There is no greater and nobler effort Government can give than to concern itself, as a primary task, with the health, education, and security, of its citizens. The foundations of our Government rest on that sturdy rock, conceived, as it was, "to promote the general welfare" of its people.

We sincerely hope that this Congress will not prevent the President from putting his plan into effect.

The CHAIRMAN. Does your organization favor the compulsory health insurance program?

Mr. MARKOFF. We have not taken any position on that, sir.
The CHAIRMAN. Do you have any questions, Senator Mundt?
Senator MUNDT. No questions, Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Smith?

Senator SMITH. No questions.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Schoeppel?

Senator SCHOEPPEL. No questions.

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, sir.

Mr. MARKOFF. Thank you.

The CHAIRMAN. Is there anyone else present who wishes to testify this morning? According to the list prepared by the staff, we have four witnesses to hear this afternoon.

The committee will stand in recess until 2 o'clock this afternoon. (Thereupon, at 11:55 a. m., the committee recessed, to reconvene at 2 p. m., of the same day.)

AFTERNOON SESSION

(The committee reconvened at 2 p. m. upon the expiration of the recess.)

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order.

Mr. Earl N. Parker?

STATEMENT OF EARL N. PARKER, ASSISTANT GENERAL DIRECTOR, FAMILY SERVICE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, NEW YORK, N. Y.

Mr. PARKER. My name is Earl N. Parker and I am the assistant general director of the Family Service Association of America.

The CHAIRMAN. Will you identify that a little more, please? We get these names of associations and I do not know some of them. Mr. PARKER. Sir, that appears in the first part of my statement that I shall present.

The CHAIRMAN. You may proceed.

Mr. PARKER. This association is a federation of 250 family service agencies in more than 200 cities throughout the United States and Canada. The services to families in difficulty rendered by these agencies were first established in this country over a hundred years ago and over the period of a century have been developed to a high level of skill. These agencies have assisted many hundreds of thousands of families in a whole range of problems-economic, health, vocational adjustment, housing, school, and also in making the personal and emotional adjustments which enable individuals and

687

From the accumulated knowledge and experience in family service,
e have arrived at some strong convictions. We are convinced that
y attainment of happier and more socially useful living for either
dividuals or families is dependent not upon one but upon a combina-
on of many factors. These include a strong foundation of religion;
advancing and unfettered educational system; a stable commu-
ty giving every individual opportunity to work; highly developed,
eventive health resources available to citizens in all areas of the
untry; a well-rounded system of social insurance and carefully
anned social services, public and private, to assist individuals in
ercoming those handicaps, physical, economic, or psychological,'
nich human beings inevitably encounter in everyday living.
From long years spent in working with many hundreds of thousands
individuals, leaders in the family-service field have reached a sure
nclusion, that there must be the greatest possible coordination and
tegration in the planning and operation of preventive and remedial
rvices. This is of paramount importance not only in the voluntary
d governmental services, but also between the two.

Any family case worker in a family service agency could cite for you
Le instance after another where problems of poor adjustment in
hool are matched side by side with related social conditions,
adequate health care or insanitary and substandard housing; or
here conflict and dissension in homes can be traced, at least in part,
lack of play space and supervision for children, or lack of other
blic resources. Such situations are often impossible of solution in
ew of the patchwork social structure frequently existing in most
mmunities and within which the social agency has to work.

I cannot speak for all the national organizations in the field of social ork, but I know that practically all of them agree on the need of oser integration of social services.

Consistent with this belief, the Family Service Association of nerica has long favored the integration to the fullest extent possible, governmental services as a step in promoting the general welfare of citizens. Some progress has been made thus far in bringing the blic Health Service, the Federal Office of Education, the United ates Children's Bureau, the administration of the social insurances, d the Federal assistance services together under the Federal curity Administration. It needs to be carried further, and to have stowed on it the recognition and status which would accrue if these d other human welfare services were combined in a Federal departent under the direction of an executive of Cabinet rank.

