Evening star., 1935-11-26

ana political eGectS, the prood0te
DEVELOPMENTS and early sndgs OF
president Roosepelt's $4,000, ,000, 600
job program.
BOSTON, November 26 (N.A.NA).
Some of the drollest horrible ex-
amples" of w. P. A. and some OF its
most progressive executive ideas have
emerged. strangely enough, from the
heart of conservative New England,
where the political swing against
Roosevelt started earliest and, to all
outward appearances, has gone farthest
It is typical of the singular mixture
Of tradition and buncombe that 60
10 make up Massachusetts, politics that
Gov, Curley, leading Democratic orator
of the Northeast, could seriously pro-
pose a 4o-nile lilac drive" between
Boston and Providence as a w. P. A.
project without being laughed out Of
the State House.
Yet he did, and no one so much as
cracked a smile. To his fanatical fol-
lowers. Gov. Curley can do no wrong.
To urley-haters-and nearly every
politically conscious person in the
State feels one way or the other about
him strongly-it came as no surprise
They merely heaved another sigh and
put down another black mark in their
books opposite the name-"R Roosevelt"
Boondoggling Idea Thrives.
There were plenty of black marks
there already. For probably nowhere
has the erroneous impression that
w. p. A. is somewhere between so
and 30 per cent boondoggling gained
wider credence than in Massachusetts,,
and this despite universal respect for
Arthur G. Rotch, an old-school Bos-
tonian, who is administering w. P. A.
Roth has been behind most other
States in getting his quotas to work
under w. P. A, but this did not con-
Germ him particularly, because the men
were working of them-on
emergency relief projects and merely
had to be transferred. In many cases
projects under E. R. A. simply are
now continuing under w. P. A. Now
that the log jam is broken in WASH
ington, the transition is speeding up.
Massachusetts, has been the most
progressive Cor conservative. if you will)
State in taking care of its own direct
relief cases. The idea that Uncle Sam
should pay for those who can work
and local communities for those who
can't was in effect here long before
any one in Washington had thought
of it as national policy. For months
the State has received nothing from
the Federal Treasury for direct relief
and has made localities live strictly up
to the Massachusetts, law that each
shall take care of its own poor.
45.9 Per Cent From City.
Boston's relief costs for the first
quarter of 1885 were S6,852,617. The
city provided 459 per cent of this sum,
the State contributed nothing and the
Federal Government gave SAL per
cent.
Boston is used to paying out in taxes
far greater share of the Federal bill
than it proportionately receives. But
st does love to roll around on its
tongue anything indicating that the
S4,0O0000, 900 program is not all that
1t should be.
Frequently cited is a $4,000,00
project approved by w. P. A. to build
sidewalks along State highways in
rural Massachusetts,. This is project
that originated in the State House.
The story is that certain prominent
contractors, who will profit by the
program, have political connections
reaching straight into that gold
domed edifice on historic Beacon Hill.
The theory Of the project is that
country sidewalks remove a traffic
hazard. Officials point with alarm to
the absolute refusal of John w. Pedes-
trian to walk on the left side of the
road at night-"he simply won't do
it'-and declare that obviously the
only thing to do is give him a side
walk to walk on.
Miles of Sidewalks.
So w. p A. is building hundreds of
miles Of these sidewalks, some along
stretches Of road where there is not a
house for miles. w. P. A., it is pointed
out, builds the sidewalks-but the
State lets private contracts for the
CuIDinS. IL Is nOiSeO dDOuC GIldC CIle
same influential contractors have SUBJ
stantial interests in granite quarries.
All in all-so Informed Boston" be-
lieyes-it's grand idea for every body.
But the issue in Gov. Curley's lilac
drive" is something else again-fowers
to soothe the delicate sensibilities of
motorists plying between the two New
England cities.
1t would, the Governor points out,
provide lot Of work for laborers dig
ging holes 1t also Che might have
added would make a fine addition to
a previous E. r. A. project, in which
holes were dug at the wrong time of
year for trees to be planted in them.
Yes, indeed; Rotch has his troubles.
(Copyright. 1885. by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. 1nc)