Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-03

From stated sources" at the White
House comes no word that the Hoover
Doak unemployment conference at the
Rapidan camp yesterday dealt with the
reported plans Of young Bob" La Fol-
lette in Congress next Winter, but
Washington is buzZing with them. It
is circumstantially narrated that the
Wisconsin Progressive is preparing a
bill for outright introduction OF the
dole. The legislation would provide,
according to one account. for payment
Of SIS week apiece to adult men
and women who are legitimately out OF
work. This observer telegraphed Sena-
tor La Toilette at Madison, asking him
If these startling reports are well
founded. "Have nothing definite drawn
as yet" was the reply Young Bob"
for some time has been wrestling with
his friends In Washington to under
stand that when Congress reconyenes
in December he'd be ready with q con-
crete scheme. During last Winters
relief debates La Toilette was in the
forefront Of the attack on the admins
tration's "do-nothing" attitude toward
unemployment. His city-by-city figures
Of jobless conditions, gathered on his
own initiative, were read into the
Record day after day with telling effect.
\ \ X \
A $15-a-week dole, or anything ap-
proximating 1t, would run into figures
that would make even q soldiers bonus
piker by comparison. President Green
estimates that there may be 100000
people out Of work next Winter. The
dole stipend attributed to La Toilette
would, on that basis, call for the stag
gering sum Of $105, 000,0 week. Even
If Congress voted only an average dole
Of $3.50, the total would run tos$52, $780,
600 q week, or $226, 100000 month.
The entire annual expenditure for I'M
employment benefits in Great Britain Is
only $4,000, 900. the highest weekly
doles being $3.75, 1925 and %, re-
spectively.. to men, women ana young
men. Doles for minors scale down to
so cents for q dependent child. A
British government commission has just
brought In plan for cutting gross dole
expenditure TO $306,000,000 Q year.
Doles, under the proposed revision,
would be paid for only six months.
y X \
President Hoover has been conscious
for more than year that q congress
sionsl agitation for the dole might be
expected at any time, II unemployment
threatened to become chronic. That
explains the administration pressure on
State, municipal and private agencies
throughout the country TO leave no stone
unturned to grapple with the problem as
local relief proposition. Recent White
House conferences with Chairman Payne
of the Red Gross are believed to have
revolved around the Presidents concern
about the dole and the possibility that
Congress might legiSlate 1t into exist
ence. Former Senator Henry J. Allen,
Republican, Of Kansas, has just left for
Europe, to write series Of articles on
British and German experiences with
the dole. They are to be syndicated to
newspapers, but the White House ex-
some valuable ammunition Tor the FORTH
coming battle over the dole on Capitol
Hill.
Now that Grace Goodhue Coolidge has
realized one of her cherished
secret alnbitions--to have her hair
bobbed-perhaps she'll one Of these
DAYS carry out another private aspira-
ton. The former First Lady Of the
Land Graves to revisit Washington
incognito. She wants to observe the
architectural, landscape and other
changes that have taken place mere
smile over the Capital scene. "Cal"
has been back once since he left the
white House-when the Kellogg pact
was proclaimed there In the Summer
Of i929--but Mrs. Coolidge was not
with him.
A keen observer, Just returned from
political trek across the country, Is
authority for the statement that about
year ago the tip reached Western
farmers that 4 per cent beer was just
nrnilnd the congressional corner. The