Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-23
is a stenographic
- report on the informal remarks
made today by President
L Rooseyelt before the MOhiljza

- report on the informal remarks
| made today by President
L Roosevelt before the Mobiliza-
lion of Human Needs Conference at
the White House:
Mr.. Swope Ladies and Gentle
men of this Third Annual Meeting
for the Mobilization of Human
Needs:
I am happy, indeed, to greet
the national and community lead
ers of the human welfare services
Of the whole Nation. For the
third time we have the opportun-
ity, face to face, to pledge at once
the substance and the sinews Of
Government and of private or
ganized welfare agencies in the
service of the less fortunate Of
the land. The problem, in spite
of definitely brighter economic
skies this year, demands the best
that both can give.
Extends Praise
For Heroic" Work.
want to extend my congrat-
ulations and appreciation fer your
heroic work-and I choose that
word "heroic" deliberately-dur-
ing these years through which we
have Just passed. The fact that
you have maintained your support
of welfare services with a shrink
age of only 13 per cent of the
amount raised since 1929 is remark
able. I am glad to know that you
halted the retreat at that point
a year ago and now are headed
once more toward the front. Let
there be a general advance from
that point in the $50 campaigns
which have been organized for the
Autumn of 1885.
There are very special reasons
why all must cooperate to bring
private welfare support back at
least to the 1929 level. In pur-
suance of the announced policy Of
the legislative and administrative
branches of the Federal Govern
ment, the Government is with
drawing as rapidly as possible from
the field of emergency home relief.
We are moving successfully toward
the substitution of work for direct
relief. We anticipate, in addition
to the work provided by Federal
funds, a very definite increase in
work provided by the employers OF
the Nation during the coming year.
The great mass Of private employ
ers realize today that they again
must greatly help in our economic
situation by offering employment
to the utmost limit of their ability.
Nation Better
Able to Do Duty.
Chiefly because Of the steps
taken by the Government itself
during the past two and a hal
years to save homes and farms, to
bring prices into more fair adj
justment, to make the payment OF
debts easier, to make loans to in
dustry, to railroads and to banks,
the actual purchasing power of the
mass of the people has greatly
risen from the low point of 1882.
This means, therefore, that the
Nation as a whole is better able
to do its duty to private charities
than it has been for six long years,
and that is pretty good selling
argument for all of you to carry
to the Nation.
In the task of caring for the
less fortunate in this year of 1885,
there are, of course, many i'm
portant gaps to be filled. 1t is to
the filling of these gaps that your
earnest efforts are being directed.
1t cannot be emphasized too
often that the task you have been
doing all these years is far broader
than relief. The public must real
ize more and more the great and
necessary work you are doing in
such fields as nursing, hospitals,
child welfare, recreation and youth
guidance. Such services as these
nave IlOI dIlQ CdIlIlOI NC dSSuIIlCU
as a responsibility of the Federal
Government except in most limit
ed degree. Their very nature con-
signs them to private agencies.
Security Body
Ready to Function.
I am very glad that the new
Commission of Social Security,
headed by Gov. Winant, with the
able assistance of Mr.. Altmeyer and
Mr.. Miles, has come to Washington.
They are about to undertake a
great task-that of spreading the
gospel of taking care of the aged
throughout the country, of set
ting up unemployment insurance
and, also, Of cooperating with the
States and communities In taking
care of widows and children. That
is going, in the years to come, to be
considered one of the greatest steps
ever taken by the American people.
The work: OF this new commits