The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-18

tlcateo, although q drlVe Will pS
made on relief workers and thou
sands will be fred outright.
5000 Dropped Last Month
Two situations, Hodson indicated,
we're responsible" for the slashing
of relief lists. Applications for re-
lief, which in the past had shown a
drop Of ten to fifteen per cent, con-
tinue to mount, and the failure of
the city to appropriate necessary
funds. Last month" Hodson said,
5000 families were dropped from
lhe relief lists
That there has been no de-
crease in the demand for relief
was indicated in a speech of E.
Corsi, relief bureau head, deliv-
cred at meeting of the Fedora
ton of WOmen's Clubs at the
Hotel Aston on May 4. COrsi then
said: Gas yet there is no sign Of
the problem decreasing. During
1888, the applications averaged
1925 a day. During the first
three months of this year, they
averaged LABS a day and E. thus
far this month the daily average
has risen to 1925"
In presenting his relief budget to
HE Board of Estimate on April 20,
Hodson asked for 10 millions for the
month of May. Subsequently, the
Board of Estimate voted slightly
over Is million, rs per cent of which
is returned to the city by the fed
eral and state governments.
This failure on the part of the
city to appropriate sufficient funds
TO provide even the present starva-
ton standards of relief to the I'M
employed is directly attributed to
the retention of the bankers agree
nent, by which the lives of one and
, quarter million Of unemployed are
naortgaged to a group Of Wall Street
bankers.
Cash Relief Set-Up
With fanfare of publicity, it was
recently announced that all relief in
Ehe city would start on a cash basis
On May l. Subsequently this date
was later changed to May Is, and
the latest advices from the Welfare
Department state that cash relief
will begin on May 81.
LaGuardia, however, blurted out
the real truth about the cash re-
lief set-up in speaking before a
group Of social workers meeting in
the Gramercy Hotel recently. Here
he outlined q vicious forced labor
scheme under which every unem-
ployed head of a family would be
classified by his occupation and
forced to work for the miserable re-
lief pittance, ..
81 have already been informed
by my Communist friends" La
Guardia said, chat this is forced
labor adding that opposition to
he schemes was expected, but
nat eve will plug ahead" To
this he added the threat that a
uture drastic cut in all relief
IouId be expected with the re-
mark, THE funds will be entirely
exhausted by the end of August"
Jail Threats
Jail for the unemployed who
fall to provide for their families
on the sub-starvation relief allot-
merts was held out by LaGuardia.
ANY time that you find a head
Of a family squandering money
want you to let me know. We will
put him where he can't squander
money for a couple Of weeks"
just what is the amount of money
which the unemployed can "squan-
ier?"
The present relief rates under the
budget efficiency basis" of the
Home Relief Bureaus will be re-
tanned. Single men will receive
$3.50 week, male recipients of re-
6ef will be given $1.65 a week,
women $1.55 and children will be
allowed from 81 to $155 a week. A
family of two will get 81 and fam
lily of five will get 81 weekly. Rising
,ood costs are not taken into con-
sideration in the relief budgets. No
carfare is provided, although there
Is but one relief station below 14th
81. and only one for the 81 square
miles of Staten Island. Household
expenses for ice, kitchen utensils,