Evening star., 1950-03-19
Douglas
Continued From Page C-1.)

NSSA4C&44ISA i oA14 oSC
to the Secretary of Commerce. It
would have the regulatory and
subsidy functions of the present
commission. The new admins
traitor would carry out the SUBJ
sidy agreements and administer
the various operating programs.
Position Reversed 1t
The Hoover Commission recon-
mended transferring the operat-
ing program of the Maritime
Commission TO Commerce. Last
year, when the Senate Expendi-
lures Committee asked for com
ments on the Hoover Commission
+ e m m n d tions, Maj. Gen
Philip B. Fleming. chairman OF
the Maritime Commission. replied
"The commission is unani-
mously and vigorously opposed to
any proposed splitting of the
functions now vested in the Mari
time Commission with respect to
the merchant marine"
Last week. however, Gen. Flem-
ing had revised his views and
announced he supports the Presi-
dents plan.
Plans 7-13 deal with other regu-
latory agencies. They are the
Interstate Commerce Commission
Federal Trade Commission, Fed
eral Power Commission, Securities
and Exchange Commission, Fed
eral Communications Commission
NLRB and Civil Aviation Board.
These plans would make the
chairman of the various agencies
responsible for the day-to-day ad-
ministration, rather than the
commissions as a whole, with the
idea that one head-except for
policy making-is better than
several.
The SEC already is on record
in opposition. Edmond M. Hanra-
han, it's chairman last year, said
in a statement to the Senate Ex-
penditures Commission:
Many apparently administra-
tive matters upon closer analysis
reveal important policy issues. For
example, preparation of the COM
missions budget is largely an ad-
ministrative problem, but policy
is involved in determining which
commission functions are to. be
maintained, enlarged or dimin-
ished in making the budget re-
quests.
Supervision of workload, back
log and the progress of the op-
Grating divisions is administrative
except to the extent that such
review might contain the power
to direct the priority of disposition
or to prefer the use of available
personnel for one endeavor rather
than another"
Business interests dealing with
these regulatory agencies will
scrutinize the plans carefully and
the personalities of the chairman
who will have additional powers
For example, those who are now
plugging for the go-ahead on color
television will study how Chair
man Wayne Coy of the FEC is
likely to act in docketing TV color
cases.
The remainder of the plans have
to do with the transfer of func-
tions to and from the General
Services Administration. AS Mr.
Truman said, they will round out
the organization Of that agency
One of the most important is
the transfer of the leasing OF
building space and its assignment
from the various agencies to GSA
Since GSA already has these re-
sponsibilities in Washington the
plans application is chiefly in the
field.
The well-developed service o1
the Post Office is exempt, and the
Post Office is given priority or
space in Post Office buildings. But
there is said to be considerable
waste Of space in such buildings
throughout the country and GSA
is expected to use this most eco
nomically THE President predicted
"substant j savings" from the
change.