Evening star., 1953-06-14
Reorgdnizers
Face2More
Decisive Tests
Proposal to Abolish
Health and Welfare
Boards Protested
By John w. Stepp

pail C4ud1IJ uSC1SlVc, III IIlG I1eAL
two weeks.
In the past week, they saw the
Commissioners fatty reject their
proposal to diSmember the Traffic
Department and spread the traf-
f1c functions among two new de-
partments. Turned down also
was plan to shift two bureaus
out of the Health Department.
The Commissioners reached
these decisions after hearing
strong protests from municipal
health and traffic officials as well
as non-Government interests.
The action, at the same time,
closely followed recommended
tions of the Citizens Advisory
Council.
Decisive Test Ahead.
Upcoming now is the test of
whether the judgment of the re-
organizers-the City Department
Of General AdminiStration-shall
prevail over that of old-line city
officials and special interests in
the issue of rule-by-board versus
rule-by- director. The Health
and Welfare Departments are in
volved here.
And while that controversy is
being resolved, a second will de-
mand settlement: Whether, as
the reorganizerS desire, the city's
19 professional and occupational
boards should be grouped, for
administrative purposes only,
into one department.
The reported feeling in the ad-
miniStration department is that
If these two trials go the way of
the traffic and health bureau
controversies. the government
will be getting reorganization
without any real recognizing.
Ten Plans Adopted.
So far, ten departmental re-
organization plans have been
adopted by the city heads. In
seven Of these the transition was
smooth. The revamping was
largely a matter of rearranging
or consolidating the internal
operations of already existing
agencies. Also, the insistent
voice of protest, official or out
side, was raised.
The remaining three-traff1c,
the two health bureau and an
aspect of the Parole Board or
ganization-met head-on oppo-
sition and were dropped, with
only minor concessions to the re-
organizers.
Six other reorganization pro-
grams submitted, but mot acted
on by the Commissioners, have
won the complete approval" of
affected agency heads, and, ap-
parently, outside interests. The
lone exception here is the Health
Department, where the reorgan-
izers' recommendation for a con-
tinued single-director setup is
being contested by the medical
profession which demands a
board Of health to administer the
department.
Disagreement on Two.
OF another eight programs,
none of which has yet been sub
mitted to the Commissioners,
amicable agreement has been
reached between reorganizers
and agency heads on all but two.
Exceptions are the proposed
grouping of the professional
occupational boards, and the
Welfare Department as the pro-
gram concerns the proposed
abolition Of the Welfare Board,
which operates the department.
The Commissioners Citizens
Advisory Council has the health
proposal before it. Members
closely questioned the value of a
health board Friday when the
medical profession stated it
case. The council deferred
reaching any conclusion until
June %, when a special COM
mittee will report it's findings.
In the next day or two, the
Welfare Department proposal
probably will be laid before the
advisory body and the city heads.
Both will have to weigh the re-
organizers anti-board view
against that of welfare officials
and some public sentiment in
favor of continuing the board.
Several Courses Open.
Also to be taken into account
Is the expressed intent of a for
mer Board of Commissioners,
testifying before Congress, to
abolish operating boards.
A number of interesting pos
sibilities arise in this connection.
The city heads could approve
both the existing Welfare Board
and the proposed Health Board,
thus turning their backs on Con-
gress, their reorganizers. and
their present health director. If
the Commissioners decide on
continuing the Welfare Board,
but rejecting the Health Board
proposal, they will be open to
charges of inconsistency. And
If they do away with both boards,
they will have an angry group
of doctors and welfare workers
about their heads.
OF course, if they abolish the
existing Welfare Board and set
up the proposed Health Board,
nearly everyone can be con-
fused and peeved.
Capitalization Urged.
The proposition regarding the
city's 10 professional-occupa-
tional boards apparently boils
down to the opposition of a few
as against the approval Of a
majority.
The reorganizerS hope to CEN
tralize the purely administrative
fUpcfio11S 1Ipdar tho noYfrnI of