The Washington times., 1935-12-17
SHOWS
FAR NJ Frs
NEED AID
international News Service


lief aid has ended, at least Off
cially, according to FERA-WPA
Administrator Harry L. Hopkins,
more than is per cent Of the rural
residents in six Of the chi > agri-
cultural areas must be given relief
in some form from now on, Cor
rington Gill, assistant to Hopkins,
reported today.
What form the relief may take
Gill did not offer.
He reported that an extensive
study showed that more than Is
per cent of those in the six areas
studied are incapable of self-Sup-
port.
Under Hopkins orders ending
direct relief. it is up to the States
and local governments to provide
relief. FERA made it's last Fed
eral allotmentS in November.
The areas covered by Gill in his
report are the Appalachian Ozark
rural areas; the Great Lakes cut
over timberland area; the spring
and winter wheat areas, and the
eastern and western cotton areas,
where the chief rural relief prob
lens have centered since direct
federal relief began in January,
1898, and which has been admin
istered by Hopkins since May,
1898.
Reports by Areas
His reports on the areas re-
veal:
Appalachian-O Ozark-15 per cent
never can be self-supporting, and
constitutes a permanent relief
load; two-thirdS could be rehabi-
litated as part-time farmers, pro-
vided some supplementary en-
ployment can be furnished; less
than one-fifth can support their
families entirely from their
farms, and less than per cent
could be entirely selfsupporting
from non-agricultural occupa-
tionS.
Great Lakes cut-over area
With approximately 80 per cent
of the families on relief little
reduction in the relief rate can
be affected in the near future"
the report states, due to unem-
ployment and poor farming con-
ditions, with 1S per cent Of the
relief families having either no
worker or one woman worker,
and IA per cent with no worker
employable
Spring Wheat Area-Sixteen
per cent of families incapable OF
self-support.
Winter Wheat Area-Fourteen
per cent incapable of self-support.
Eastern Cotton Belt-Nineteen
per cent of white and So per-
cent of colored population in
capable of self-support.
Western Cotton Belt-Fitteen
per cent Of whites and % per-
cent of colored population un-
able to support selves.
Used to Solve Problems
The report pointed out that
in past depresSions farmers al
ways have been able at least to
feed themselves, or to migrate
to new lands. The present depres-
sion, abetted by the drought,
brought to light unknown rural
Slums."
The report states:
although crop failure, Specula-
tive expansion, absentee owner
ship and depressed price levels
were among the factors which
precipitated the relief situation,
the roots of the trouble obviously
lay deeper. This rapid and heed
less exploitation of the human and
natural resources, and destruction
of the forests in the Great Lakes
and the Appalachian-Ozark areas
by commercial companies left en-
tire communities stranded where,
under a planned system of timber
utilization, these communities
could have supported their popu-
lations over a long period OF
years."
Mr.. Gill says:
"The present relief situation IS
q result Of the philosophy Of max
ing killing and letting the future
take care of itself. Not only the
farmers but the State governments
pursued a policy which could only
lead to economic disaster"
Among the cause of the collapse
Of agriculture in the various areas
cited in the report were over
population, inefficient small farms,
drought in the wheat belts, "dis-
organization" Of commercial agri-
culture in the cotton areas. and
loss of supplementary employment,
particularly in the Appalachian
Ozark and the Great Lakes areas.
The report was based on a study
Of 10TH families in IS counties
in % States,