Evening star., 1950-03-19

a succeeding Secretary may have
different ideas which would be
Of immediate concern to banks all
over the country. The control
ler's office is self supporting, be-
ing financed by assessments
against the national banks. Those
bankers who pay may well feel
they have a right to be heard on
the subject.
There is another proposal
which the President made which
may be scrutinized very closely
by Congress. This is contained
in two plans: No 6, which trans
ferS functions of all subordinates
to the Secretary of Labor, and
plan No. r., I,.,z-..l f-,-lc-izcS the
Secretary to coordinate the ad-
minlstration of legislation relat-
ing to wages and hours on prof.
ects financed or otherwise as
sisted by the Government.
The transfers under No. 6
would include the authority and
functions of the Wage and Hour
and Public Contracts Division Of
the Labor Department which has
an administrator appointed by
the President and confirmed by
the Senate.
In Previous Plan
The aims of both these plans
were contained in ono presidential
reorganization plan which Presi-
dent Truman submitted to Con-
gress on May l, 1947. Both House
and Senate rejected it. Part of
its language is practically repro
duced il current plan No. IA.
1t is probable, however. that
Mr.. Truman's proposals will have
a more favorable chance this
time. The reasons are the grow
ing insistence of economy and
efficiency and the channel pro-
vided for that insistence by the
Hoover Commission work.
In support of his NLRB re-
organization, Mr.. Truman can
point for support to the Hoover
Commissions report on the regu-
latory agencies. The first recon-
mendation in that report was that
"all administrative responsibilities
be vested in the chairman" The
current plan No. IL does this, at
the same time eliminating the
powerful position of general coun-
sci.
The result is that this particular
plan is involved in the whole dis
pute about the Taft-Hartley Act.
which set up the general counsel.
Mr.. Truman said that the Senate
last year indicated it's approval
of the step he now proposes. His
reference was to the revision of
the Taft-Hartley Act, with the
elimination of the general coun-
sci. This passed the Senate with
Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio
practically calling the tune. The
House so far has failed to act
on it.
The argument might be ad-
vanced that if Mr.. Truman wants
Mr.. Denham's Office eliminated he
might do so by getting the House
to accept the Senate revision of
the Taft-Hartley Act.
A Hoover Commission task force
made this observation about the
powers of the general counsel:
"The result is a situation which,
with no reflection upon the indi-
vidual who presently occupies the
post. is patiently disruptive of
sound administrative practice" 1t
said also:
There is serious question
whether single official with dis
cretionary powers as broad as
those possessed by the general
counsel should occupy a position
completely independent of the
regular executive structure"
Communism Embarrassed
The Presidents proposal has
been embarrassing to the support
ers of the Hoover Commissions
program. They take the position
that the debates on the Taft
Hartley Act have moved the prob
lem from the field of Government
reorganization to the field of poll
tics and they should reconsider
their position in that light. It is
expected that plan No. IL will
make its way without their back
ing.
The Maritime Commission elm
ination and the transfer of its
functions to the Commerce De-
partment (plan No. 2D may not
be the hot potato some have pre-
dicted.
In the last three years three
different surveys and investiga-
tions have been made of the COM
missions affairs and all have
been critical. There is a general
feeling in Congress that the COM
mission has been given more than
enough time to put its house in
order and that it has failed to do
SO.
There is the possibility that
shipping interests may oppose the
shift. There is also the possibility
that they will veer off, with the
idea that their opposition may
bring the whole question of sub
sidy into debate again, and they
are not looking for that.
There is also the prospect that
if big shipping interests oppose
the change, small shipping lines
will enter the lists on the side of
the transfer with claims that the
commission has not been suffi-
GENTLY sympathetic to their prob
lens.
The Presidents plan is to set
up in the Commerce Department
maritime board of three mem
bers, and a maritime administra-
tor under an Undersecretary Of