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Show Bureau Reforms All Die Young President's Reorganization Plan Had First Flop 30 Years Ago. Washington is taking calmly the President's recent appointment of a three-man commission to study a proposed reorganization of the executive exec-utive branch of the Government The executive branch alone employs more than 800,000 men and women and thirty new bureaus have been added under the Roosevelt administration. adminis-tration. Since the time the other President Roosevelt was in the White House there have been similar sim-ilar reform proposals. Nothing has ever come of them eicept the transfer trans-fer of two bureaus in the administration adminis-tration of President Coolidge. The need for reform Is conceded to be most urgent at this time but past experience has made Washington observers skeptical. President Roosevelt in letters to Senate and House leaders said he had talked over the reorganization plan as early as last October and asked Congressional committees to cooperate with the three man commission com-mission he has appointed. When an effort was made in the House immediately im-mediately to carry out the President's Presi-dent's request for the appointment of its committee Representative Snell objected to haste. He said Mr. Roosevelt had had three years to undertake such a reorganization. The resolution was referred to a committee. Those 1932 Pledges. Citizens of short memories may have forgotten that this subject was discussed in the ill-fated Democratic platform of 1932. In that document was the following plank: "We advocate an Immediate and drastic reduction of governmental expenditures by abolishing useless commissions and oflices, consolidating consolidat-ing departments and bureaus and eliminating extravagance to accomplish accom-plish a saving of not less than 25 per ceut in the cost of Federal Gov- eminent." Since that solemn covenant, later reinforced by the personal pledge of Mr. Roosevelt, the national deficit has been Increased by more than ten billion dollars. Expenditures of "regular" branches of the Government Govern-ment as well as the "emergency" expenditures went to new all-time highs. No Need to Wait. Critics of the trend toward bureaucracy bu-reaucracy in Washington point out that Mr. Roosevelt does not need the aid of a commission to accomplish accom-plish a great Improvement in the executive branch. He could imedl-ately imedl-ately cut off thousands of employees. President Roosevelt has explained that the "emergency" makes it necessary nec-essary to fill places quickly and there is no time for merit examinations. examina-tions. Lawrence Sullivan, able Washington writer, brought out the fact recently that 43 per cent of the employees of the executive branch are exempt from civil service. serv-ice. Four years ago only 19.2 per cent of employees were exempt from the merit laws. Plan Many Years Old. In addition to all this the comment com-ment is made that no reports from the committee would probably be possible before next year. The reports, re-ports, If and when completed, are regarded as having more than an even chance at being stowed away in the archives with various others on the same subject. Reorganization Reorganiza-tion of bureaus and reduction in costs were studied by committees and commissions under Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Taft, Harding, Coolidge and Hoover. The present proposal, In election year, is cordially greeted by members mem-bers of both houses of Congress. But If it should come actually to the point of lopping off any considerable consid-erable number of political appointees ap-pointees on the various bulging payrolls, pay-rolls, old timers In Washington foresee a cooling off of enthusiasm. |