Evening star., 1950-01-08
Truman Is Expected
To Submit Additional
Reorganization Plans
BY Francis P. DoueIos

BY Francis P. Douglas
President Truman Is expected
to submit to the present session
of Congress number of proposals
for Government reorganization
and Congress generally is holding
of on this subject until the Presi-
dent discloses his plans.
Analyses of all the Hoover Com
mission recommendations have
been prepared by the Budget
Bureau for the President. The
bureau likewise has prepared a
number of plans to carry out re-
organization and the President
will decide which of them he will
send to Congress.
The plans. more than a dozen
IN number, fall into these cate
gories:
l. Three or four plans concern
ing Government management.
2. Eight or nine which provide
for the transfer of functions to
consolidate them for the elemina-
tion of duplication and for greater
efficiency.
3. Two or three bills to carry
out reorganization projects.
Without waiting for the dis
closure of the Presidents plans,
Senator Cain. Republican, of
Washington, has announced he
will introduce a bill this week to
consolidate all water resources
development in the Interior De-
partmSnt and new board to be
named by the President.
Senator Cain said his bill will
carry out the recommendations of
the Hoover Commission. These
recommendations constitute one
of the most controversial sections
of the Hoover report. What has
aroused most dispute is the pro-
posal to transfer the civil func-
tions of the Army Engineers to
Interior;
In reorganiZing the Govern
ment, Congress and the admin
istration SO far can point to three
major achievements: The Defense
Department, the State Department
and the General Services Admin
istration.
Unif1cation of the Defense
Department in the last session
carried out almost all of the Hoover
Commissions recommendations in
regard to that agency. Defense
Secretary johnson has estimated
savings eventually will run at the
rate of $500, 900 900 a year.
The Department announced it
would reduce its civilian force by
1876 900 by December l. It exceeded
that goal, the reductions in force
totaling 138,600 employees, with
payroll savings estimated at 1884,
100000 Some of the other eco
Monies:
I'd Reduction in flying hours of
administrative planes, with no cut
back for combat units, a saving of
$63 100000 in this fiscal year and
ultimately an annual saving of
$101 100000; (2) Maintenance and
operation of motor vehicles, a
saving of $10,000,00o this year and
later annual savings at the rate of
$20,000,000; CD Record keeping,
savings at the annual rate of
$10.000,000. In one category of
records the number of required
copies has been cut from II to 8.
One of the problems of the cut
ting back Government employ
ment rolls is illustrated by the
sequel to the Defense Depart
ment's announcement it would
dismiss $4,000 civilian employees.
1t was disclosed then that num-
ber of these workers would be
hired for the foreign military as
sistance program authorized by
Congress. This program. how
ever, is not handled by the De-
fense Department.
Organization SimpIified.
In the State Department reor-
ganization. the only Hoover Com
mission recommendation not car
ried out is the one for the con-
solidation of the Foreign Service
and the; permanent department
tai personnel in Washington.
This problem is being studied.
The organizational structure of
the department has been simpli-
fed and the number of units re-
duced by As per cent. or from 393
to 213. The work load in the
Office of the secretary has been
reduced by so per cent.
In view of the many and wide
spread obligations of the depart
ment the goal of reorganization
was efficiency rather than economy
On October 81. 1948, employment
totaled 1892 in the principal do
mestic operations in the District
In the Foreign Service and in the