Evening star., 1951-11-25
Reorganization
Continued From First Page.)

81St Congress, the President ma!
send to Congress before April
1858, a reorganization plan fol
'Fagencies including the Distric
4 Government. The plan will takt
effect unless disapproved by eithel
House of Congress.
Needs for bringing certain agen
Icies here under the control o.
the municipal government, cen.
Trailing administrative contro
and definite placing of responsi.
bility at top level and for con.
tlnuing authority to make fu.
ture required changes can be met
within the framework of the Re.
!, organization Act. Gen. Robinson
points out.
His report notes that the Dis
trict government today presents
Ia complex situation. There are
more than 100 separate agencies
concerned wholly or partly with
District affairs, and more than
80 are controlled to some extent
by the Commissioners. it relates
Perform Specific Functions.
Some of the agencies are Fed
eral Offices with national respon-
sibilities, performing some spe-
ciflc functions for the District.
Like Mr.. Fowler's plan, Gen.
RobinSon's proposal calls for a
citizens advisory council. Dis
trict citizens participate in city
government on a large number
of boards. commissions and COM
mittees. Gen. Robinson notes, and
this participation should be for
malized.
He also makes the point that
the total number of departments
should be enough to permit each
to function as a unit, and to
avoid grouping of unrelated func-
tions. Authorities indicate the
desirable number to be between
10 and 20 for a city government,
he says.
Fewer Units For Each.
Gen. Robinson suggests that the
number of units under any one
official should be small enough to
permit effective management. 1T
has long been recognized that
no human brain should attempt
to supervise directly more than
five or six other individuals" he
notes.
The report was prepared with
the assistance of Assistant En-
gineer Commissioners Thomas J,
Hayes. III, and C. n. Whitesell
and George A. England, special
assistant to Gen. Robinson.
Although Gen. Robinson left
the composition of the three bu-
reaus to be determined lister, he
proposed that staff functions OF
the District should be reorganized
into the following offices:
l. The Secretary, under the sec.
retary to the Board of Commis-
sioners, responsible for admins.
trative matters pertaining to the
board, and for public relations
The latter includes co-ordinatine
such activities for the District anc
performing such public relation.
functions as may be delegated tt
him by the Board of Commission.
ers.
i 2. Personnel Office, under a per.
sonnet officer, responsible for per.
sonnel administration, includin,
recruiting and placing employees
determining classification an,
compensation; training; carin,
for their health, welfare and mo
rale; transfers and promotions
and separations and retirement
: The lack of a ST. ong personne
office in the present District gov
eminent is one of it's most seriou
deficiencies.
3. Management Office, under
/ management officer, responsible
E for research. planning and specia
: studies concerning the problem O
city management - organization
!, coordination, control and the like
Y 1t should be a small Office, relyin
= largely on advisory committee.
t and acting only in an advisor
= capacity.
y 4. Budget Office, under a oudge
y officer. responsible for long-terl
y programming, capital pudsetins
S and preparation of the annus
n and preparation of the annu,
d included in the finance Office, sine
# it is concerned with fiscal matter
d and there are also some advan
t Itages to Incorporating it with tn
management Office, because {