In November 1946, at the biennial meeting of the Family Service ssociation of America, after thorough consideration of this subject its delegate body, the general assembly, the following resolution s adopted:

Whereas public services essential to the general well-being of the people must well planned, comprehensive, and coordinated in order to be effectively ailable to those who need them: Be it

Resolved, That the general assembly of the Family Service Association of nerica urgently recommends that a Federal Department of Health, Education, d Welfare, headed by a Secretary of Cabinet rank, be established, whereby se administrative relationships could be achieved, the variety and quality of, eded services maintained, leadership given to the strengthening of present vices and development of new ones, and the importance of these services be ly recognized; be it further

Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be sent to the President of the United States, Members of the Congress, the governors of States, directors of State departments of welfare, health, and education, and to the individual members and member agencies of the Family Service Association of America.

Since then there has been, if anything, increased conviction in the family service field that this move toward closer coordination of the Federal welfare services is of engaging importance and in the interest of every American family. With the steady growth of our population, the increase in the size and complexity of our industrial plant, the need for the maximum of efficiency and the minimum of organizational structure becomes increasingly evident.

The CHAIRMAN. Any questions, Senator Smith?
Senator SMITH. No questions.

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Schoeppel?
Senator SCHOEPPEL. No questions.

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much.

Mr. PARKER. Thank you, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Dr. Frank F. Furstenberg?

STATEMENT OF DR. FRANK F. FURSTENBERG APPEARING ON BEHALF OF AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRATIC ACTION, BALTIMORE, MD.

The CHAIRMAN. You may proceed.

Dr. FURSTENBERG. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, my name is Frank F. Furstenberg. I am a practicing physician in Baltimore, Md. I am here on behalf of Americans for Democratic Action. I am a member of the Baltimore chapter of ADA, but today I am representing the national organization of ADA. At this point, I want to thank the committee for this opportunity of presenting our views on Reorganization Plan No. 27.

Americans for Democratic Action strongly opposes Senate Resolution 302 and urges this committee's rejection of it. We support Reorganization Plan 27 as submitted to the Congress by the President on May 31. Our support of this plan stems from the resolution adopted by our national convention in April of this year. The convention adopted position on which we base our approval of plan 27 reads as follows:

We support measures designed to increase the efficiency of the Government. We favor a reorganization of existing departments and the consolidation of overlapping bureaus and functions, provided such reorganization does not curtail or interfere with essential public functions.

Mr. Chairman, it is the view of Americans for Democratic Action that plan 27 meets the specific requirements and limitations of this language; that is, it will increase the efficiency of government without curtailing or interfering with essential public functions.

I do not make any claim to expertness in the field of governmental administration or organization. I am now a private physician, a specialist in the field of allergy, but I was for almost 4 years with the Ünited States Public Health Service. My war service was with that agency. I held the rank of surgeon and was variously assigned to work

