Evening star., 1934-08-27
The Richberg Report.

National recovery has made great
strides under the Roosevelt admin
istration and the new deal, Donald R.
Richberg, executive secretary of the
Executive Council, has reported to the
President. In this, the first of a
series of reports, Mr.. Richberg said
that 4,120,000 more persons were en-
ployed last June than in March, 1898.
He said, too, that total manufactur-
ing wages increased from $96,000,000
a week in June, 1888, to $132,000,000
last June, an increase of 37.5 per cent
During the same period living costs
advanced 9 per cent, leaving an in
crease of Is per cent in the purchas-
ing power of the wage earners. The
report deals, too, with increases in
corporate profits, showing for exam
pie, that net profits of 506 corpora
tions rose from $157,5 ,57e, 900 in the
first half of 1888 to $408, ,572 900 in the
first half of 1884. Other figures given
in Mr.. Richberg's report are highly
encouraging.
There is nothing in which the
American people are more greatly in
terested than in industrial, agricul-
tural and business recovery. There is
nothing about which they crave the
facts more earnestly. A great diver
sity of opinion has developed as to the
measure of improvement made. The
report put out now by the administra-
ton must be regarded as based upon
facts collected by the various Gov
ernment agencies. From many busi-
ness sources during the past year have
come statements that conditions of
production and employment were
growing better and better. The Rich
berg report serves to confirm these
statements emanating from individual
concerns and business men.
Employment of the workers Is the
great essential to recovery. If they
are gainfully employed it means at
once the spreading of purchasing
power, the power to consume goods and
to break the vicious chain which has
held the country down to depression
and distress for so long. Mr.. Richberg's S
estimate that 4,12O,O00 more wage
earners were employed last June than
in March. 1888, is greatly encourag-
ing 1t represents an increase of
100000 employed workers over June,
1888, and the latter increase is at
tributed by Mr.. Richberg to the
shortening of hours under the N. R. A.
codes Presumably, from the language
of the report, the increase noted by
Mr.. Richberg is industry" as dis
tinguiShed from the employment given
by the various relief agencies set up
by the Government, including the C.
W. A. and its successors, the Civilian
Conservation Camps and the like.
The relief from unemployment
| through public works is dealt with in
detail by Mr.. Richberg. The grand
total of allotments for public works
under the P w. A. up to August IA
is given at $3,665, 100000, leaving
about S35 900 900 of the total available
appropriations for public works still
to be allocated.
Mr.. Richberg's report is deserving
of careful study. 1t marshalS facts
and figures which definitely show that
real strides have been made in in
duStry and employment during the
past year and a half. Mr.. Richberg
attributes these gains largely to the
policies and program of the new deal.
1t is natural that he should do so,
and he has, as justification, the fact
that the new deal has been in opera
ton during the period of advance. If
others, antagonistic to the new deal,
are inclined to disagree and to argue
that the improvement has come not
withstanding the new deal program
it nevertheless does not detract from
the finding that actual progress, much
progress, has been made in this
country,