Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-16
BY WILLIAM HARD.

Getting ready for next Winter seems
| to be all the rage in Washington Just
now, and 1t seems likely TO become all
the rage everywhere else pretty soon.
The Federal Government viii prob
ably presently urge all Governors OF
States to summon their State ofhcials
and their county and municipal officials
and their private charity organizations
to combine their resources to meet next
Winters needs, due to the depression
and unemployment. The Federal Gov
eminent viii cease to seem to contend
that those needs can be met by the
/ private charity organizations alone. 1t
| realizes that current statistics Of unem-
| ployment distress relief prove absolutely
private generosity 80 far has been
| altogether inadequate to the task in
hand. It viii now clearly state that
local public agencies must exert them
selves to the utmost II appalling SUI
fering is to be avoided
The Federal Government will con-
| tinue. nevertheless, to hope that 1t will
| not be called upon itself TO make any
direct contributions to relief necessities.
The chances are that its ambitions in
this respect win be in some degree frus-
| trated.
Widespread misinterpretation has at
| tended a statement made to the PreSi-
dent recently by the Association of
4, Community Chests and Councils In re-
| gard to the prospective adequacy OF
local relief funds. The association is
credited with having reported that such
| funds would sllfflce throughout the Ma
| ton in sll localities. Inquiry shows that
1t did not thus commit itself.
The Association Of Community Chests
and Councils. with headquarters in
New York City, is dealing only with
communities having q population OF
| $4,000 and more. There are some 376
such communities Two hundred and
forty-four Ct them have Chests" One
hundred and thirty-two have not. The
association is extending its scrutiny to
the whole ste. There, however. it stops
II is undertaking no responsibility what
soever for communities having . popu-
lation Of less than $4,000.
The relief problem of next Winter
may accordingly be divided into two
CategorieS One is the category Of the
larger communities The other Is the
category of the smaller communities.
The Association Of Community Chests
and Councils believes that In the larger
communities q diligent and energetic
effort by public authority and by pri-
vate generosity combined may conquer
next Winters perils It admits that in
many OF the smaller communities the
local resources are much more meager
and the prospects of really adequate
local self-help are much less promising.
Among the smaller communities there
are, for instance, many "one-industTy
towns in which the one industry is par
alyzed and in which thereupon the To-
cal resources are almost nil. In the
list Of such towns there are hundreds
of mining villages which even now are
wholly incapable OF self-help both from
! the standpoint Of taxes and from the
standpoint OF private gifts. Many other
such situations in the immense regions
occupied by the smaller communities
are instanced by social service inquirers
who recently have made tours OF them.
-
An unexpected paradox thereupon
energies Destitution is often supposed
to be most particularly prevalent In the
big towns and In the metropolitan areas.
That restitution Is accompanied, how
ever usually, by large wealth in the
hands OF local well~ta~dO people. The
theory is and the n0pe Is, that this
wealth can be induced either through
taxation or through philanthropy to
come to the assistance and TO the solu-
tress problem.
In a great multitude Of the smaller
communities no such local treasures OF
large private wealth exist. The paradox
which ensues is that 1t Is from the
small towns rather than from the big
towns. and it is from the country sides
rather than from the metropolitan areas
that the great cry for Federal help Is
likely to be raised next Winter.
Il. al a. Ian lie hACnfn
abuudantly apparent as the Presidents
researches into next winters imminent
crisis continue. The statistical reasons
for believing that a crisis viii happen
ere to be found illustratively and per-
s,ias9velv in a current report on present.
day outdoor relief" by the Russell sage
Foundation of New York City. This re-
povt deals only with the largest OF the
larger communities. It deals only with
100 ono and over. II summarizes ths
expenditures on outdoor relief" In 81
Of them. The showing Is provocative
Of much anxiety.
In the communities in question the
expenditures for outdoor relief in
June OF this year exceeded the CORE
snnndinR expenditures In June Of last
wear by LOT per cent. stated not in
dollars expended but in families re-
lieyed. the showing is even more Umi-
nous. The number Of families relieved
in the communities In question in June
OF this wear exceeded the correspond
ins numbeg OF such families in June Of
last year by I37 per cent,
Maufestly the unemployment dis
tress need Is growing fast The antici-
patton is that IL viii now grow ct an
accelerating rate into peak the height
OF which Is not precisely practicable
next Winter.