The Nation : Commerce Dept. to Stay

President Reagan has shelved a plan to dismantle the Commerce Department and replace it with a department of international trade and industry that would consolidate the government’s various trade agencies, Administration officials said. White House and Commerce Department officials cited the Administration’s heavy legislative agenda and dim prospects for congressional passage of the plan as reasons for the President’s decision. However, opposition from Secretary of State George P. Shultz also appears to have been a factor.