Evening star., 1953-06-20
Reorganization
0fProfessiiona|
Boards AssaiIed
Consolidation of
Administrative Work
Held Expensive

Spokesman for most Of the
clty's 10 independent profess
sional examining boards late
yesterday set up another major
roadblock against the Govern
ment reorganization program.
In a Commissioners hearing
in the District Building. the
professional men roundly de-
nounced the reorganizers' pro-
posal to consolidate the admins
trative work of all professional
and occupational boards into a
single department.
Although General Admtllistra-
ton Director Schuyler Lowe in
SiStS that none of the boards
would lose any of their respon-
sibilities or authority, other
than the handling of admins
trative details. opponents vester-
day rallied against the possibility
Of loss of independence.
Completely unheard from
were the so-called occupational
boards. These are nine in num-
ber and include the fields of
plumbing. BARRIERS, undertakers.
cosmetology and electrical. Like
the professional boards, they
pass on the qualifications of
practitioners and enforce the
laws governing their fields.
No Hearing Request.
The Commissioners said they
had received no indication
whether the occupational bodies
want a hearing. The professional
boards spokesman said they
have not been in touch with
their counterparts in the occu-
pational sphere.
There have been indications.
however. that the occupational
people are beginning to stir with
protests.
Chief spokesman for the pro-
feSsionals yesterday was John
w. Townsend, counsel for the
District Institute of Certified
Public Accountants. He said he
was authorized to voice the op- |
position of the Boards of Ac- |
countancy, Dental Examiners,
Architects Examiners and Regis
trars, Veterinary Medicine. Op-
tometry. Pharmacy and Nurses
Examiners.
In addition, Mr.. Townsend told |
the Commissioners, he under |
stood that objections to the re-
organization program have been |
registered by the Healing Arts
Commission and the RegiStra-
ton Board for Professional En-
gineerS. OF all the boards, only |
that of the podiatrists remained
silent, according to Mr.. Town
send.
Sees Greater Expense.
His chief complaint was that
the proposed teleScoping of ad-
ministrative functions of all the
boards, which now perform
their own, would be expensive.
This, Mr.. Townsend added,
would be counter to the present
setup, where fees paid into each
of the boards pay for all ex-
penseS.
There is, he declared, more
over, mo public demand for
such a reorganization. The pro-
posed order appears designed to
bring about a change merely for
the sake of change"
Mr.. Townsend went on that
the proposed Capitalization of
all administrative functions of
the 19 boards must necessarily
impede the efficiency of the
agencies"
Along with these recurring
threads in the testimony ran a
strong theme of protest that the
reorganizers failed to allow Suf-
ficient time for the boards to
study their recommended pro-
gram.
Witnesses felt that, instead of
action before June 80, the dead |
line by which time the broad |
outlines of the overall reorgan- |
ization must be approved, the
Commissioners should adhere to
the status quo to allow the re-
organizers further time to con- !
suit with the boards and the
professional associations and So
cieties.
Testimony by Others.
Among others who testified: