Evening star., 1934-10-25
FECHNER BELIEVES.
C.C.C. TOCONT|NUE|
Speaker on Radio Forum
Predicts Recognition of
Need by Congress.

As long as there are unemployed
young men or war veterans, Robert
Fechner, director of Emergency Con-
servation Work, believes the Civilian
Conservation Corps will be continued.
He made this prediction last night
In an address delivered in the National
Radio Forum, arranged by The Wash
ington Star and broadcast over a
coast-to-coast network of the National
Broadcasting Co. The speech was
heard locally from Station WRC.
Il venture the opinion" Mr..
Fechner said, that as long as there
Is any substantial number of young
men or war veterans who find it i'm
possible to secure employment in pri-
vate industry the Congress will be
willing to provide the funds necessary
to carry on this general program"
Reviews C. C. C. Work.
Reviewing the work of the c. G. C..
since its inception a year and a half
ago, he said $4,000 young men, war
veterans, woodsmen and Indians"
have lived in the camps.
The total cost to date, Mr.. Fechner
said, has been $433, 900. 900, and for
this sum tangible, permanent i'm
provements have accrued to the Gov
eminent amounting to $236, ,108,2 ,245,
divided among the Forest Service,
Agriculture Department. national
parks and monuments, State parks,
Indian reservations, military reserva-
tions and improvements for other
bureaus and departments of the
Government.
1--WE believe we are obtaining what
might be termed double or triple
value for every relief dollar ex-
pended" he continued. Bringing the
picture down to an individual enrollee,
here is VI 1t emergency conservation
work does: For $500 we give boy
. job for six months. We feed, clothe
him, give him the chance to improve
his economic position-make him a
better citizen. The same $500 cares
Tor his family for six months. The
same $500 buys six months of earnest
work, which is materially increasing
our national wealth"
Stresses Aid to Morale.
Mr.. Fechner also stressed the re-
Mobilization Of the young men, who,
without the camps, would be wander
Ing from place to place or idling at
street corners.
Many boys entered the camps with
an inferiority complex, but soon they
became friendly, self-conf1dent and
self-reliant. The regular hours for
work, for recreation and for sleep,
proved highly beneficial. The reason
able discipline that was required was
also of great value and although the
Regular Army has been in complete
control of the camps, there has been
no tinge Of militarism connected with
the movement"
Text of Address.
The text of Mr.. Fechner's address
follows:
During the current month two in
teresting developments have occurred
in connection with emergency con-
.servation work, the organization which
operates the Civilian Con,ervation
Corps forest camps. One of these
was the launching of the corps upon
the fourth and final six months Pc
riod of the two years for which this
program was authorized by Congress.
The second was the publication of a
letter written by President Roosevelt
in which the Chief Executive called
attention to the benefits that have
flowed from this combined relief and
conservation program and declared
that "this kind of work must go on"
The beginning Of the fourth period
Of c. c. c. work offers a proper op-
portunity to review the accomplish
ments Of this part of the Presidents
national recovery program. The Pres
ident's reference to the need for the
continuance of the kind of work per-
formed by the G. G. c. also makes
timely a brief discussion of the his
tory Of the forest camp movement,
the reaction it has won from the pub
lie and the prospects for its con-
tinuance either as at present consti-
tuted or in some modified form.
Puts Idle Youths to Work.
Legislation authorizing emergency
conservation v'-rk was approved by
Congress on March 81, 1888. 1t pro-
NIOCo 4Ol GllC ClllpAOyIllCllU Va
numbers of idle young men on worth
while forestry conservation and park
Improvement projects. The major OBJ
jectives sought through this measure
were the relief of acute distress caused
by unemployment, the building of
health and morals among young men
involuntarily idle on the threshold of
their careers and the protection and
improvement Of forests, watersheds
and other natural resources.
Under this legislation a vast army
of unemployed young men has been
taken from our highways and street
corners and placed in a great Nation
wide chain of forest camps. For the
past year and a half these men have
been expending their energy in useful
and constructive work which has i'm
proved and is improving our timbered
domain. At the same time they have
reduced the huge annual losses, run
ming into hundreds of millions of
dollars, caused by forest fires. tree
attacking diseases and insects, rodents
and soil erosion.
$4,000 Men Participate.
Up to date, approximately 850,000
young men, war veterans, woodsmen
and Indians have lived for varying
lengths of time in the forest camps.
The average number of men in the
camps at all times has run close to
100000. Under the procedure fol-
lowed, the enrolled men have allotted
home each month approximately five
sixths Of their monthly cash allow
ances. Thus the camps program has
afforded relief not only to the young
men and woodsmen who have lived in
the camps, but also to the families
of the enrollees. The portion of their
salaries sent home has furnished a
measure Of relief each month to an
average Of 100000 families. The total
sent to dependents to September l
amounted to $113, 100000.
No better explanation of the basic
idea back of this legislation can be
found than that expressed by the
President in his message to Congress
urging its passage. He said:
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