Evening star., 1933-10-12
NEEDY WILL Be FED
HOPKINS DECLARES
Tells Radio Audience Stand
ard of Federal Relief Will
Be Raised.

VI want to state very emphatically
that the needy unemployed are gong
to be taken care of this Winter"
Thus did Harry L. Hopkins, Federal
emergency relief administrator, reassure
the American public last night IN q
speech in the National Radio Forum,
arranged by The Evening Star, ana
broadcast over a coast-to-coast network
of the National Broadcasting Co.
HOPKINS declared eve are feeling the
effects of the national recovery pro.
gram on the relief situation. Men ana
women are going back to self-support-
ing jobs Employment conditions are
improving"
Raise Relief Allowances.
Explaining the net set-up OF the rene1
organization with the recent 1ormatlon
of the Federal Surplus Relief Corpora
ton. chartered in Delaware, Hopkins
said:
I'VE have taken steps to raise relief
allowances. Many of them have been
raised already and we are going to keep
at this until relief all over the country
is on a reasonable basis.
Here Is where the matter OF food
surpluses comes in. There Is plenty OF
food In this country. Warehouses are
full of it. 1t is Quitting the markets
and rotting on the ground.
President Roosevelt several days ago
authorized the formation of corpora
ton to buy up surpluses of the kind OF
commodities that can be distributed to
the unemployed who need them. The
Federal Surplus Relief Corporation re-
1a- - sod
Surpluses Go to States
"It will take these surplus products
of the market and turn them over to
the State relief administrations to add
to the relief already being given.
I'VE will buy only the kinds Of food
products and other staples that the
needy can use. The quantity will be
governed by the need. These surpluses
will be given over and above the allow
ances they are now getting. The pur-
pose is to raise the standard of relief
It should stop this giving Of relief on
the basis of lf-starvation."
The depression, Hopkins declared
generation of the country in the NAL
nutrition of thousands of children
The surpluses, he believes, can 60 tc
solving this great problem.
Text Of Hopkins Speech.
The text Of Mr.. Hopkins speech
follows:
.~I am very glad to accept The
Washington Stars invitation to speak
on this program.
"This is to be a talk about the
struggle 100000 Americans will have
during the coming Winter to find the
bare necessities Of life. If there were
not some serious difficulties to be
overcome, it would be a waste of your
time and my time to discuss it.
But it is a fact that 100000
Americans are now being cared for or
the unemployment relief rolls Of this
country. When I give you that figure
am talking about the 14,630 004 mothers
and fathers and the children included
in the 100000 families who are re-
ceiving the necessities Of life through
public unemployment relief agencies
supported by Federal, State and Local
public money, plus 470,0o0 single, non
family persons.
IT am going to tell you who they are
how they are cared for, who pays the
bill, and what the future looks like for
them. The care of these people who
have been plunged by the depression
from self-support to relief-dependency
is one of our country's greatest respon-
sibilitieS.
Outstanding Citizens.
who are these fellow citizens? Are
they tramps? Are they hoboes ano
ne'er-do-wells? Are they unemploy.
ables? Are they people who are nc
good and who are incompetent? Take
q look at them, If you have not, and
see who they are. There Is hardly q
person listening In who does not know
YOU have known all your life, fine, hard
working, outstanding men and womer
who have gone overheard and beer
caught up in this relief structure oil
ours. They are carpenters, brick
layers, artisans, architects, engineers
clerks, stenographers, doctors, den-
lists, farmers, ministers; the whole
crowd Is caught in this thing. the
finest people in America. That Is who
they are-or were before they lost theil
"Those Of us who have experienced
hard times in these trying years-wht
have lost money in the stock market
had our business profits disappear, hac
our salaries cut-talk about getting 9
beating in this depression. Why, it Il
ridiculous when compared with the
beating these 100000 people have
taken.
what has happened to these fami.
lies that are now on the relief rolls!
They have lost their jobs. They have
used up their savings. They have
cashed In their life insurance policies
The landlords have finally shut down
on the rent. The grocer won't give
them any more credit. They cannot
borrow any money from their friends OF
relatives.
Decide to Apply for Relief.
"These things happen day by day
Then the children get little hungry
Being little hungry is not funny
Finally they get really hungry, and the
man and his wife talk it over some
night when the children are in bed
and they decide the only thing left Is
to apply for relief.
"They decide the father should dc
the applying. He says he will go. He
starts out the next morning to the
relief Office, gets within a couple OF
blocks of it, and turns around ano
comes home again and tells his wife he
can't do it. But he has to do it.
1.-The terrible mental suffering in tina,
for fine American citizens is an un-
speakable tragedy that has gone on ir
every State, every county, every city
and every town in the United States
and the Territories. There is nothing
nice about this relief business from be-
ginning to end I don't like it. None
of the relief officials like it, and yor
may be assured the unemployed like il
O lot less.