Plan for Remodeling

Should Congress modernize itself? Scholars have written long studies surveying Congress' antiquated machinery; from time to time Congressmen themselves have introduced bills designed to oil a creaky cogwheel here or there. FORTUNE initiated wide public discussion of the subject in 1943. A plan for the revamping of Congress was outlined in the current issue of the American magazine by War Mobilizer James F. Byrnes.

Last week a more specific plan, stemming in part from the FORTUNE studies, and consisting of 14 carefully integrated recommendations, was ready. Its author: Cleveland's Business Engineer Robert Heller. Its sponsor: the nonprofit, nonpolitical National Planning Association. Its most sensational recommendation: raise Congressmen's salaries from $10,000 a year to $25,000.

Keen, young (45) Engineer Heller, who showed the U.S. Steel Corp. seven years ago how to modernize its marketing methods, examined every part of the cumbersome Congress mechanism, saw how it worked, and drew his own conclusions. He wrapped up suggestions made in other studies, finally saw his report adopted unanimously by the association's business, labor and agriculture committees. Gist of the recommendations:

P: Run all Congressional business through only 15 standing committees in each chamber (instead of the present 47 in the House, 33 in the Senate).

P: Select committee chairmen on some other basis than seniority.

P: Adopt a rigid cloture rule (ending all filibusters).

P: Drop the practice of attaching riders to bills which, in the main, have nothing whatever to do with the subject of the rider. (Such legislation is usually hung on appropriation bills, often forces a President to accept objectionable legislation, helps stuff the pork barrel.)

P: Tighten up Congressional control and authority over fiscal policy, but leave financial details to heads of Government agencies.

P: Establish greater party responsibility for legislation by having majority and minority policy committees (making the; parties accountable not only for what they do, but also for what they fail to do).

P: Have heads of Government agencies appear before Congress for questioning about work, plans, policies.

P: Give Congressmen higher salaries, more money for adequate staffs, a retirement pension after 55 ($1,000 per year of service with a maximum of $10,000).

To buttress this and other suggestions, NPA pointed out that, in prewar 1940, Congress cost the taxpayers only 1-c-: out of every $7 spent by the U.S. Government, held that a small extra cost would pay handsome dividends. But Heller insisted that other changes--e.g., reduction of standing committees--should come along with such items as pensions and salary increases. Said Heller: "It appears obvious that Congress is operating with hand tools in a mechanized age."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.