Evening star., 1934-09-03
Richberg Bases Forecast on
Severity of Drought and
Winter Increase.
DENIES GOVERNMENT
Is FINANCING STRIKES
Confident Improvement Has Been
Made in Working Conditions
and in Labor Relations.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
A prediction that 100000 families
"a new high record-would be on
Federal relief rolls in February was
made today by Donald Richberg, Sec
retary of President Roosevelt's Execu-
tive Council.
THE severity of the drought situa-
ton and the usual seasonal increase
in relief during the Winter" are given
as the reasons for the expected gain.
Richberg denied what he called
"misinformation" to the effect that the
Government is financing strikes. THE
amount of Federal relief payments
which can be attributed to strikes has
been almost negligible" he said in the
third of a series of reports he is max
ing to the President on progress of
the New Deal.
In previous ones he reported more
than 100000 workers had been put
back into employment and that farm
prices had been boosted, to the benefit
Of agriculture.
Confidence that "a very marked i'm
provement has been made, both in
the handling of labor relations" is ex-
pressed in the report.
Relief Payments Increase.
Richberg said the largest previous
relief total was 4,560,000 families in
March, 1888 Last June, 3,716.755
families and 512,701 single persons
were on relief, he added.
Relief payments increased, he said,
from SIG month average per family
in May last year to $23 at present.
This was attributed partially to price
increases. The report said retail food
prices had increased more than 20
per cent since the low point in April,
1888, with further increases expected
during the coming months"
The principal cause, however, was
described as "the policy in connection
with work programs Of allowing the
larger budgets which under such cir
cumstances are necessary for food,
clothing and carfare; also relief stand
ards have been raised in certain areas,
particularly in the South, where the
average is still extremely low"
With strike clouds now breaking
over almost million textile workers,
Richberg said that in view of "a GER
tain amount of miSinformation," he
felt he should make clarifying state
ment. So he said:
"The number Of workers involved in
strikes during the last year has been
very small percentage of the total
number of employed workers, and has
been smaller percentage than in pre-
vious comparable periods. The total
man-hourS lost as a result of strikes
has been likewise unusually small
that is, strikes have been of excep-
tionally short duration"
The effect of administration of the
recovery act, with activities of the
other Government departments and
agencies, including particularly the
Department of Labor and the Federal
Relief Administration" said the
statement, has been to reduce the
extent and severity of labor contro-
versies, which, according to all prec-
edents, rise rapidly during a period
of economic recovery"
Fe0eral Keller Traced.
Today's report traced the history of
Federal relief since March, 1888, in
cluding the three major programs of
direct relief, civil works and the
emergency work program.
1t was set forth that 1850, 900
families were receiving relief in
March, 1888, when Mr. Roosevelt took
office, and that more than 4,2OO, 900
families were on the rolls when F. E.
r. A. succeeded the r. F.. C. in the
relief field in May. last year. The
r. F. c. loaned $500, ,000, 900 to States
and localities for relief
The cost of relief in March, 1893,
was given as $81 ,205 900. The relief
expenditures reached their peak in
May, this year, at $128 ,020, 0,426, on the
basis of figures through all months to
July l, 1884.
Through increase in private en-
ployment, only in part attributed to
seasonal causes" said the report, 1.-The
relief rolls declined steadily from
March, 1888, to the end of September,
then rose, and then dropped abruptly
toward the end of the year through
transfers from relief rolls to the C..
w. A. program.