Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-07
Tells Senators Number Is In
creasing-Sees No Inn
provement.
ASSERTS MAIN EFFORT
IS TO PROVIDE WORK
Asks Legislation to Cut "Red
Tape" Involved in Getting
Projects in Operation.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Chairman Woods Of Hoover'S Com
mittee on Employment estimated today
before the Senate Appropriation Com
mittee that there are between -four
and 1ive million unemployed.
Unemployment has been increasing
he testified, saying he did not believe
the situation would improve until
Spring.
There Is altogether too much of It,
he said, land the way in which this
unemployment comes about does not
speak well for industry. There has been
q general feeling in this country that
periods of depression are inevitable
They are not and should not be re-
garded as inevitable"
The chairman said he believed the
lowest period concerning employment
was likely to be felt this month and
next. He said the special census to be
made the middle Of the month should
show things at their worst.
Requests by Senators to state what
could be done, Col. Woods said his
Emergency Committee aimed to assist
the different localities and set enough
machinery to aid employment.
Holds Relief Secondary.
'"The important thing is not to count
the unemployed" Woods continued,
but to do something for them. 1t is an
intolerable situation and one entirely
foreign to our ideals"
The action of President Hoover in
fra% al Lab Ino Iazv
a year ago was said to have aided and
disturbances. To an extraordinary ex-
tent wage scales had been maintained,
he said. adding: AZ
THE main thing IS to get the man
a. job. Relief Is secondary. If the
man has q job he can take care Of
himself"
Woods praised the spirit of co-opera-
ton throughout the Nation, declaring
every organization, Governor and COM
munity was joining to help.
Asked what could be done, he cited
some measures confronting the Senate.
He asked for legislation TO cut .sred
tape" involved in getting public works
into operation. Senator Copeland, Demo-
crat, New York, joined him.
The thing that impresses me, con-
tinued Woods, is the different trend
of industrial thought In the old days
the first thing the managers Of business
did when these periods arrived was to
trim their sails and discharge their EN-
ployes.
Now we find coming into industry q
wholly different attitude. We find BUSH
ness men trying to help employees, and
If some must be discharged we find
them using judgment, laying of the
single men and those who can stand it
best and trying to help those who are
laid of. It Is not yet Characteristic Of
industry, but there are signs Of q new
view.
Menace to Society.
This is the sort Of q situation-the
present one-shat we cannot permit to
go on. Ultimately it is q menace to
our society. The danger Is well of, but
We have the warning"
As for relief, Woods said he regarded
that as the prime duty of the localities
and the neighbors. The big problem,
he added, was in transients.
Senators Hayden, Democrat, Arizona,
and Bratton, Democrat, New Mexico,
said the transient problem was one
ern States with their warmer climates.
Woods estimated that $4,000, 600, 900
in public works is planned. OF this
he said, about 81 1000, 000, 900 Is
Just at the point where work is about to
begin. To get this work to the ''pick
and shovel stage" Is receiving the atten-
ton OF the Woods committee.
He said there was prospect Of the
expenditure of $500 .0o0, 900 by the Fed
eral Government alone on public roads
this Winter.
Senator Smoot, Republican, Utah,
again advanced his proposal that every
family go without one meal q week and
turn over the money for this meal to
the hungry He said If that were fol-
lowed mot soul will 60 hungry"
Senator Copeland suggested that the
legislators who took two weeks on for
the Christmas holidays might better
nave stayel here and passed the emer-
gency legislation proposed to cut the
red tape"