Evening star., 1953-06-29
District End S
First Year Of
Reorganization
Five Agencies
Still Operating
Under Old Setup
By John w. Stepp

BY John w. Stepp
BY tomorrow night the curtain
will come down on Act I Of the
District government reorganiza-
ton program, but many Of the
principal actors still remain con-
SpiculouSly upStage.
These are three Of the remain
ing unrecognized departments
over which controversy still
RACES: The Health and Welfare
Departments and the proposed
centralized administrative setup
for the city's 10 professional and
occupational boards.
In addition, two non-contro-
versial agencies are in midair,
only because the Commissioners
haven't come to them: the
Coroner'S Office and the dog
pound, the latter an adjunct of
the Metropolitan Police Depart
ment.
AS for the remaining govern
ment agencies, of which there
were 81 before organization set
in, all have been telescoped into
q mere Is, consisting of 13 de
partments," eight offices" and
four boards"
Some Won Fight,
Most of the "a originals went
with apparent submissiueness
into the consolidated Setup.
Others protested violently against
being reorganized, and won their
case with the commissioners.
These. notably, were:
Vehicles and Traffic Depart
ment - Slated for distribution
between the Highway Depart
ment and the new Licenses and
Inspection Department. Traffic
officials and strong public repre-
sentation prevailed on the city
heads to leave Vehicles and Traf-
f1c alone, except for an adjust
ment Of traffic engineering func-
tions performed both by it and
the Highway Department.
Health Department-Two bu-
reauS, public health engineering
and food inspection, were slated
by the reorganizers to be abb
sorbed by the new licensing de-
partment. Health officials and
public representation, again,
combined to beat down this plan.
It was agreed, however, that the
two bureaus should be grouped
for purposes of more efficient
administration.
Parole Board-The reorganiz-
ers had planned to take the in
stitutional parole officer staff
from under the jurisdiction Of
the board and place it in the
Department of Corrections. Pa
role Board and public protested.
Status quo obtained.
The three controversial depart
mentS that should, but not nec-
eSsarily must, be reorganized be-
fore the Tuesday deadline, pre-
sent these unreSolved issues:
Professional and Occupational
BOardS-The reorganizers want
to establish a central admins
trative Office to handle the cler-
lcal. budgetary and other house
keeping" details for all 19 boards.
The boards, now functioning in
dependently of each other and
every one else except the COM
missionerS, fear the proposed
new setup as a threat to their
independence. Spokesman are
due to renew their objections to
the city heads in a hearing to-
morrow. These boards qualify
and regulate practitioners as
physicians, nurses, accountants,
undertakers, BARRIERS and cos
metologiSts.
Welfare Department-The re-
vamping plan appears satisfac-
tory to all concerned, except for
the provision to abolish the We'll
fare Board, which for q years
has determined public welfare
policy here.
Board members naturally OBJ
ject to seeing the board die.
They nave considerable support
among welfare workers and the
support of at least one District
commissioner, Renah F.. Ca
mailer. The reorganizers favor
q strong citizens advisory coun-
Gil to counsel a single director
of department..
Health Department - This
represents the welfare situation
In reverse. This department
has no policy-making board at
present, and the reorganizers
want to keep it that way, with
an advisory council added. But
the medical profession and an
influential medical-lay commit
tee wants a board established in
preference to the single-direc-
tor system. Otherwise, the
Health, like the Welfare De-
partment is satisfactory to all
concerned. The board question
as it affects both departments
will be threShed out at a Com
miSsioners hearing tomorrow.
Schuyler Lowe, the city's Di-
rector of General Administra-
ton and chief reorganizer, looks
on the first year Of reorganiza-
ton as "a year of decisions" "
Mr.. Lowe emphasized that this
has been the period for the
commissioners to lay out the
basic framework for the stream
lined government setup.
Details Must Be Handled.
The forthcoming year, which
Congress will probably allow fol-
the reorganization process to
continue-unleSs it cripples the
operation by withholding appro-
priations-will be the period foI
putting the fine details of the
program into place, according to