Evening star., 1934-11-18
CITIES ARE CONSIDERING
LONGTIME RELIEF PLANS
Permanent Set.ups to Handle Jobless
Needs Seen as Possible Result of
Mayors Meet Tuesday.

the Federal Government attain COM
plete cooperation. Critics of the
present policy point out that pending
adoption of a long-range system OF
security, the Federal Government
must formulate and declare national
relief policy.
Mr.. Hopkins says that States will
have to raise 100000, 900 between now
and April to cover relief through the
Winter. Certain officials are con-
vinced that many municipalities and
States are not carrying their share Of
the hunger load For example, re-
ports show that the bulk of the relief
bill in is States has been carried by
the Federal Government and all of it
in South Carolina, Arkansas and
Louisiana. However, certain local
government units in Vermont. Maine,
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Ohio and
Kansas have been sustaining their en-
tire burden.
Private Capital Held Inadequate.
In its conference with the Presi-
dent, the Mayors Committee sought a
Federal works program promoted on
such a scale as to make an impact on
private industry" and second, slum
demolition and reconstruction pro-
gram for low cost houses. The COM
mittee pointed out that in neither
field has private capital, in the past
or in the present, been able to oper-
ate"
Self -liquidating public works flnan-
cling was emphasized in their pro-
posal. The mayors consider that such
a program could be undertaken with
out straining Government credit by
the initiation of a fiscal policy which
will allow cities to use their full
available credit resources in combina-
ton with the financial agencies of
the United States.
The low-rent housing project started
in Nashville. Tenn, furnishes a good
example of the purpose of the mayors
program A 44-acre plot within the
city is the scene of the first work
on Nashville's 100000 housing plan.
Homes are to be erected for $50 fami-
lies. This plan has been tentatively
approved by the Federal Emergency
Housing Corp.
There will be no apartment houses
within the area, but instead individual
living units will be constructed, with
private entrances and yards. Com
munity garages will be grouped acces-
sibly. A large central playground and
possibly a community house will be
part of the development.
Stressing the desirability of Federal
City cooperation in such a program.
l. tI,oJ te@
States is among the last nations to
enter the housing field In European
countries, including Great Britain,
Holland, the Scandinavian countries,
Italy, France, Germany, Belgium
and Austria, housing is a govern
mental function. England has en-
barked on a nation wide scheme for
low-cost housing.
Supporting the belief that some
such cooperative program as the
mayors advocate must be designed to
face probable permanent relief prob
lem, Mr.. Ecker has prepared a re-
port on revenues for relief for the
American Legislators Association. He
shows that, in the last three and a
half years, States have relied on
borrowing to obtain the $500, 900, 900
spent on relief.
Revenues Are Far Short.
General revenues have yielded only
slightly more than 25 per cent of
the sum. Sales taxes have been
tapped for an eighth, and liquor reve-
nues for less than 0.5 per cent. In
come taxes have accounted for about
C6,o00,000, only 2 per cent of the
total
The Middle Atlantic States, first to
assume a part of the relief burden,
accounted for 80 per cent of the
bonds f1oated last year for this pur-
, pose. The experience of these States
indicates that the wide utilization of
bonds is evidently connected with
pressure for relief funds, Mr.. Ecker
comments.
The East Central States, second in
expenditures during the three and a
half years, relied chiefly on bonds
and sales taxes, and bonds were used
considerably by the Pacific States
One of the surprising things about
| this analysis was the small use of
| the new income from liquor. Less
than S2,000,000 of relief in all the
States has come from excise taxes
on beer or other liquid refreshments
Only one State, Wisconsin, specific
ally devoted income tax yield to un-
employed relief
The exact amount spent in the
period was $310,504,000. OF this,
general revenues supplied s70,064, 900;
bonds, S163, 900; automotive reve-
nues, S9,682 900; sales taxes, Sal. .987,-
600; liquor revenues, ST ,682 900; in
come taxes, $5,943,000, and welfare
! budgets, S788,000.