, 1935-03-22
WASHINGTON
Nv Georre Durno

SlSJently 0OOglnR one QuSStlOu lHcot
days. They don't care 70 become IN
volved in any discussion OF how
the white collar" unemployed are
to be cared for under tn $780, 00.-
600 work-relief bill.
The reeson Is that this problem
Is q real poser. JobleSS statesmen,
musicians. nurses, artists. chemists,
actor. clerks, seamstresses mani
curistS and the like don't tit into
the picture very well when Il comes
TO building dams or roads.
FDR comedies that the trick OF
taking care Of so-called profess
sional men and women would have
been a good one for Houdini 10
ponder over.
Building-In the neighborhood OF
a per cent of all experienced work.
ers on urban relief rolls come
from the manufacturing or me
chanical industries. The building
trades group and the transporta-
ton group coupled with domestic
and personal service trades, furnish
the bulk OF unemployment between
them.
50 far, slum clearance hasn't
moved fast enough TO catch up With
O snail.
Coming Official figures gath
cred by several departments reflect
mixed conditions in business. cost
Of living. etc. Agricultural experts
believe the peak Of the high cost
OF food has been reached. Heavy
imports Of farm products have
helped TO keep prices down The
building industry and other heavy
industries show no sign on i'm
provement.
It's too early for the Federal
Housing program to show It's effect
on heavy induStry-but it's coming.
An enormous lot OF work had To
be done in recasting the mortgage
system Of the country. This spade
work is almost completed and it's
estimated that at least $1,000. O00.-
900 will be spent in new building
this year, thanks 10 the liquidatlng
Of mortgages through the insurance
system
Plugging-Governor Mariner &c
cles OF the Federal Reserve Board
has reported to the White House
that a revival of building activity
was being Stymied by a highly un-
balanced relationship between rents
and construction costs. In an effort
10 overcome this situation Eccles
has been removing restrictions on
real estate loans and broadening
the rediscount privilege.
Unemployment in the durable
goods industries has manged TO
climb I'D a bit but II still Is only
66 per cent OF the l923-25 average
Such industries as the automotive.
steel. and textiles showed good
gains since the first Of the year
yet there Is a joker here.
These industries have been work
ing above normal because they
feared strikes and wanted 70 stock
up reserve supplies.
Thin-Secretary Of Interior Ickes'
Subsistence Homestead projects
weren't even making a dent / n the
relief situation while carrying full
steam.
Now. since President Roosevelt
was forced TO grab off funds for
direct relief elsewhere he could
find a nickel homesteadin Z
come down to an in
finitesimal crawl. When the White
House impounded So 100000 Of
Subsistence Homestead funds dur
ing the senate fight. 3s projects IA
tomatically were held up indefln-
itely. This included 10 already ap-
proved. Al this writing 1852 home
SteadS are under construction or
finished. A total Of SIS families
totalling 2.400 persons have been
okayed TO occupy them. The picture
includes IA projects spreading over
2 States-a pretty thin panorama
50 far as cutting down the unem-
ployment burden Is concerned.
Analysis Maybe Senator Norris
knew 1t. Days before he got the
senate TO pass a resolution instruct
ing the Federal Trade Commission
to investigate propaganda methods
being used by utility leaders 10
beat the administrations anti
holding company bill. the FTC was
at work on its own hook.
Before President Rockwell sent
his last blast TO congress denounc-
Ing opposition 10 the measure he
was in receipt of a report from the
Trade Commission that an inquiry
was under way.
Congressional leaders look for
the findings to be dumped on them
when and IL the bill abolishing
public utility holding companies
gets to an important vote. 1t
should make interesting reading.
Dynamite - The senate fight
against further extension OF NRA.
say veteran legislators. is only a
sample Of what may be- in store II
the administration doesn't soon
get around 10 putting some ideas
into operation to improve cotton.
World conditions make this a task
OF Sisyphus.
Political reaction 10 the affairs
OF AAA cover a vastly wider area
than that represented by NRA op-
ponents. The weight Of disaffec-
ton viii be felt in 1885.
Armaments-At the State Dep
srtment and in committees dealing
with foreign affairs the talk is all
OF Germsny's rupture of the Yer
sailleS treaty. Germany violates the
treaty with the United States. too.
but nothing explosive will come Of
that.
One comment on Killers action
is that Germany has put members
OF the League Of Nations on the
defensive by showing that they