Evening star., 1950-03-13

] The teIt of President Truman s
message to Congress today, trans
P1itttng 21 plans for reorganization
Of executive agencies, tolloOs:
. am today transmitting to the
Congress 81 plans for reorganization
Of agencies Of the executive branch.
These plans have been prepared
under the authority of the Reorgan-
Kation Act of 1949. Each is ac-
eompanied by the message re-
ouired in that act.
Our ability to make such compre-
hensive recommendations is due in
large part to the outstanding work
of the Commission on Organization
of the Executive Branch of the
Government. The plans which I am
transmitting are all designed either
to put into effect specific recon-
mendations of the commission or to
apply principles sets forth by the
commission in its reports.
When these plans become effec-
tive, we shall have acted on almost
half the proposals made by the
Commission on Organization. ex-
pect to transmit additional plans
for putting into effect other recon-
mendations of the commission later
In the present session of Congress
The 81 plans I am transmitting
today are designed to accomplish
the following purposes:
Plans 1-6 transfer to the heads
of six departments the functions
and powers now conferred by law
on subordinate officials. The six
departments affected are Treasury,
Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Com
merce, and Labor.
Plans 7-13 fix responsibility for
the day-to-day administration of
seven regulatory boards and COM
missions in the chairmen of these
bodies rather than in the members
collectively. The agencies affected
are the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, Federal Trade Commission,
Federal Power Commission, Securi-
ties and Exchange Commission,
Federal Communications Commis-
sion, National Labor Relations
Board. and Civil Aeronautics Board.
Plans IA and 10 transfer two func-
tions to the Department of Labor
from other Government agencies.
Plans 1918 and 20 transfer GER
tain functions to and from the Gen.
eral Services Administration IN Or
der to round out the organizational
pattern of this agency, which was
created last year.
Plan 81 transfers the functions
of the Maritime Commission to the
Department of Commerce, where
they are reconstructed in Fed
eral Maritime Board and a Mari
time Administrator.
Have Same Objective.
The first 13 plans all have the
same objective-to establish clear
and direct lines of authority and
responsibility for the management
of the executive branch. The heads
of departments and the chairmen OF
regulatory bodies will be made clear
ly responsible for the effectiveness
and economy of governmental ad-
ministration and will be given cor
responding authority, SO that the
public, the Congress, and the Presl-
dent may hold them accountable
for results in terms both OF accom-
plishments and of cost.
The Commission on Organization
placed great stress upon the estab-
lishment of clear zines of authority
and responsibility. This wac, IN
fact, the very first Of its recommen-
dations. The opening three para
graphs on the first page OF Its initial
report read as follows:
s.'In this part of its report, the
Commission on Organization OF the
Executive Branch of the Govern
ment deals with the essentials OF
effective organization of the exec
utive branch. without these essen
tials, all other steps are doomed to
failure.
THE President, and under him his
chief lieutenants, the department
heads, must be held responsible and
accountable to the people and the
Congress for the conduct OF the
executive branch.
Responsibility and accountability
are impossible without authority
the power to direct. The exercise OF
authority is impossible without a
clear line of command from the
top TO the bottom, and a return line
of responsibility and accountability
from the bottom to the top"
Again, in it's report on regulatory
agencies, the commission made the
centering of administrative respon-
sibility its first recommendation,
writing as follows:
Administration by plural exec
utive is universally regarded as in
efficient This has proved to be true
in connection with these commits
sions We recommend that all
administrative responsibility be
vested in the chairman of the COM
mission"
Through these plans, authority
placed by law in subordinate Off
cials is transferred to the heads of
the six departments. In the case
of the State and Post Office De-
partments, comparable authority
was placed in the department heads
by legislation and reorganization ac-
ton effected last year.
Another feature of the depart
mental plans is the establishment
of administrative assistant secretar-
les in each of these six departments
These positions are established in
order to provide top-level assistance
to each department head in the
heavy managerial responsibilities of
his office. They are set up within
the classified civil service for the
purposes of both achieving continu-
ity in office and of obtaining per-
sons with the greatest experience in
the specialized functions OF man
agement.
Two Groups of Functions.
In regard to the regulatory agen-
cies, the plans distinguish between
two groups of functions necessary
to the conduct Of these agencies. One
group includes the substantive as
poets of regulation-that is, the de-
termination of policies, the formu-
lation and issuance of rules, ano
the adjudication of cases. All these
functions are left in the board Oh
y