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Show NATIONAL CAWTM g AFFAIRS ml Interior Department Tires Engineers WASHINGTON. There ha been a plan for several years to recognize the executive departments of the federal government to take the whole thing apart and put It together again different. differ-ent. But it seems to be getting nowhere. no-where. One of the details of the plan la to abolish the Department of the Interior In-terior and establish In Its place a Department De-partment of Public Works, In which would be grouped the constructive activities ac-tivities of the various departments, the other activities of the department to be transferred as seems fitting. The plan has been worked out to the last detail. , , The American Engineering council of New York Is getting Impatient for action. The council, composed of federated fed-erated engineering societies throughout through-out the country, makes public Its official offi-cial view that ttie Department of the Interior Is an "outworn organization, which, owing to the employment of methods current in early days. Is annually an-nually wasting millions of dollars." Engineers of International prominence promi-nence In the council are urging that the department be abolished. They suggest that the supervision of public works be co-ordinated in one groirp, to eliminate duplication, and that the various bureaus and subagencies be regrouped Into other departments. At present the secretary of the Interior does everything, he council says, "frbin running hospitals, an Institution Institu-tion for the deaf and a university, to keeping the Indians sober." In order to conduct its campaign more effectively the council lias organized organ-ized a congress of engineers to meet annually In Washington, together with an administrative board and an executive execu-tive committee. The president of the council is former Gov. James Hart-ness Hart-ness of Vermont, who hopes that the engineers can give the government technical advice at all times. "Because of the Tenpot Dome Investigation In-vestigation Interest In the administration administra-tion of the public lands has been heightened," Mr. Hartness said. "Under "Un-der the engineering plan of reorganization reorgani-zation nine of the ten agencies having public land functions would be consolidated con-solidated under one departmental authority, au-thority, so that these closely related matters may have a common Jurisdiction Jurisdic-tion and not be distributed among three federal departments, as at present." pres-ent." The first meeting of the new administrative admin-istrative board will be held In Philadelphia Phila-delphia May 23 and 24. At these sessions ses-sions the public works plan and numerous nu-merous other national questions, Including In-cluding reforestation, will be discussed. |
