Relation of the Federal Government to Research 



137 



and prices stntistics ever attempted. Its report appeared In 

 two series, the one of four volumes dealius with wholesale 

 prices, wages, nnd transportation ( S. Kep. 13'J4, 52d Cong., 2d 

 sess., 1S93) and the other with retail prices and wages in three 

 volumes (S. Rep. 986, 52d Congress, 1st sess., 1892). 



Education: 



1. Conmiission on National Aid for Vocational Education, 

 created by joint resolution of January 20, 1914, composed of 

 seven memhers, appointed by the Pre.sident of the United States, 

 with instructions to consider and report upon the sub.iect of 

 the grant by the National Government of aid to the States 

 for vocational education. 



Organization and Operations of the 

 Administrative Branch 



The present writer has had occasion to point out, and 

 to emphasize in a way that other writers have not done, 

 the fact that the legislative branch, under our system 

 of separation of powers, is the source of all adminis- 

 trative authority and, as a necessary consequence, has 

 a very special responsibility in respect to the manner 

 in which the administrative services are organized and 

 conduct their operations.-* The American legislature 

 is the body that, subject to constitutional limitations, 

 determines what activities shall be engaged in by the 

 Government; how the administrative services shall be 

 organized for the performance of these activities; what 

 sums of money shall be applied to such purposes ; how 

 this money shall be raised and disbursed ; and the rules 

 of procedure that shall be followed in performing the 

 work to be done. In the exercise of this authority, the 

 legislature acts in the capacity of a board of directors 

 and performs a function that can be clearly dis- 

 tinguished from that of legislation, strictly speaking, 

 from the jurisprudential standpoint. 



Having this responsibility, it is essential that the 

 legislature shall take the steps that will ensure to it 

 the knowledge of administrative conditions and needs 

 upon which alone intelligent action by it can be had. 

 Much of this knowledge can be secured from the an- 

 nual administrative and financial reports which the 

 administrative services are required to make and 

 through the hearings upon the annual appropriation 

 bills when these services are called upon to justify the 

 demands for the grant of funds that have been made 

 on their behalf in the Budget. Many occasions arise, 

 however, where the information thus obtained is in- 

 adequate. Especially is this so where the legislature 

 is not satisfied with the fundamental aspects of ad- 

 ministrative conditions and has in contemplation the 

 introduction of changes of a basic character. On such 

 occasions, the legislature finds that by far the most 

 effective means open to it is that of causing to be made 



a detailed study of the matters in which it is interested, 

 a study that will not only reveal existing conditions, 

 but result in concrete recommendations for action hav- 

 ing for their purpose the correction of evils that may 

 be found to exist. 



Inquiries of this character, as regards their reports, 

 fall into a number of categories: (1) Those of a gen- 

 eral nature; that is, relating to the administrative 

 establislmient as a whole with a view to improving 

 administrative conditions generally; (2) those relating 

 to a particular phase or asjject of public administration, 

 such as organization, accounting, the recruitment and 

 handling of personnel, etc.; and (3) those having for 

 their purpose to examine the conduct of affairs by par- 

 ticular services. 



From almost the beginning of the Government, in- 

 quiries of this character have been made by Congress. 

 It is, manifestly, impracticable even to list, much less to 

 describe in any detail all these investigations. It would 

 seem desirable, however, to give a brief accomit of some 

 of the more general ones as throwing light upon the 

 character and importance of the research work of Con- 

 gress in this field.^" 



Investigations of a general character. — Of investiga- 

 tions falling within the first category that has been 

 mentioned, that is, those pertaining to administrative 

 conditions geneially, much the most important are those 

 that were presented, on behalf of Congress, by: 



1. The Joint Commission on Executive Departments, Organiza- 

 tion, etc. (Dockery-Cockrill Commission) 1893-1895. 



2. The President's Commission on Economy and EfHciency, 

 1910-1912. 



3. The Joint Committee on Reorganization of the Adminis- 

 trative Branch of the Government, 1920. 



4. The Senate Select Committee to Investigate Executive 

 Agencies of the Government and the House Special Committee 

 to Investigate Executive Agencies of the Government, 1937-1938. 



The Joint Conmiission on Executive Departments, 

 Organization, etc., known as the Dockery-Cockrill Com- 

 mission, was created by a clause inserted in the Legisla- 

 tive, Executive, and Judicial Appropriation Act for 

 1894, approved March 3, 1893, which provided for the 

 creation of a joint conmiission, composed of thi'ee Sena- 

 tors, appointed by the President of the Senate, and three 

 Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House, 

 with instructions to inquire into: the status of the laws 

 organizing the executive departments, bureaus, and 

 other administrative establishments; the rules, regula- 

 tions, and methods for the conduct of busmess in such 

 services; the time and attention devoted to the public 



'^Principles of Public Administration and Principles of Legislative 

 Organization and Administration, The Brookings Institution, 1927 and 

 1934. 



" The report of the President's Commission on Economy and Effi- 

 ciency, The Need for a National Budget {H. Doe. 851, 62d Cong., 2d 

 sess., 1912) gives an exceptionally detailed list of such Inquiries during 

 the period 1789-1911, which list is reproduced in Gustuvns A. Wchcr. 

 Organised Efforts for the Improvement of Methods of Administration 

 in the United States, the BrookinRS Institution, 1919. 



122999—39 



