Evening star., 1935-04-09
VAST DEVELOPING
SOON UNDER WAY
Works Fund Expected to
Take $500, 900 Off Dole
in Few Months.

First steps toward realization of
the vast internal development plan
drawn up by the National Resources
Board will be taken with the $4 ,000,-
100000 works fund panacea urged by
the President ito end this business OF
the dole"
Within a few months the admins
tration expects 3,500,000 men now on
relief rolls will be earning $50 each
month on Government financed prof.
ects from coast to coast in tremen-
dous drive to put the Nation back on
its feet and at the same time provide
for all the security of livelihood
through better use of national re-
sources and the security of decent
homes" demanded by President Roose-
welt in his annual message to Con-
gress.
The National Resources Board, un-
der Secretaries Ickes, Perkins, Dern,
Wallace and Roper and Relief Ad-
ministrator Hopkins. recommended
20-year program for spending 1O5
billion dollars all told for Nationwide
rehabilitation and development OF re-
sources The primary proposals OF
the program for expenditure of the
four billion.
Erosion Campaign Plans.
Already Undersecretary of Agricul-
ture Rexford TugWell has plans laid
for his S350,000,0O0 campaign to con-
troll soil erosion, minimize drought
and end dustStorm through foresta-
ton and food control projects map
ped by the War Department and H.
H. Bennett, chief of the Soil Erosion
Service, for the area beyond the
Mississippi.
A far-reaching characterization
program, to be financed with part OF
a S5OO,OOO.00O item ear-marked for
rural rehabilitation and relief in
stricken agricultural areas, also is
under Tugwell's scrutiny for develop
ment of ready-undertaken projects
of this type The reclamation policy,
aimed at increasing the 359.000,000
acres of land now arabic in the United
States, will be directed mainly at
completing a number of small and
seemingly unimportant irrigation
operations, held of great general eco
nomic importance in the aggregate,
although Individually they are Of only
local significance.
The $4,000 100000 program is chief
" rural in character, but $3.50 100000
is set aside for housing projects, to
be divided for the most part among
these types of works:
l. Low-coSt. low-rental urban hous-
ing in connection with elimination OF
slum areas.
2. Subsistence homestead projects
to rehabilitate stranded industrial
populations.
Housing Activity.
Housing activity will be carried out
in close conjunction with recon-
rnendations of three Federal studies
of housing needs-the Department OF
Agriculture's rural housing survey
and the Department of Commences
Real Property Inventory" covering
"a cities, and Financial Survey Of
Urban Housing"
Nine States today have set up hous-
ing authorities, which wilt cooperate
with the Federal program.
A Nationwide campaign to elec-
trify large per cent Of the 5,394,000
farms in the Nation now lacking cleo
trio facilities will be waged with $780,
100000 of the works money. In urg-
ing this rural electrification program,
the P. w. AS Mississippi Valley Com
mittee pointed out
"Of the more than 100000 farms
IN the United States, more than 800,-
900 are electrified, but only about $780,
900 have "high-line" service. The bal
ance have individual plants, expen-
sive to operate and limited as to use.
lover 100000 farms are entirely
without electric service. Estimates as
to the number of these which can
now economically be given service
range from 100000 to 100000.
Rural distribution lines will cost
from $500 to $500 per mile to con-
struct and to amortiZe this cost in 20
years involves cost to each of three
consumers on mile of line of about
81 per month"
Non-Federal loans and grants
amounting to 5000, 100000 will be de-
voted to great extent, the National
Resources Board surmises, to housing
subsistence homesteads, soil erosion
projects, withdrawal of submarginal
lands to be employed in some in
stances for recreational purposes, wa
terway development and transporta-
ton aids.
Water resources loom largest in
the reports from the Western States,
and population problems figure prom
inently in reports from New England,
New York, New Jersey, etc." the
board declares.
Grade-croSsing Projects.
"A near-billion dollar fund has been
set aside for grade-crossing elimina-
ton, street improvement and highway
building. With $800,000,000 at its
command the Government will seek
to penetrate remote areas now to
great extent cut off from population
centers by inferior roads. Today high
ways and railroad rights of way take
up about % million acres. Admins
traitors of the works fund will prob
ably not seek to increase this, but
will perfect existing roads and make
travel on them safer through con-
struction of over and under passes,
where grade crossings now exist
The Civilian Conservation Corps.