Evening star., 1951-03-02
Two Groups Study,Woys to End
Congressional Inquiry Abuses

Usually, the author of the resolu-
ton for the investigation becomes
the chairman of the investigating
committee.
Under the Reorganization Act,
the theory was that the Appropri-
ations Committees should do the
checking on the agencies before
giving them money to spend, the
Committees on Expenditures in
Executive Departments should
check up on how the money is
being spent and the legislative
committees should review the ad-
ministration of the laws they pass
to see if changes are needed.
The Reorganization Act sub
committees are going to see how
closely practice follows theory.
There is considerable belief
among members of the expendi-
lures committees that they should
be getting more of the investiga-
tlons now being done by other
committees.
Chairman Mcclellan of the
Senate Expenditures Committee
said some Investigations now being
done by other committees could
we'll be done by his Investigations
subcommittee, especially set UP to
make Investigations and which
carries staff of eight trained
investigators. In any case. he said,
there should be a better co-ordi-
nation of Investigations.
Mr.. Holifield said the House
Expenditures Committee and its
five standing subcommittee theo-
retically are supposed to be the
investigating bodies of the House,
but they have never been put to
full use.
Some Overlapping Found.
Chairman Stanley Of the House
Administration Committee, which
allots funds to the various House
committees for special purposes,
said his committee has run into
some overlapping and duplicating
investigating projects.
He also questioned the results
of some Investigations, while say
ing other committees are doing
splendid work"
After some of these investiga-
tions are made" he complained,
they do not always result in cor
rective legislation. Sometimes,
corrective legislation is not even
offered. The committee makes a
report and that's the end of it,"
In the future, he said, where
there is a real reason and need
for an investigation, his committee
will make the money available,
but when it's just for publicity
reasons, I cannot sanction spend
ing money"
But what of the solo investi-
cations by legislators working on
their own hook, using their own
staffs or spending their own
Stronger Stats Advocated.
The LaFollette- -Monroney COM
mittee touched on them when it
was advocating strengthened COM
mittee stats and frequent con-
situations between the agencies
administering the laws and the
committees that wrote them.
"Such review" said the Reor-
ganization Act report, might well
include a question period by the
committee arranged with the help
Of a greatly improved committee
staff. BY this method, an open
channel Of complaints of agency
shortcomings or abuses of author
ity could be maintained so as to
furnish all members of Congress
with clearing house for bringing
complaints to the attention. of
administrators through the proper
legislative committees.
BY implication. the report made
it clear that subjects that should
interest legislators should be
handled by the committees and
their stats.
Presumably. the subcommittee
investigating investigations will
want to find out how that angle
of the Reorganization Act is work.
ing out, too.