Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-11
PRES|DEN! SEEKS
DEFINITE PROGRAM
|NDROUGHT CRISIS
AdviCes From Affected Sec
tons Believed No Cause
for General Alarm.
DAMAGE THUS FAR
OF LOCALIZED NATURE
Showers Predicted Over Portions
of Country Where Distress
Expected.

Still of the opinion from latest adj
vices from the drought-stricken areas
that the situation is not yet one to
occupied himself today with the work
ing out of definite plan of relief before
setting in motion the machinery of the
Government.
Meanwhile the Weather Bureau to-
day maintained its predictions for
showers during the week over portions
of the drought area.
Rains were expected for portions of
Northwestern Minnesota, Eastern and
Central North Dakota, Western South
Dakota, Western Kansas and Western
Nebraska within the next SO hours.
These States, however, do not need rain
as badly as most of the Ohio Valley
but some alienation there was expected
by Wednesday or Thursday.
Showers for Kentucky.
Showers also were predicted for to-
morrow afternoon or night in Western
Kentucky.
The Weather Bureau officials were
careful, however, to point out that the
showers might not break the drought,
or might even fail to materialize.
Rains which have fallen in widely
scattered points in Tennessee, Kentucky
and the plains States in the last "a
hours were lighter than hoped for. The
country had changed from excessive
heat into something approximating
GOODNESS.
The distress and damage thus far, ac-
cording to Mr.. Hoover's reports, are To-
Called and Is confined more to the well
fare of live stock. He has let it be
known that he has no intention of put
ting his relief plans into definite form
or of giving orders to start the relief
work in motion until he has studied
carefully the reports which are now
coming in from the county agents of
the Agriculture Department, and until
he has held his conference with the
Governors of the drought-affected
States, set for next Thursday afternoon.
Time Given Problem.
The President, however, is continu-
ing to give virtually his full time to
this problem and, although he does not
view it as an approaching calamity, he
does look upon the situation with q
great deal of concern. He arrived at
his desk at the White House during the
forenoon from his Rapidan camp, where
he spent the greater part of the week
end, completing the ground work of his
relief plan with the assistance of Sec
rotary of Agriculture Hyde and James
C. Stone, vice chairman of the Federal
Farm Board.
Mr.. Hoover is tackling the drought
problem in almost the identical man.
ner in which he mapped out the relief
work following the Mississippi food of
several years ago
At noon Secretary Hyde advised him
of the nature of the reports received
during the past few days from the field
agents in the drought areas. All of the
agents have not yet been heard from.
but it is expected that they will have
made their reports in full within day
or so.
The White House is attaching i'm
portance to these reports because they
are made with painstaking care. The
President hopes to have these reports
tabulated and otherwise ready to lay
before the Governors Conference.
Governors Wire Acceptance.
Nine of the IL Governors invited by
Mr.. Hoover to participate in this con-
ference have wired their acceptance.
Cows. Pollard of Virginia and Hammell
of Iowa had not been heard from at
noon today, but the White House has
reason to know they will accept and be
on hand. No word has been received
from Gov Weaver of Nebraska, and
from advices received at the White
House he does not consider his State in
the drought area, and will not attend
the conference
Mr. Hoover will preside over the con-
ference. Beside the Governors there will
be present Secretary of Agriculture
Hyde, Alexander Legge, chairman of the
Federal Farm Board, who is hurrying
back to Washington from an inspection
trip in the West, and Paul Bestor,
chairman of the Federal Farm Loan
Board.
After reading the reports from the
field agents of the Department of Agri-
culture and other advices he has re-
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