Evening star., 1932-06-24
Relief Versus FORK.

Following the road of othsr important
measures this year the Wagner relief
bill passed by the Senate yesterday now
goes to conference for the most i'm
portant battle over its provisions. 1t
will meet in the conference room W1e
Garner bill, condemned by the Presi-
dent as a pork barrel measure without
precedent. And as the Wagner bill Is
not itself free from pork, despite its
many good features, 1t stands to reason
that the finished product that comes
from the conferees will likewise contain
pork and In an amount now that Is
/ the subject Of much conjecture. For
better or worse. however, the combined
Garner and Wagner bill will represent
the only achievement that a majority
OF the members OF Congress have con-
sidered possible or practical toward
relief of distress and relief OF unemploy-
ment at this session. 1t may accom-
plish much that is good. But If the
country as a whole has been expecting
that there would emanate from the
confusion of this session a panacea or
a real remedy for the ills that beset
the NStion. the country is doomed to
disappointment.
The Wagner bill carries $4,000 100000
for relief in various forms. The bill
providing $30o, 100000 for direct relief
of distress, loaned to the States on
population basis, has already passed
the Senate, but the Senate decided to
incorporate it in the second Wagner
bill in hope of expediting its passage
in the House. In addition, the Wagner
bill authorizes half-billion dollar
bond issue for emergency Federal con-
struction. the work to be spread over
the entire country, and the projects to
be selected by the Secretary Of the
Treasury from the list Of those author
lied by Congress but not appropriated
for. 1t authorizes the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation to lend up to ST.
460 900 900 to States and cities Tor
self-liuuidating" construction projects,
and to lend money to private corpora
tions engaged in such semi-pubhc en-
terprises as bridge building, construc-
zion of docks tunnels, etc. 1t also
authorizes the Reconstruction Finance
CORPORATION to- make available to the
Secretary Of Agriculture 4o0o0 900 for
financing sales of agricultural prod
ucts abroad.
The Garner bill, with which this Wag-
ner bill will joust in conference, PROVIDES
500 900. 900 for direct relief OF distress;
increases the Reconstruction Finance
Corporations lending powers by bill
lion dollars, and, in addition, author
ICES a tremendous Federal public works
program of sI,15o, 900, 0oo-nnancing
the measure by a Federal tax OF one
fourth of one cent per gallon OF gaso-
! line.
In both measures the public building
proeran has been attacked as pork by
| administration leaders. The relative
degree of "porkiness" in the Wagner bill
| and In the Garner bill may be judged
by their authorizations of $500, 100000
and 81. $50 900 900, respectively, for Fed
eral building. Criticism has been di-
, rected chiefly to the pork barrel prin-
oiple. which is obvious, and to the fact
that the expenditure Of this money
would not do nearly SO much In the
way of actually putting men to work as
its sponsors have claimed, although no.
body knows how many men would be
| employed. There is little controversy
over the fact, however that the Federal
building program in these measures Is
TO- cost a tremendous lot of money, that
! the money will be raised by taxation
eventually, and that the expenditure is
to be made In a year when Congress
has been moving heaven and earth to
balance the budget in order to protect
/ the national credit and to ease the drain
on the taxpayer. The effect on the
national credit is problematieal. The
Nation will survive, at any rate. But
the effect on the taxpayer is no longer
a matter of doubt He will be soaked
and plenty II the soaking promised
any real relief in this situation it might
be justified. But that is the question
will 1t afford any relief?
I