Evening star., 1934-02-18
President Roosevelt Is Confident
Of Success of Emergency Measures

fectiveness Of labor's rights is being
questioned
Adding to the troubles Of the Re-
covery Administration are court de-
cisions that throw doubt over its pow
ers to govern the many industries that
function wholly inside one State.
All of these problems are to be
threshed out at the conference Of
code authorities here beginning
March 5. President Roosevelt is to
address that conference. Whether he
will chart a future for the N. r. A. is
not known at this time, but hope for
it as the driving force and the basic
formula for national recovery has
waned.
Not the same can be said Of the
Agricultural Adjustment Administra-
ton. Only few months ago the A.
A. A. was being abused and the N.
r. A. praised. Now the tables seem
to be turning Judged by commodity
market actions, some of the steps
taken by the farm relieyers are be-
ginning to click.
There is cheer for the President in
news that both hog and cotton prices
have risen recently to the highest
level for this period In three years.
Both of these crops were subjected to
forced curtailment last Summer and
Fall. when growing cotton was plowed
under and little pigs we're killed. Now
these pigs are not coming to market
as hogs, and the shorter cotton crop
is bringing higher prices. In addition
the new hog curtailment program,
with bounty payments of over s4G0,-
600, 900, remains to be put into effect.
Cotton buying Of late has been con-
sidered sensational 1t has now based
partly on the plan for forced curtail-
ment of marketing approved by
President Roosevelt. Wheat and corn,
too, have shown some strength, and
the President has ground for think
ing that he may have struck a work
able formula for helping out the farm
situation. That formula is being
financed almost entirely by processing
taxes.
The third formula-that of spend
ing the country out of the depres-
sion-has not been doing so well. The
announced intention of the President
was to spend $4,000 900 900 between
January and July /. To spend that
much would require weekly outlays of
about S308, 100000. In six weeks of
spending the Government fell over
1000 900 behind its program and
each week paid out less than the week
before
Spending difficulties seem to lie in
the Public Works Administration Try
as he will, Harold Ickes, public works
administrator and Secretary of the
Interior, has been unable to make the
money flow out swiftly into the
pockets of workers. 1t Is his job to
absorb a portion of the 1000 600 C.
| w. A. workers who are now gradually
being taken from the rolls of the en-
ployed.
Biggest spenders are the Civil Works
Administration and the Reconstruc-
ton Finance Corporation. But c. w.
A. is being discontinued because of
the inherent possibilities Of abuse,
and the r. F. c. money is flowing
largely into banks and not directly
into the pockets Of the people.
However, President Roosevelt re-
tains his confidence in the effective
| ness of these formulas. They are to
be given more time to get in their best
work.
Certainly President Roosevelt gives
the impression of being ready to try
most anything once, If he thinks 1t
promises to bring greater business ac-
tivity and jobs for the unemployed.
His attitude shows also that he be-
lieves the things he already has tried
are getting in their work. The prop
lem is to speed them up.
(Copyright, 1934.)