United States, a Repub.
lican.
The completed report of the commission
Is still to be drafted. 1t has been disclosed.
however, that its proposals will be drastic.
The growth of the Federal GoVernment-the
executive branch-has been enormous in recent
years. Take look at the figures. Thirty
years ago the number of executive establish
ments with the rank of bureau or the equlva-
lent was 15S In 1882, the last year of the
Hoover administration the number had in
creased to 521. In the presidential campaign
that year, one Of the Democratic attacks upon
Mr.. Hoover was the fact that large number
Of new agencies and commissions had come
to life in the executive branch during his adj
ministration. But by 1914, after II years OF
the Roosevelt administration, the number had
grown to 1,141, and four years later the total
is still larger, with the Federal Government
reaching out into the lives and activities OF the
people in many directions. The growth Of
Federal employment Is amazing. In 1916.
Federal workers numbered 438,057; in 1926.
528, ,545; in 1886, S24,259 and in 1916, 2766,l65.
When Mr.. Hoover was President he sought
to bring about reorganization of the execu.
tive branch, but the then Democratic Con.
gress put drag on the authority which he
sought President Roosevelt his successor.
obtained greater authority for reorganization
and did put some measures Into effect. The
governmental structure, however, still re.
mains with great overlapping Of duties and
powers-and with great loss Of money because
of lack Of business methods.
Certain Of One Thing.
The former Republican President may not
believe. in some of the things the Democratic
administration is doing; he may, indeed, be-
But Mr.. Hoover is quite certain of one thing
whatever kind Of government the United
States has or is to have, it should be run eff
GENTLY and without waste Of money. He has
done an outstanding job for the country and
the American people Che himself gives great
credit, however to the other members of the
commission and the many workers on the
task forces')
The report and recommendations, when they
are available early in the coming session, will
be voluminous. 1t will not be possible to cover
all the recommendations in one legislative
measure, and several bills will be introduced,
dealing with different phases of the reorgani.
cation. To take one example-the recommen.
dation for reorganization OF the Post Office
Department and postal service. The Post Ofice
Department will have a $5000O0,000 deficit this
year, it has been estimated. This service, in the
opinion of members of the commission, should
be made self-sustaining.
The commissions recommendations look to
removing the civil servants as far as possible
from politics and making them career men
and women. They will propose increases in
the salaries of the upper-level officials and
employes-so as to get able men and women
to fill those postions-and stay in them
This reorganization will not be accomplished
without a hght-from many persons them.
selves in the Federal service and their friends.
But it is worth while, in days when the tax
burden of the people runs to So billions,
Federal and State taxes included or 80 cents
out OF every dollar of national income.
Questions and Answers
A reader can get the answer TO- any question Of
fact by writing The Washington Star Information
Bureau, 3l6 / street NE, Washington 2, D. c.
Please inclose cents for return postage.
BY THE HASKIN SERVICE.
@. What has become of Toyohiko Kagawa?-