Evening star., 1934-11-22
ROOSEVELT SEES
MORE lob RELIEF
Tells Mayors Meeting Next
Congress to Consider
Social Problems.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, November 22.-Presi-
dent Roosevelt assured the mayors of
the Nations major cities today that
recovery efforts have yielded substan-
tial results and informed them the
next Congress would consider extern
sion Of the job-making relief projects.
Our efforts along the road of eco
nomic recovery have been productive
of substantial results" the Chief
Executive stated in a letter to the
annual assembly of the United States
Conference of Mayors. "It is un-
doubtedly true that the coming Ses-
sion of Congress will give further at
tention to proposals involving un-
employment relief, public works, un-
employment insurance, old-age pen
sions and housing. all OF which vitality
affect the city governments.
Il canont say what final action
Congress will take with reference to
these subjects, but I assure you the
Federal Government Is anxious to
work effectively and comparatively on
all OF these common problems.
La Guardia Reads Message.
ut is through teamwork of all gov
ernmental units that victory may be
attained"
Mr.. Roosevelt also thanked all
mayors for their support in the re-
covery drive.
Mayor F. H. La Guardia of New
York City was delegated to read the
missive to the heads Of more than
100 municipalities. The president of
the organization and mayor of New
Orleans, T. Semmes Walmsley. urged
the immediate reorganization Of city
tax systems, advocated a united attack
by all local governments on their
common problems and pleaded for the
preservation of liberty in all cities.
We must guard against strait
jacket limitations on municipal func-
tioning through drastic systems of
State or even Federal control that will
prevent cities from carrying on the
experiments necessary to the success
full conduct Of Democratic govern
ment," Walmsley asserted. IF the
opportunities for trying out new ideas
are taken away through central bu-
reaucratic supervision, then our
Democracy will become stagnant.
This freedom must be safeguarded
and protected"
In an outline of governmental
trends, he pointed out that America is
largely an urban nation with IS per
cent Of the people living in s6 large
cities; that the cities collectively have
become the most important govern
mental units from a financial view
point. with New York, Boston, Chi
cago, Baltimore. Detroit. Los Angeles,
st. Louis and Seattle more important
flscally than their States; that city
tax machinery ne IDS revamping be-
cause 1t places major burden on real
estate; that local and Federal govern
ments have been brought into init
mate contact by the recovery agencies,
but there Is no coordination of Fed
eral. State and city policy; and that
while the Government is initiating its
recovery expenditures the cities and
states are engaged in retrenchment.
Sees Need for Study.
These developments, he said, call
for serious study. Discussing them, he
asserted:
The population Of Montana. Utah,
New Hampshire, Idaho, Arizona, New
Mexico, Vermont. Delaware, Wyom-
ing and Nevada together Is a million
short of the regional population of
Chicago. That they have 20 Sena-
tors. If We compare the financial i'm
portance Of governmental units on
the basis of revenue receipts, using
1880 figures. we find the 10 largest in
the United States are made up Of the
National Government, five cities and
four States. The fiscal operations OF
Cook County (Chicago) in 1880 were
larger than those of 90 States"
He proposed professionalizing NUM-
cipal government by civil service and
special university training.