Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-08-26
The Problem and the Solution.

The Problem and this Solution.
Two articles in the current issues OF
two national magazines come pretty
close to stating both the problem ana
the answer in the matter of relief OF
suffering and distress this Winter.
The magazine Fortune concludes. as
the result of a Nationwide survey, that
fully 100000 persons will require
charity or other relief this Winter"
The Federal fund of $30o,o00,00O made
available as loans to the States by the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation for
relief work, would furnish only Sl2
apiece If distributed equally among
those who could be regarded as needy
beneficiaries The article states that
relief work heretofore has been wholly
inadequate. wasteful and uneconomic
and voices some of the blame in the
allegation that the problem was never
attacked as a national problem-the
facts were never frankly faced as facts"
But this weeks Saturday Evening
Post contains an amazing statement OF
fact in the form of an article written
by Priscilla Wayne of Des MONIES, Iowa.
She describes an organization OF
volunteer women in that city who, dur
ing the past Winter, fed some 100000
persons at the cost Of / cent meal.
Utilization of food that usually goes to
waste in q city, utilization of the un-
employed, who were only too willing to
give their labor, and utilization OF lot
of wholesome common sense solved the
problem of feeding the hungry in Des
Moines. and another Winter finds the
same machinery set up and ready to
function again. This work in Des
Moines supplemented the regular well
fare and relief work of organized
charities under the Community Chest.
1t was an effort in addition to the sue
cessfully performed task Of filling the
local Chest and oversubscribing the
Chest quota. Of course the mere pro-
vision of soup and bread is not the
only requirement in ministering to dis
tress.
Some of the success Of the work in
Des Mcines was doubtless due to con-
ditions that were peculiar to that city.
The location there Of meat-packing
houses, for instance, furnished the
volunteer feeding stations with an
abundance of meat products for pre-
pairing soup. But the mechanics of
the experiment in Des Moines are of
minor importance compared with the
fundamental principle there demon
strated. That principle Is that there
need be no unmet distress and suffering
anywhere this Winter, provided there
is the organization and the will to ad-
minister relief.
The lack of organization in the COM
munities of the Nation is going to be
the real difficulty this Winter. When
Wisconsin recently asked for $6,414,865
from the Reconstruction Finance Cor
poration, the sum finally loaned was
cut to 100000. One reason for the
cut was that investigation revealed
third Of the States f1fty-seven needy
counties lacking in Gny organization
whatever for relief administration. Gov.
Pinchot's experience with the Recon-
struction Finance Corporation Iempha-
sized the same general condition. Not
only was there inadequate organization,
but the State had failed to tap its
own sources of revenue for relief.
While the larger cities, beneflting from
experience, have perfected organiza
lions of long standing. many of the
organization to deal with an emer-
gency of this kind, but even the
knowledge of how to form them. And
once the matter of relief is turned over
pal government, politics and waste and
red tape take their toll of available
funds.
The problem of organizing the COM
munities for the work next Winter Is to
be discussed at the White House meet
ing next month of the recently an
nounced National Citizens Committee
for the Welfare and Relief Mobilization
of 1882, under the Craftsmanship Of
Newton D. Baker. Success in the work
of organization will mean success in the
extension of relief next Winter. Money
is only one essential. Leadership in
the local communities, proper organiza-
ton and the will to deal with the
realities of an unprecedented situation
with characteristic American ingenuity
and resourcefulness will prevent any
man or woman or child from going
hungry. Once the communities throw
up their hands and ask the Federal Gov
eminent to take over the job the fight
IS lost.