The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1935-11-08
HUNGRY DAYS
RETURN WITH
RELIEF ENDING
Roosevelt's About Face to-
ward Hooverism Means
New Horrors
WILL THEY DIE SLOW?
While Profits Again Soar
Back to Levels Of
Prosperity"
WILL THEY DIE SLOW?
By Len De Caux

By Len De Caux
WASHINGTON OPP What
happen to the unemployed who are
being So rapidly cut off direct re-
lief these days? Every month the
government proudly announces so
many hundreds of thousands fewer
ION the dole" and by December /
federal direct relief is supposed to
be ended altogether. WPA Jobs by
no means account for all those cut
OFT and still less does private en-
ployment. "Unemployables" are
supposed to be looked after by sta
ties, cities, or private charity. But
are they?
How MANY pitiful cases are
there of human beings lost in the
present political shuttle? How
many lives are being crushed in
the pressure to lend this bust
ness of relief" to prove to the
hard-faced business men who
will finance next years election
campaigns that money is not be-
ing wasted" to make people
lazy" How many are the innO-
cent victims of the present buck.
passing contest between federal,
state and city authorities?
The full answer to these ques-
tons may never be known. Mel
Their Liberty League economy
shouters nor the administration
are interested in publishing such
facts as these. But some of them
are known in inner administration
circles, though they are not made
public.
HELPLESS PERSONS
CAST ADRIFT
Not long ago, for instance, a
study was completed showing what
had happened in certain localities
to cases cut off federal relief as
''unemployable" or because of lack
of funds. It's findings are pitiful
in the extreme, showing members
of aged, sick and crippled persons
cast adrift to fend for themselves
or starve.
When the federal government
disclaims responsibility for "unem-
ployables," the assumption is that
these will be transferred to state
or local agencies. But in Georgia,
where this particular study was
made, this was found not to be the
case. At Macon, for instance, out
of ITO relief cases closed in May
for administrative reasons (64 of
them as unemployables), not q
single one was found to have been
taken care of bv relief placement
or by transfer to a social agency
These Georgia unemployed VINO
cases were Investigated were cut
off federal relief in line with Pres
Roosvelt's pronOuncements abou
|, lending this business of relief,
turning over unemployables to the
: states and putting the rest of the
jobless on works projects. What
, actually happened to them? Th'
aged and sick "unemployables'
: were forced to seek desperately fo
work In nearly all cases unsuccess
; fully, though one carpenter offere,
to work just for his food. Man.
were compelled to beg. Gifts from
relatives, neighbors and friend
: kept some barely alive. But prac
| tically all were sentenced to SLOW
= starvation.
LESS THAN TWO
2 MEALS A DAY
Investigation of "a of the Maco
households concerned between Jul
Is and August Is revealed that 2
: had been averaging somewhat les
than two meals a day. Six report
ed one mean day; five repOrte
four meals in three days, and
reported five meals in three day.
Fifty-ore reported two meals
day, and only IL reported thre
' meals a day.
Butter, eggs and milk, baco1
ham and beef had practically dis
appeared from the tables of thes
: people, it was found. Many ais
= have to 90 without white flou
I sugar, lard, canned goods and CO
fee. They were reduced to a die
chiefly of cornmeal, meat Skin
and grits.
e The "good old days" of direct n
lief to which these people coul
o look back were bad enough. The
/ average income then was $3.50 fl
D. the last full month of federal r,
/, lief, while a third of them got lel
d than Sc. Ten weeks later, aftt
y the new federal policy had gor
IL into effect without state cooper;
: ton, these miserable, less-than-sU
le sistence incomes were found to [
Z reduced by one-fourth to ore-thiI
u or more. Gifts from relative
+ churches, etc., and very rare oC
II job or sale of something or othe
made up their dollar or two d,
II monthly income.
u Both negroes and whites we
~ represented in the study. On
four men, all of them white, az
IS ore negro woman had secured
TX regular job in the months sin,
lg they had been cut off federal relic
IN The highest wage was $1,000
i'll week.
y ''HAPPY DAYS
q y, ARE HERE AGAIN"
- The individual cases are a r
&c cital of horrible suffering. One f
Is Their of six children, ranging fro
y IL years to less than a month, w
w finally driven insane and commi
E ted to an asylum. Another he;
n of a family was found to be ivir
o. in a box car. "I never expects
IL to live as long as l have lived
1T to suffer as my wife and l are su
Nv fering," declared a man 70 yea