Evening star., 1932-09-15

as the President outlined problems face
scale seem all the more important, and
my associates on the committee and !
have a deep conviction that We must
not let the size of the mere relief needs
in the present emergency lead us to
forget that relief, to be wholesome and
helpful. must be accompanied by the
kind of personal interest which, under
the name of welfare or character build
ing work, has become inseparable from
relief work in normal times. have not
in my mind at this minute social efforts
for the handicapped. They have long
since become fixed part of the burden
assumed by the common conscience. I
have in mind rather the relief which
must be extended to those perfectly
able and perfectly willing to work; men
and women who under normal conoi-
tions would move easily and steadily
into places of useful occupation and
earn their own way with proud and in
dependent spirits. We must all be very
much concerned to preserve the whole
Someness. self-reliance and civic virtue
of our adult unemployed who this Win
ter, for the first time in their lives,
must see themselves and their families
partially or wholly charges upon the
bounty of their fellows. 1t is difficult
for us to put ourselves in their places,
but We may be sure that the wounds
caused by such dependence are deep.
We must do what we can to prevent
their being dangerous.
Youth Is New Problem.
Another problem almost wholly new
to us arises from the fact that this
years output Of boys and girls who un-
der normal circumstances would find
waiting for them the job at which they
might begin their lives as men and
women are unprovided for. Industry
and commerce both have waiting lists
of their old employees temporarily laid
off, and as activity resumes former en-
ployeS are recalled: but the expectant
boy sees no sign Boy Wanted which
is the usual announcement to youth
that life has place for him. Some of
these young people, Of course, can stay
at home, but in increasing numbers
they are declining to add to the family
burden and are taking to the open road,
so that it is now estimated that within
the past few months 100000 or 400 900
grown boys have left home, family and
friends to live by the waysiGe on such
scant substance as can be cleaned
from already harvested fields. The
dangers of this situation are obvious.
These boys, unhappily, merely repre-
sent the bold or desperate members of
a much larger class, and they, too, need
the support and sympathy and help
which can come only through organ
lied and trained social agencies.
''As the standard of living has risen
and the scale of our civilization has
ascended, it has become increasingly
and more imperatively true that life is
more than meat and the body more
than raiment.'
1T is in this spirit that our commit
tee hopes to challenge the conscious and
good will of the country. The provisions
already made by Congress and State
governmental agencies are helpful, and
indicate the sort of official community
conscience and responsibility which is
reassluing to people suffering from un-
accustomed and unoeserved want. But
these are not enough. To all these
public recognitions there must be added
devotion of every private resource,
both to extend the funds purely for re-
lief and to preserve and intensity the
curative ministrations of welfare and
character building agencies, which are
more critically needed now than at any
other time.
Will Restore Prosperity.
I'm a little while the material read
justments will disappear. BY one proc
ess or another we shall find a way to
feed and clothe ourselves and the
IL will cfrNr.a
general material prosperity. The work
we have in mind is not only mere
interim provision to tide over this Win
ter's crisis from the material point of
view, but also in its larger aspects it Is
BUILDING and to conserve and strengthen
the fortitude, courage and self-reliance
of our people so that there will be no
deep injury done to our national life by
this tragic emergency.
May I, on behalf of our committee,
thank you for receiving us? We in
turn will be received by the people of
the United States with swifter atten-
tion and more responsive minds when
they realize that you have recognized
and sanctioned the work we are trying
to do"
Pomerene Is Speaker.
Atlee Pomerene, chairman of the
Reconstruction Finance Corporation,
was the first speaker at the luncheon
meeting this afternoon, explaining the
workings of the Reconstruction Finance
Corporations distribution of the $780,
COO 900 appropriated by Congress for
relief of the needy during the fiscal
year 1888. He said, in part:
Our responsibilities as individuals
and as citizens cannot be evaded. Our
States, municipalities and other political
subdivisions were created largely to care
for conditions local in character. Our
Federal Government wa&, created pri-