Evening star., 1935-03-23
ROOSEVELT URGES
c, c. c. EXTENSION;
.FECHNER HONORED
Director of Camps Is Hon.
ored in Testimonial Dinner
at MayfIoWer.
TUGWELL LAUDS HOWE
AS GENERATOR OF IDEA
Officials of Departments Attend
in Paying Tribute to Head
of Organization.

President Roosevelt last night gave
impetus to the movement rapidly
gaining strength in administration
circles to give the Civilian Conserva-
ton Corps a permanent place in the
Government.
He expressed an earnest hope"
for the permanency of the emergency
conservation work in letter read at
testimonial dinner given in honor
of Director Robert Fechner and mem
bers of his Advisory Council at the
MayfloWer Hotel. Joining with Off
cials of four affiliated Government
departments in paying tribute to
the achievements of the C. C. c., the
President declared its work has
proved so worth while" he had not
hesitated to recommend the continu-
ance of the forest camps for another
two years.
Mr.. RoOSevelt'S plea for a perma-
nent conservation corps was quickly
seconded ii speeches by Undersecre-
tary of Agriculture Tugwell and Sen
ator Walsh of Massachusetts,. both
of whom declared the C. C. c. was
the one thing in the New Deal ad-
ministration the Republicans could
not complain about. Humbly appre-
ciative of the praise heaped upon his
shoulders and upon his boys" Di-
rector Fechner in his reply also ex-
pressed the belief there was an in
creasing need for permanent or
ganization ina some form or another
Fechner'S Birthday.
Attended by staff members OF the
C. c. C. and officials of the Agricul-
ture, Interior, Labor and War De-
partmentS, the dinner was sponsored
by the American Forestry Association
as a public acknowledgment Of the
first two years of the forest camps.
BY a coincidence, unknown TO the
sponsors until yesterday, the date
selected for the testimonial proved to
be Director Fechner's birthday ami
versary. When this was learned. hur-
ried preparations we're made for a
huge birthday cake which last night
graced the speakers table.
Henry Scion Graves, president OF
the American Forestry Association,
acted as POSTMASTER and read the
letter addressed to him by the Presi
dent, who regretted his inability
attend the dinner. 1t said in part:
The splendid work accomplished b
he Civilian Conservation Corps duri!.r
the last two years it has been in OF
Grafton has been a source of create.
qualification to me. The result
achieved in the rehabilitation of youth
the conservation of our natural re
sources. the development of new rec
reational opportunities for our citizen
and the quickening of business recov
cry have proved so worth while that
have not heSitated to recommend th
continuance of the C. c. c. for an
other two years.
1T is my earnest hope that th>
work carried on by the Civilian Con
Servation Corps will find permanent
place in our Government. Only ir
that way can the Nation. through fu-
ture generations, enjoy the full bene-
fits of what already has been accom-
plished and the full measures Of all
that ultimately will be achieved"
C c Members Attend,
Sharing in the honors with Direc-
tor Fechner we're about so Civilian
Conservation Corps members from
camps in tic vicinity of Washington
their brown khaki uniforms in marked
contrast to the evening dress of the
men and women guests
Outstanding among the serenaders
was a chorus of colored boys from the
C. C. C. camp at Battery Pool on the
Potomac below Alexandria. Men from
Fort Hunt and Roosevelt Island
formed an orchestra and a quartet
was supplied by the camp engaged in
work on the site of the new national
aboretum. At the close of the pro-
gram a motion picture of c. G. C..
activities. prepared oy the Army Sig
Eal Corps, peS thrown upon screen.
Amid the genial atmosphere, how
ever, a moments hush fell upon the
500 or more diners as Undersecre-
tary Tugwell sounded the one SOL
emn note " the evening, He referred
to the tragedy that hangs over the
White House in the serious illness of
the Presidents secretary, Col. Louis
M. Howe.
There was deep silence in the hall
as TugwelI spoke of the losses" of
the C. c. C.
Louis Howe" he said, was perhaps
the generator of this idea. at least he
had a great deal to do with its be-
ginning"
Joining with Tugwell in praising the
exemption of the C. c. C. from polit-
ical criticism, Senator Walsh de-
clared: This is an activity of which
no one can say it has been tainted
with politics or job juggling"
Representative Randolph of West
Virginia also praised the C. C. c. men.
The members of the Advisory Coun-
Gil who shared in the credit are Col.
Duncan K. Major of the Army Gen.
eral Staff; F. A. Silcox. chief Of the
Forest Service: Arno B. Cammerer.
director of the National Park Serv-
ice, and w. Frank Persons of the
Labor Department, representing the
four afiliated Federal departments.