Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-09
POLITICS DROPPED
TO AID BUSINESS
Governors Report States
Prepared to Win War on
Misery This Winter.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.
President Hoover did not say so in his
laconlc post-election utterance about
the JOB" now facing the country e..
concentration on further measures for
economic recovery''-hut what he
means is that he wants politics in
definitely adjourned now that the con-
gressional contests are out Of the way
There was a between the-lines hint to
Congress itself In the terse White House
statement. The President intends House
and Senate to understand that there
Is no single issue facing the country,
either domestic or foreign, that takes
precedence over the unemployment sit
uation. Mr.. Hoover Is far from suggest
ing that Congress should do something
about 1t. Indeed, the administrator
most eager preference is that Capitol
Hill WIN refrain from rushing into ex-
pensive or tll-eonsidered emergency
legislation. The white House expects
that there win be q good deal of ''irre-
sponsible" activity In that direction,
with wild plans for use Of public funds
Even schemes for introduction of the
dole" system are anticipated.
Woods Talks to Governors.
The President and his cabinet, after
the situation, have come to the con-
clusion that the Winter, severe as it
viii undoubtedly be at numerous points
Is not going to be calamitous. Mr.
Hoover and his advisers were confirmed
In this view by q report which lay be-
fore them at their latest cabinet meet
ing on Friday. The report emanated
from Col. Arthur Woods, the admins
tration's organizer in chief of unem-
ployment relief. Col Woods only the
day before was In personal long distance
telephone conversation with the Gov
ernorS or acting Governors of all the
40 States Of the Union. As the result
OF carefully prepared arrangements. 1t
was possible for Col Woods to talk to
the different State executives all day
long. one right after another. He was
in communication, actually, with A
Governors, and In four other cases
with State oficials temporarily In the
executive chair.
States Have Plans Ready.
Practically without exception Col
WoOis learned from the responsible
heads of the States that they have, or
shortly viii have, the situation In their
respective areas well IN hand. They
are confident they can tide over the
worst period they are likely to have
to face during the next three or four
months. In no case, apparently. was
washington that Federal aid would be
, necessary, beyond general directing and
co-ordinating of activities already in
| progress. President Hoover and his Of
hcial family are naturally much en-
couraged by these first-hand assur-
ances from State leaders best qualified
to give them.
Employers Aid Idle.
| washington authorities have lust
learned OF another factor of immense
importance In connection with the prob
lem OF relieving unemployment distress
Numerous big industrial concerns, IN
Guiding corporations ordinarily employ
ing thousands Of workers, are arranging
novel and generous schemes Of helping
their own people: A sample illustration
Is the plan Of great Midwestern man
ufacturtng company, whose pay roll
normally embraces $1,000 hands. In
its case business depression required
laying on some 5000 Of these people.
| The company Is now completing a
house-to-house canvass among those
thrown out of work, in order to find
out exactly the state of their needs
how many mouths there are to be fed;
how heavily, II at all, the family saw.
1
ally just what has to be done In q par
ticular household to keep the wolf of
cold or hunger from the door this Win
ter. In every instance Of demonstrated
! necessity the company purposes offer
/ ing the worker family head $25 q week.
which Is to be regarded as an advance
against his wages In the future when
ne Is again employed. The worker win
be permitted to repay the loan on the
easiest sort Of terms when better days
have come again.
Women Now Work Also.
There seems to be every prospect that
this system of assistance by employers
to their regular, but temporarily job
less men VIII be initiated all over the
country. II 1t Is, the problem of COM
batting Unemployment distress viii be
far advanced on the road to solution
The administrations hopes, at least
| are all in this direction. President
Hoover believes that there Is both the
capacity and the will in the American
industrial world to grapple with the
out-of-work crisis in this broad-gauge
way.
The Cabinet Committee on Unem-
ployment, with which Col. Woods Is di-
rectly cooperating, has been studying
the 1880 census reports with analyti-
cal care and made an interesting dis
covery. It has found out than I'm typi-
cal industrial communities. like Phila-
delphia, for instance, there are nova
days frequently more than one bread
winner. Where the average used &c
be one member Of the family engaged
| In gainful occupation. 1t Is now much
more than one, and close to two bread
winners per household. The cause Il
the large number of women now al
work. total of about 1O,000,0 900.
The inference from all this Is that
1t does not always follow that because
the head OF the family Is out of job
the family's whole income Is shut on