Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1934-10-11

Harry L. Hopkins,
federal relief administrator, makes
public figures showing that the aver
age cost of maintaining family of four
on public relief now is $23.O9 a month.
He says this figure varies materially
from section to section, that it is ma.
terlally higher in the Industrial centers
OF the South where relief rolls are
largest and that, probably. the country
may expect higher average cost dur
Ing the forthcoming winter.
The statement by Mr.. Hopkins be-
comes exceedingly significant, In the
opinion Of observers here, especially
with reference to the likelihood that
there will be an increase in cost this
winter. 1t reflects two things. First,
the ADMINISTRATORS drive to bring
about increased prices through crop
limitation or crop destruction or any
OF the several methods employed not
only Is adding to the burden of those
with limited buying power but it is
compelling Uncle Sam and the states
and counties and charitable organiza-
lions everywhere to pay an added price
to keep people from starving. Second
~. the Hopkins statement gives more
than an intimation of how many addi-
tons to the relief rolls there may be
as result Of refusal Of some people
to accept any kind of jobs. It has been
known many months that relief rolls
carry a certain percentage Of indivld-
uals who amount to the same thing as
parasites, but the mounting cost both
in the average and in the total figures
are being examined by many experts
with the thought in mind that consid-
cradle waste is in prospect.
The relief administration has been
attempting to make surveys of relief
rolls in many Jurisdictions. The re-
suits in some Of the cases have been
quite disturbing to those in the gov
eminent who are wholly DESTROYS of
lending help wherever help is neces.
sary but who obviously are unwilling
to see government funds drained off
to care for individuals who are refus-
ing to help themselves. How far this
condition Is going, none can foretell;
nor can anyone at this time say ac-
curately how extensive has become the
list of those who regard relief rolls
as their rightful meal ticket.
Some of the political leaders have
become alarmed because, having knowl-
edge of the dole system in England
and in some of the other European
countries, they know how hard it is to
separate individuals from relief after
those individuals have lost the pride
and morale which causes people to sup
port themselves. Hearings before con-
gressional committees last winter dis
closed in numerous cities how some
people had declined to do the odd jobs
created under the make work. cam
paigns for the unemployed and had
preferred to make their semi-weekly
trips to the relief stores. At that time
there were relief advocates of the Sob
sister type who insisted that the num-
Der Of such unemployed was very small
and that it would not increase. Relief
administration figures. however, seem
to show that the contrary is true and
that wherever they may be there is a
certain number of the unemployed who
will remain attached to the govern
ment relief roll until that roll is abso-
lutely liquidated.
/ have heard several members of
congress express the opinion that this
phase Of the relief
Difficult problem is really the
Problem most difficult of the
whole structure.
They want to see the government spend
all of the money that is necessary to
keep people from starving but they are
beginning to demand that some way
be found by which the sheep may be
separated from the goats and proper.
1y fed.
Here In Washington a taste of the
condition mentioned above has been
exposed as the result of complaints by
a taxpayers organization. The tax
payers group declared that its inves-
tigators had found many unemployed
appearing at relief headquarters driv-
ing their own automobiles, they
thought 1t was paradoxical that man
could afford to maintain his automo.
bile and could not maintain his family.
Relief authorities in the local offices
denied these charges. The relief ex-
perts said some of the destitute were
being transported to relief headquar-
tiers In the cars of friends, but despite
the denials there seemed to have been
some fire in all of the smoke.
Whatever the facts In the National
Capital situation may have been, the
condition itself nevertheless Is attract
ing attention for the reason that some
Of the soft-hearted individuals who
usually do more talking than anything
else have risen to the defense of those
who called for their doles in their mo.
tor cars.
The upshot of this and of the yelled
charges Of waste-and sometimes graft
in other cities is that this govern.
ment is approaching point where 1t
must become more or less hardboiled
in It's relief administration. If It does
not, nearly all of the observers agree.
the United States will have a relief
rN1 ne rtxr al. n