The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1935-05-01
TUGNELL GIVEN
JOB To SPEND
BILLION
Executive Order Places Him
At Head of New Rural
Projects Division
By EARL GOODWIN


Professor Rex Tugwell, No. !
man in the Brain Trust, Under
secretary of Agriculture, takes the
limelight today in the 1000 mil
lion dollar work relief program by
an executive order which starts
the gigantic plan Of taking tens
of thousands of people off unpro-
ductive farms and Pumping them
down in the middle of rural
plenty. and sending slum jewellers
to rural settlements.
President Roosevelt today pub
lished two executive orders which
create a "resettlement division"
in the Governments alphabetical
emergency organizations, and
gives over to Professor Tugwell a
Job which has been estimated as
having nearly a billion dollars to
spend in the next two years.
Professor Tugwell, over whom
the right and left wingers have
been fighting ever since the New
Deal started, today scars to a
prominence in a new job, the ike
of which as not been heard OF
since this country was founded.
Outlines His Duties
The executive order provides
duties and functions Of Prof.
Tugwell's job, among which are:
To start new rural projects
which will involve the resettle-
ment of destitute or low Income
rural families from one place to
another; and even to start .
back to the farm movement" IN
which poverty-stricken city dwell
ers will start life anew in the
fields and farms.
To initiate and administer q
nationwide program to eliminate
soil eroSon, dust storms, stream
pollution, seacoast erosion, refor-
estation and flood control.
Under this head, Prof. Tugwen
win boss some of the biggest en-
cheering jobs the Army has been
doing, will evidently head much
of the conservation work, and
will supervise also a vast section
of the work of the Department
of Agriculture and other Govern
ment offices.
Slightly Exaggerated
The rumors that Prof. Tugwell
is through" in the New Deal
appear to have been slightly
exaggerated.
Another Tugwell job will be to
make loans for the purchase Of
farms, equipment, and to solve
the various share cropper" prob
lens. To carry out this part of
the job. or any other part, he is
given the right Of eminent do
main, to acquire all the real eS-
tate he thinks he needs to reset
tie the country. Ten million dol
lars is put in his hands for the
start Of the work.
The entire Land Program office
of the FERA goes over to Pro
fessor Tugwell: this involves the
head of the FERA land office, j.
S. Lansill, and about 100 en-
ployes. All the work that office
has been doing, including all the
projects started or fulfilled now
go to Professor Tugell.
The ALLEGATION for this reset
tlement work is the first big step
under the new Set-up for public
work. At the same time President
is considering a rural electrified.
ton program and he stated to-
day that he was endeavoring to
place Morris Cooke, Pennsylvania
power expert, in charge.
President Roosevelt called an.
other meeting of his work-relief
lieutenantS at the White House
for 4:3O p. m. to map further
policies.
They included Tugwell, Relief
Administrator Hopkins, Frank C.
Walker, Secretary of the Interior
Ickes, Secretary of the Treasury
Morgenthau, Budget Director Bell
and Admiral C. j. Peoples.