17) પાણી ની ઓફિસે

ST

Mr. Chairman, my own personal concern and interest in the enact-
ent of plan 27 to create a Department of Health, Education, and
ecurity, grows out of my experience with the Public Health Service,
s well as out of my frequent contact with the many operations now
ithin the Federal Security Agency. I have had extensive experience
ith the inefficiency and wasteful limitations which the uncoordinated
Fork of the several bureaus now in the FSA necessarily developed
nder their present set-up. The integration of these many activities
s provided for in plan 27 automatically eliminates waste and ineffi-
iency and will improve the morale of the Government workers.
It is amazing to me that the multiple functions of the Federal
overnment in the broad area of human welfare, including the fields
f health, education, and economic security, have not yet been granted
abinet status. There is ample evidence, I am sure, in the record
f this committee of the widespread and long standing public support
or a Department of Health, Education, and Security. It is an indis-
utable fact that the activities of the Federal Security Agency exceed
à volume and in importance several of the existing Cabinet depart-
ents. Its activities are among those of the Federal Government
hich most closely and directly affect the lives of the greatest number
f the American people. We regard the greatly expanded responsi-
ilities and operation of the Federal Government in the vital areas of
ealth, education, and economic security as a demonstration of a
ynamic democracy. It is an indication of the increased interest on
he part of their Government in the welfare of the people.
Americans for Democratic Action supported plan 1 as originally
bmitted to the Congress in 1949. We felt that the congressional
oposition to that plan was essentially trivial as contrasted with the
ovious need for integration in a Cabinet department of the com-
ined constituent units of the Federal Security Agency. The present
lan obviously has been drawn to meet the principal objections under-
ing congressional disapproval in 1949. In view of this, I cannot
elp but feel that opposition now to the creation of a Department
or Health, Education, and Security as provided for in plan 27 can
nly be assumed to be based upon political or some rather narrow
rofessional considerations inconsistent with the general public interest:
As a doctor, I am naturally most interested in the aspects of the
lan which are concerned with the Public Health Service. In my
pinion, plan 27 represents certain improvements over plan 1. It
rovides for the best kind of Government administration, in my view,
y assuring that professional functions and responsibilities continue
o be in the hands of professionals. Special provision is made so that
he office of the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service is to be
lled by Presidential appointment with the advice and consent of the
enate. It provides that this officer must meet the professional
ualifications required by the post. This kind of assurance of pro-
ssional competence and administrative efficiency is also given in the
ase of the Commissioners of Education and Security.

Thus, while the peculiar competence of the constituent units within
e Federal Security Agency is protected and strengthened under
lan 27, those common functions and administrative details frequently
lled "housekeeping operations" are consolidated, obviously making
r greater efficiency and economy.

Americans for Democratic Action is an independent progressive political organization dedicated to the achievement of a "society in which each individual enjoys the greatest degree of liberty compatible with justice and economic security for his fellows." We welcome the great advances made within our democratic form of government over the past several years toward achieving greater economic and intellectual emancipation. These advances, particularly in the areas of health and economic security, present an administrative challenge which must be met. The departments of Government charged with the responsibility of protecting the people's interests in these areas must be geared to the job they have to do. We believe that plan 27 provides a program within which it will be possible for the existing agencies to function at maximum efficiency and effectiveness. We respectfully urge that this committee reject Senate Resolution 302 and recommend to the Senate that plan 27 be permitted to become effective under the terms of the Reorganization Act of 1949.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. Doctor, I would like to ask you a question in view of some of the testimony we heard this morning with reference to what would meet the test of qualifications under the plan for the head of the Public Health Service. It does not say specifically that the head should be a doctor, medical doctor or dentist, so it was suggested here this morning that a sanitary engineer in the Public Health Service might qualify as the head of the Public Health Department. Do you agree with that?

Dr. FURSTENBERG. I not only agree with it but I know of no reason why we could not have one.

The CHAIRMAN. You see nothing to prevent it?

Dr. FURSTENBERG. As I read it, it would be within the framework of the legislation.

The CHAIRMAN. In other words, he could meet the test laid down? Dr. FURSTENBERG. There are sanitary engineers in the Public Health field whose understanding of medical work is such that they could qualify.

The CHAIRMAN. I asked you for your views because others testifying this morning used that as an illustration. In other words, it does not require necessarily a medical doctor or dentist or somebody who has actually a professional standing in that field. When I say professional standing, I mean as a physician, as a surgeon, or as a dentist?

Dr. FURSTENBERG. That is right.

The CHAIRMAN. I also asked the others this morning the question if they interpreted to mean that a career man coming up, we will say, in the Public Health Service-I do not know what their different titles are down there anyone who had come up say in the Public Health Service who is not a doctor would be eligible under this because he would meet the test of background of experience and training?

Dr. FURSTENBERG. It would seem to me that some time in the future someone will head the Public Health Service who is not an M. D.; it might be a dentist or sanitary engineer or a public-health educator.