The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-10-11

oj1 lamllleS, containing 1855 persons
on direct relief and 40 families, list.
ing 2,473 persons, on work relief. Th<
money figures are for work relief only
but any guesser might remember thai
work relief costs about Is per cent
more than direct relief.
One OF the difficulties In keeping
the work relief projects going is the
spasmodic character Of the work pro-
vided. Men are permitted ia work
only up to the amounts allotted them
The result Is that all projects. 60 at full
blast early In the month while only q
few are active as the month-end nears
There Is no dearth Of projects. II
fact, more enterprises have been sug.
gested than there are persons to I'll
them. In the case Of women,s pro-
jects, particularly, 1t Is difficult to &c,
enough workers. One result OF tti,
Is to make the meat-canning project
now operating in Burleigh county
relatively expensive. In some district
women are doing the work at 4 lowe,
rate Of pay. Here the work Is done ex-
clusively by men.
Meat Issued Weekly
In addition to financial relief, thu
local office has been issuing $500 t.
5000 pounds OF meat weekly. It L
wrapped and brought to the World
War Memorial building IN 10 pound
lots. BY feeling the packages, early
corners usually manage to select the
best cuts. And on meat days" most
folks come early. Meat Is issued "a
rural residents on Saturday and t.
Bismarck people on Wednesday. AT
Wing meat depot has been provided
a butcher there receiving 81 for kill
ing and dressing steer.
At the beginning, according to Mira
Clendenning, many persons were
meat hungry" They had gone with
out meat for long time and were
avid for 1t. Since the cattle program
Of the government was launched and
local killing was instituted along with
it, this situation has improved mark
eddy.
One Of the troubles encountered
by the local relief office Is the fact
that people ask for more than can be
given unless they are to receive more
than their share. Besides, 1t u not
always possible to tell what person
really needs by what he asks for.
On the day The Tribune interviewer
called on Mrs. Clendenning. 1dr ex-
ample, there came to the relief office
q letter from woman with family
Of children listing their school needs.
They were extensive and nothing was
overlooked. The request would not
be granted without investigation and
even then not all at once. The aim is
to favor children but the problem Of
management Is just about the same
for relief family as for q non-relief
family trying to get by on . meager
income.
Bashfulne1g DisappeaS
Mrs. Clendenning. fears for the
moral effect Of the relief system II
it continues indefinitely. suggests
that 1t may tend to set up q separate
social group II people become too used
to governmental help. Because en-
ployment conditions have been dis
couraging many have come to take re-
lief as matter Of course, she saic.
Others, bashful at first. have adopted
the idea Of getting all they can.
On the whole there Is little arku-
ment, but the Burleigh county relief
office has had more than its share OF
agitation and for . very obvious rea-
son.
Bear In mind that there are two dit
ferent organizations among relief
workers, the Burleigh County Labor
club and the Unemployed Council, and
you have the key to Z lot that has
been going on.
In July the Labor club STAGED q
demonstration and shortly thereafter
the amount Of relief was increased.
It was broadcast as q victory for it,
although the decision to grant the
increase had been made before the
agitation started and was due to In
creased living costs rather than to the
protests Of relief clients. The Labor
club made the most Of its seeming
victory, however, and the rival IN
employed Council was moved to action
This took the form Of asserting that
not enough relief was being granted
in certain families and demand te
see the records. This was refused On
the ground that the protestants were
not charged with the responsibility Of
handling such matters and that theft
interference would only complicate
things.
There has been no violence but tn.
police have been called on ct least twl
occasions to preserve order.
Woman Starts Trouble
This bit Of trouble was started b!
the wife Of one Of the chief relie
agitators, man who has done prac
tically no work for the relief givel
him, who has consistently refused u
work. The woman, dissatisfied viii
the size Of her grocery order, demand
ed free flour. It was refused. tn
relief office has bought live carload
OF flour for sale to clients at cost, bu
the woman remembered when flou
had been given away Is surplus com
modify and wanted the flour free. Sh
insisted that she was going to sta
there until she got It.
When It came time 10 close the q
flee she refused to leave and I police
man was called to eject her and he
husband who. meanwhile. had john.
her. The next morning the womal
was given flour but was told It vou!
Be deducted from her next grocer
order. When the time came for Il,
next grocery order the matter react,
ed crisis.
i Upon noting that the flour had bee
deducted she again refused to leav
the office. but after = while went ava!
Returning later with q committee. s1
and her husband announced the
would sit right there until they Ro
what they wanted. When cloein
time came they refused to bulge an
police again we're called. The polio
! were reluctant to eject, the intruder
BY force but finally induced the ma,