Famed Committee

What Government official would not tremble at the mention of its name? The name of the Senate Committee on Public Lands. . . . Simple and austere and little changed, still stands its roster:

REPUBLICANS DEMOCRATS

Stanfield (Ore.) Ashurst (Ariz.)

Smoot (Utah) Pittman (Nev.)

Cameron (Ariz.) A. A. Jones (N. M.)

Oddie (Nev.) Kendrick (Wyo.)

Shortridge (Calif.) Walsh (Mont.)

Norbeck (S. D.) Dill (Wash.)

Dale (Vt.)

All but one are from the far West, since 97% of the 430,000 acres of public lands are in eleven Western states.

Last week they announced plans to resume their searching investigations. On Aug. 26 they will begin at Salt Lake City, and in the following weeks hold hearings in Montana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico.

In the closing hours of the last Congress, the Committee was authorized to make an investigation into the administration of the Department of the Interior with the special purpose of looking into the matter of grazing on the public lands. But the Committee has decided that its authority is wide enough to comprehend investigation of reclamation projects, the forestry bureau and timber lands, water power development, mining and probably national parks and Indian affairs as well--all matters in the province of the Department of the Interior. On Aug. 26, it will start like a great Juggernaut upon its inquisitorial path.

How does,the Department of the Interior feel in its boots? Does Secretary Hubert Work quail before the impending procedure? Far from it, if one may judge by his resounding words to the press last week:

"The Department welcomes investigation and if there is anything going wrong here we want to know it. I have been investigating the Department for the last two years and I, want all the help I can get. We have nothing to hide here.

"I have neither political nor social ambition nor financial obligations. I am only a public servant and want all the aid I can get in administering the affairs of this office."