The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-04-19
Long Time
Program For
Rehabilitation
Describes in Detail Plans
To Improve Conditions in
United States.
LAID OUT TO
COVER MANY YEARS
BY Michael Kennedy


Gan exclusive interview with I. c.
Spaulding, Director of State Relief.
Herr Hitler's Nazi movement to ma
tionalize Germany; Mussolini's recon-
struction of Italy; the Socialist Soviet
Republics five-year plan for the ad-
vancement of Russia-momentousi ideas,
yes, but they're just drop in the
bucket compared to President Roose-
velts new longtime program for the
rehabilitation and advancement of the
United States"
That was the answer T. c. Spaulding,
director of state relief and FERA, gave
me when | asked him what the F'ERA
program was.
| had asked the question in the in
terest of the public of Montana who
knew that new relief program had
replaced the CWA; that Director
Spaulding had announced the successor
to this program, designed to fit in with
national planning, during the recent
state planning conference, which was
of tremendous scope; and that all over
the nation much was being said of the
new programmed few people could
comprehensively explain it.
Accordingly had asked the man who
knew more about the program than any
one else in the state. Here's what he
told me.
This is the lull before the storm,
speaking literally. We are organizing
rapidly for the new program 1t has
already taken immediate care of the
men who were employed under the
CWA. But the planned program will
soon 90 into effect as rapidly as we
can formulate our organization to take
care Of it. Once under way it will be
the biggest single concerted effort ever
put forward for the advancement Of
Montana and her people, as a unit in
the complete establishment, rehabilita-
ton and advancement of the United
States
Let us go back for moment. 1t be-
came necessary for the people of the
United States to assist their destitute
first in 1882. 1t was an emergency, and
the only thing that could be done was
to make arrangements to feed them, to
clothe them, to house them, with little
expectation of return. When the Fed
eral Emergency Relief Administration
was formed, came the first inception of
I the idea that relief, after all, was not
merely problem of giving man or a
woman or a child something to eat and
something to wear, but that it was the
task of the nation, the state and the
recipient Of that relief to reward the
nation or the state with something in
all fbr4 Il
The Civil Works Administration was
hurriedly thrown together in order to
provide for labor, but may say frankly
that the original RFC, the F1ERA and
particularly the CWA were emergen-
cies, wartime measures, to meet a
critical situation. Those things have
been changed now, and a new plan has
been formulated by the Federal gov
eminent In meeting nationwide plan
ming. program for the rehabilitation Of
our citizenry and the rehabilitation of
our natural resources.
The President, in his wisdom, in this
new plan has seen fit to divide the
communities into two divisions; first OF
all industrial centers, which may be
broadly termed towns of five thous-
and or more, and second the rural
areas, the farming regions including
towns of less than five thousand Those
who need help and assistance in towns
of five thousand or more are to be put
to work at once. 1t is intended that this
work program shall offer employment
for needy unemployed persons who are
able to work in the urban and indus
-. Il
is necessary that the projects upor
which these people work shall be 81
the highest social value, planned to BIZ
of the greatest efficiency and the great
est benefit to the community or state
and coordinated with larger plans fol
local or state improvement. All projects
shall be undertaken independently o
work under contract or for which az
annual appropriation has been mad,
and must be, in general, apart from
normal governmental enterprises.
Under the Work Division, working il
cooperation with our State Plannin,
Board, the following things may b
done in towns of over five thousand
First of all we are authorized from
funds appropriated to the state Fedora
Emergency Relief Administration t
take over and provide for the planning
Second, we may construct those thing
that are needed as far as public prop
erty is concerned, the widening &
streets. the construction of sewers, tn
Identification of cities-anything tha
will tend to make the city NOR
beautiful place in which to live, and
e. II ~. TN
undertake and are authorized to under
take the housing problem, remodelin
and repairing of houses in lieu of rer
for relief families. demolition of usele:
and condemned structures, assistance
publicly owned housing, resettlemel
housing for resettled families, and sut
!, sistence homesteads. BY. subsistence
homesteads we mean garden plot, X
workers whose employment is more {
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