REORGANIZATION PLAN NO. 3 OF 1949
Eff. Aug. 20, 1949, 14 F.R. 5225, 63 Stat. 1066
Prepared by the President and transmitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives in Congress assembled, June 20, 1949, pursuant to the provisions of the Reorganization Act of 1949, approved June 20, 1949 [see 5 U.S.C. 901 et seq.].
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT
Section 1. Functions of the Postmaster General
Sec. 2. Deputy Postmaster General
There shall be in the Post Office Department a Deputy Postmaster General, who shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall perform such duties as the Postmaster General may designate, and shall receive compensation at the rate of $10,330 per annum or such other compensation as may be provided by law for the under secretaries of executive departments after the date of transmittal of this reorganization plan to the Congress.
Sec. 3. Assistant Postmasters General
There shall be in the Post Office Department four Assistant Postmasters General, who shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall perform such duties as the Postmaster General may designate, and shall receive compensation at the rate of $10,330 per annum or such other compensation as may be provided by law for the assistant secretaries of executive departments after the date of transmittal of this reorganization plan to the Congress.
Sec. 4. Advisory Board
There is hereby established an Advisory Board for the Post Office Department of which the Postmaster General shall be chairman and the Deputy Postmaster General the vice chairman. The Board shall have seven additional members, representative of the public, who shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The members so appointed shall each receive compensation of $50 per diem when engaged in duties as members of the Board (including travel time to and from their homes or regular places of business) and reasonable subsistence and travel expense as determined by the Postmaster General. The Board shall meet quarterly at the seat of the government in the District of Columbia, or at such other time and place as the Postmaster General shall determine for the purpose of considering methods and policies for the improvement of the postal service, and shall advise and make recommendations to the Postmaster General with respect to such methods and policies.
Sec. 5. Agencies Abolished
Sec. 6. Employees, Records, Property, and Funds
The employees now being employed, and the records and property now being used or held, in connection with any functions transferred by the provisions of this reorganization plan are hereby transferred to such agencies of the Post Office Department as the Postmaster General shall designate. The unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, and other funds available or to be made available for use in connection with such functions shall remain so available.
[The Post Office Department and the office of Postmaster General of the Post Office Department were abolished and all functions, powers, and duties transferred to the United States Postal Service by Pub. L. 91-375, §4(a), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 773, set out as a note under 39 U.S.C. 201.]
Message of the President
To the Congress of the United States:
I transmit herewith Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1949, prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Reorganization Act of 1949. This plan constitutes an important first step in strengthening the organization of the Post Office Department.
One of the prime essentials of good departmental administration is authority from the Congress to a department head to organize and control his department. The Commission on Organization of the executive branch of the Government emphasized in its first and subsequent reports that separate authorities to subordinates should be eliminated. The plan gives the Postmaster General the necessary authority to organize and control his Department by transferring to him the functions of all subordinate officers and agencies of the Post Office Department, including the functions of each Assistant Postmaster General, the Purchasing Agent, the Comptroller, and the Bureau of Accounts. The Postmaster General is authorized to delegate to subordinates designated by him such of his functions as he may deem appropriate.
The Postmaster General is responsible for the management of one of the world's largest businesses. Like the head of any large business, the Postmaster General should be given adequate top-level assistance in carrying on the operations of the Department so that he may have time to devote to matters of departmental and public policy. In order to provide needed assistance to the Postmaster General, the plan establishes the positions of Deputy Postmaster General, and four Assistant Postmasters General, comparable to the positions of Under Secretary and Assistant Secretaries in other departments.
The plan also establishes an Advisory Board for the Post Office Department, composed of the Postmaster General, the Deputy Postmaster General, and seven other members representing the public who shall be appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Advisory Board will make available to the Postmaster General the advice of outstanding private citizens and will afford a useful channel for the interchange of views between postal officials and the public concerning the operations of the postal service.
I have found after investigation that each reorganization contained in the plan is necessary to accomplish one or more of the purposes set forth in section 2(a) of the Reorganization Act of 1949. I have also found and hereby declare that by reason of the reorganization made by this plan, it is necessary to include in the plan provisions for the appointment and compensation of the Deputy Postmaster General, four Assistant Postmasters General, and members of the Advisory Board for the Post Office Department. The plan abolishes the Bureau of Accounts of the Post Office Department and the offices of Comptroller, Purchasing Agent, First, Second, Third, and Fourth Assistant Postmasters General.
This plan carries into effect those of the recommendations of the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government respecting the Post Office Department which can be accomplished under the provisions of the Reorganization Act. I am also transmitting to the Congress recommendations for legislation which will implement other recommendations of the Commission and place the operations of the Post Office Department on a more businesslike basis.
The primary result of this reorganization plan will be more effective administration. Although a substantial reduction in expenditures will not be brought about by the plan alone, major economies can be achieved over a period of time as a result of this plan and the enactment of the postal legislation which I am recommending to the Congress.
Harry S. Truman.
THE WHITE HOUSE, June 20, 1949.