The Bismarck tribune., 1935-03-04
What Is the Plan?
New York Herald.Trihunel


First returns on the wave of public
pressure which IS to sweep the relief
bill through the senate are conflict
Ing, but the result so far seems to be
the curious one that the senators are
getting about as many letters de-
manding the prevailing wage as sup
porting the president. If so. this only
confirms our view that the country
at large hasn't the least idea Of what
It Is all about and that the president
will have to tell it before he has the
slightest chance of getting a func-
tlontng work relief system going upon
the firm public support which is es-
senttal. Why the president should not
do 50 It IS impossible to understand.
It IS quite clear that the admins
tration has not got as yet either the
organization, the detailed system or
the actual projects to put $500, 900
persons on work relief at the moment.
It Is clear that il the senate votes
the $3.50, 100000 what will actual
ly happen will be that the president
will continue the present relief meth
cd until such time as he has finally
been able to hammer out (perhaps in
another Johnsonian chaos OF bally-
hoo) something that will look like a
rk-relief system. Why not, then.
vote him the money necessary to con-
tinue the present methods and vote
tho additional billions only as the
hammering-out process has been
completed?
The presidents proposals raise a
whole string Of vital questions which,
50 far as the country knows, the pres
i6ent has not even answered to him.
self. Some Of them are:
!. Projects. What is really avail
able? How quickly could they be
started? How many Jobs will they
provide? How much Of the money
totals viii be absorbed by land costs
or equipment? In what proportion
win they be self-sustaining. non
competitive. fulfill the other presi-
Dental conditions? How long will
they take for completion?
2. Relief. Are the jobs to be filled
by drafting individuals now on relief
rolls, or are they to be open to any
one? II the former. what will be the
organization for fitting relief recipients
to the Jobs? What studies have been
made as to the training Of those on
relief for the kind Of work provided
by the projects? How IS essential
skilled Or supervisory personnel. when
not found on the rolls, to be paid?
What is to be done about dismissals?
Are relief recipients to be distributed
about the country to fit the projects
and, II 20, how? Il the jobs are oper
70 any one. what sort Of controls will
insure that the "employables" on re-
Lief take them?
Z. Wages. How Is the subsistence
wage actually to be calculated? Wha,
y 10 b done about those uEfo-r.
unately large numbers who BY private
effort barely make a. subsistence wage
now9 = the work to be done by pri.
vate contractors required to pay ;
government subsisteuce-wage scale, o.
y the government itself to be TIL
paymaster1 = there to be . mean.
tsst3
These are only few Of the obvi'
ous questions loe which 1t Is necessar!
70 have an answer before one can be-
gin 70 undefstand even what sort o.
thing Il y that the president has II
mind None has been answered yet
The president y FIGHTING . great bat
ltlo q principle without having toll
any one what his principles really are
i y not surpgising that the letters =
the senators aye confused and con
luGine.