Evening star., 1935-02-10
RELIEF BILL TEST
COMING ON FLOOR
Effort to Hold Majority Will
Be Most Difficult in
Final Voting.
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page)
said he would vote against the Nc
Carran amendment. He had not de-
cided finally, he said. whether he
would vote for or against the Adams
amendment.
Discussing his amendment last
night, McCarran said:
Through years Of activity. collec-
tive bargaining and legislation, the
laboring classes of this country have
constructed and maintained a wage
structure that prevails with more or
less elasticity throughout the United
States, differing in various communi-
ties, but always with an established
scale in each area.
Says Wage Structure Lost.
"If the United States Government
puts $4,000 100000 into relief con-
struction projects throughout the
land and limits the amount any
worker may receive to $50 month,
it will tear down the wage structure
of the country in private enterprise.
because Immediately upon the estab-
lishment by the Government OF an
average wage for work, private enter.
prise, seeing the Government behind
the movement, will take advantage
of the situation with a natural tend
ency to pull down wage scales that
have been maintained in private en-
terprises
This will lend itself to reduction
of the earning power Of the toilers
of the country and may have last
ing effect in the way of reduction
of our standard of living for wage
earners"
Asked what he thought would be
the outcome of the effort to defeat
his amendment in committee, Sena-
tor McCarran replied:
IT hope to hold the majority OF the
committee members"
Bills Effect Outlined.
Estimates prepared for the Senate
Appropriations Committee show that
a security wage"-a new term born
since the introduction of the work
relief bill-averaging $50 a month
and giving employment TO 3,5O0.O0O
workers, would call for an expendl-
ture Of SITS. 100000 a month, and
the cost of materials used in con-
struction would add to this $780,
100000, making a total expenditure
of 1885 900 900 month. On this basis
the annual cost would total approx
mately 100000 O00-the amount
carried in the bill for work relief. 1t
would give 3500,00 workers full time
employment 130 hours per MONTH.
Assuming that the prevailing wage"
were paid instead of the security
wage" averaging 80 cents an hour
for the type Of work to be performed,
and assuming that 3,500,000 persons
would work l30 hours a month, the
monthly wage bill would shoot up
to 100000. Add the estimated
cost of material to this-Sl60 900 600
and the total expenditure per month
would be s530,00000. If the appro-
priation is held to $4,000 900, 900, the
effect of the adoption OF the prevail
ing wage would be to cut the time
of operation from year to seven and
one half months. or to reduce the
number of persons working for year
w G,@OViVpOs
Both the McCarran and the Adams
amendments-thorn in the side of
the Observation-Disclosures offered, not
by Republicans, but by Democrats.
Senator Adams said yesterday that
when the work relief bill had been
first presented he had studied it SYM
pathetically. He had come to
conclusion. however, that it would
lead to enormous expenditure. con-
stantly recurring: that it would not
work satisfactorily and that the Gov
eminent plans for spending the
money were extremely nebulous. He
said:
THE President has advanced the
argument that it is better to have
men at work for which they are paid
than on the dole; that direct relief
is undermining the morale Of the
country.
Sees Majority Suffering.
"The Federal Government has as
sumed the obligation of seing that no
one lacks food or suffers from cold.
The question is how best to meet this
obligation. The President argues that
the morale of the people is being de-
Stroyed by direct relief payments.
There is another side Estimating that
100000 persons are on relief rolls
in this country, there are 100,000,000
who have to pay the bill. If the
country is to get on its feet again, con-
sideration must be given to the 100,-
100000 and to industry and busi-
ness. To destroy the morale Of the
l00,000000 and Of industry and buSi-
ness would be worse than TO destroy
the morale of the minority on relief.
Furthermore, I am scared by the
huge increase in the public debt. The
people are paying about billino dol
lars now in interest charges. If we
appropriate $5,000,0 100000 for relief
and work relief this year and industry
does not reabsorb the workers this
year, we will have to appropriate an
other $5,O00.O0O,000 next year. If
we once adopt this work relief Sys-
tenn. we cannot go back to the dole
system. We will have assumed a new
obligation in addition to the obliga-
ton that no man Shal go hungry. 1t
will be an obligation on the part of the
Federal Government to provide every
man and woman with a job. Once
the Government assumes an obliga-
ton, it can never let 60.
There is the chance that if we put
men to work on a security wage,
which is far less than the wage re-
ceived by other men doing similar
work, the man on the security wage
will eventually consider himself i'll
treated and will believe that the Gov
ernment is grating off him. I am
not sure that the security wage will
Bring T
III DE "FCE HANE VnFl