DEPARTMENTS HEARINGS BEFORE THE JOINT COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES Appointed pursuant to Public Resolution No. 4 Seventy-fifth Congress, First Session HAVING UNDER CONSIDERATION SENATE DOCUMENT NO. 8 THE MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT TRANSMITTING THE REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 16, 17, 18, 24; MARCH 8, 9, 11, 19, 29, 31 AND APRIL 1, 27, AND 29, 1937 Printed for the use of the Committees on Government Organization JOINT COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE JOSEPH T. ROBINSON, Arkansas, Chairman JOHN J. COCHRAN, Missouri, Chairman JAMES F. BYRNES, South Carolina LINDSAY C. WARREN, North Carolina HARRY FLOOD BYRD, Virginia' FRED M. VINSON, Kentucky JOSEPH C. O'MAHONEY, Wyoming J. WILL ROBINSON, Utah ALBEN W. BARKLEY, Kentucky JAMES M. MEAD, New York PAT HARRISON, Mississippi FRANK C. KNIFFIN, Ohio HARRY P. BEAM, Illinois JOHN TABER, New York F. J. LAWTON, Consultant and Adviser CLARK C. WREN, Consultant and Adviser II CONTENTS Louis Brownlow, chairman, President's Committee on Administrative Luther Gulick, member President's Committee on Administrative Charles E. Merriam, member President's Committee on Administra- A. E. Buck, consultant, President's Committee on Administrative C. M. Hester, consultant, President's Committee on Administrative Lewis Meriam, Brookings Institution.. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1937. Joint COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION, Washington, 1). C. The joint committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:30 a. m. in room 201, Senate Office Building, Senator Joseph T. Robinson presiding. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. It was understood at the last meeting of the joint committee that an informal conference with the members of the President's committee would be held today, to the end that the work of that committee may be more familiar to this group charged with the responsibility of reaching a decision regarding plans for reorganization. Is it the desire of the members of the committee that a statement be made by the members of the President's committee, or is it preferable to informally interrogate them? What do you think about that, Mr. Warren? Representative WARREN. My idea would be for them to make a statement and then if the members of the committee wish to question them, they may do so. The CHAIRMAN. If there is no objection the Chair will request the members of the President's committee to make statements, and questions by the members of the committee will be reserved until the conclusion of the statement of each witness. Mr. Brownlow, will you come forward, please? STATEMENT OF LOUIS BROWNLOW, CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT'S COMMITTEE Mr. BROWNLOW. Perhaps it might be useful in the beginning, briefly, if I may, to review the history of the organization of this committee. It had its origin in conversations between the President and Mr. Merriam, who is a member of the committee, in the summer of 1935, and then these conversations were renewed at intervals in September, October, and in December, and at last the President asked Mr. Merriam, Mr. Gulick, and myself to undertake a survey of administrative management, or overall management in the executive branch of the Federal Government. Before that committee actually was appointed the Senate had set up a Committee on Reorganization, of which Senator Byrd was chairman, and the President, before he actually named this committee, wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House asking that the House create a similar committee, and that committee was organized under the chairmanship of Mr. Buchanan. The President's committee, in consultation with the Senate committee and before the House committee was set up, undertook a divi |