Evening star., 1932-07-05
WAGNER EXPLAINS
RELIEF BILLS AIM
Object Is to Boost Demand
for Goods and Labor, He
Says in Forum.

The aims Of the relief bills passed by
House and Senate and now in confer
ence to adjust differences were outlined
last night by Senator Wagner, Demo-
crat, of New York, sponsor of one Of
the measures, who spoke in the Ma
tional Radio Forum, arranged by The
Star and broadcast over a coaSt-to-
coast network Of the National Broad
casting Co. Speaker Garner fathered
the House legislation. First we pro-
pose to help relieve the desperate and
lrrepreSSible needs Of the destitute so
that no one in the United states shall
have cause to go cold or hungry" Sen
ator Wagner said.
Second. we propose to launch and
finance gigantic program Of construc-
ton. both public and private. And
third, we propose to help finance agri-
cultural, industrial and commercial un-
dertakings. where credit for proper en-
terprises cannot be obtained through
normal banking channels.
Aim Is to Boost Demand.
"Our ultimate object is to initiate
program which will create a demand for
commodities and labor. We hope there
by to help check the decline Of prices.
When prices stop falling private busi-
ness will resume its normal activity
without governmental assistance"
The speaker said he realizes that the
relief program, contemplating expendi-
ture Of approximately two billion dol
lars, includes proposals that would be
unthinkable in normal times" but ne
added, these are not normal times or
circumstances. He also pointed out
that the construction program will not
entail additional taxation.
Text of Address.
The text of Senator Wagner'S address
Is as follows
Fellow citizens: During the past
week conference committee represent
ing the United States Senate and the
House Of Representatives have been at
work upon a plan to adjust the differ
ences between the relief bills passed
by each of the two houses Of Congress.
They have agreed upon program of
relief and construction, which will now
be returned to the two legislative bodies
for final approval. 1t is my devout hope
that before the week is over the bill
will have been ratified by both houses
and signed by the President so that
the depression fighting machinery pro-
vided in the bill may be released for
action at the earliest possible moment.
Il shall take this opportunity af
1OrQeQ 10 me J1lTOuS1 LIlc CUuAOCSy OA
The washington Star and the National
Broadcasting Co. to state to you very
concisely the problem we have been
trying to solve. the methods we have
selected and the results we hope to
achieve. In the course of my remarks
I shall make an earnest effort to state
as simply as possible precisely the kind
of assistance which the farmer or busi-
ness man, the States and municipalities
and primarily the man out Of work can
expect from the operation Of the relief
and construction bill.
What is our problem? know Of no
shorter way to describe 1t than to call
1t the vicious spiral of depression.
When men lost their jobs they stopped
buying AS buying was curtailed prices
fell, profits disappeared and factories
reduced production. Reduced produc-
tion meant that more men were laid
off and deprived Of their wages, and in
turn more families curtailed their buy
ing. so the vicious circle continued.
AS it spread, a great apprehension be-
gan to sweep through the country. The
man who was at work was uncertain
how long his job would continue, and
he, too, reduced his purchases. That
quickened the decline. Then home
owners out of work found that they