Evening star., 1935-04-06
Memher of the Associated Press.
The Government Cornucopia.


After a stormy passage the Presi-
dents $4,8sO, 100000 relief and work
relief bill has finally come to port.
AS soon as the Chief Executives sig
nature is attached the measure will
be a law, the greatest single ap-
preparation act ever passed by any
Congress. Under its terms the Presi-
dent becomes the arbiter of all spend
ing More difficult still. he is to be
the arbiter of all wages paid on the
work relief projects, with the excep-
tion that on permanent buildings for
the Government the prevailing wage"
must be paid.
If the Presidents program is car
ried out, 3,500,000 persons will be
taken from the relief rolls and put to
work on relief projects. OF the total
amount carried in the bill, $4,000
100000 is supposed to be for work re-
lief and $3.50, 10000 for direct relief
that is, for distribution where no work
Is performed. The work relief pro-
gram announced by the President has
been hailed in many quarters as new
STEP The truth of the matter is that
the Federal Government has been con-
tributing many millions of dollars al
ready to States, cities and towns to be
used for so-called work relief projects.
The kind of work done, for example
In New York, has recently come to
light. Boon doggling," the investi-
cation of what becomes of ancient
safety pins, are among the types of
employment on work relief that have
been criticized. Take the State of
Massachusetts. The Federal Govern
ment has contributed millions for re-
lief there, but not dollar for direct
relief. All has gone for work relief"
What is planned, apparently, is
work relief on a more gigantic scale
than has been tried ever before. The
size of the appropriation is staggering,
particularly if it is to be followed by
other similar appropriations. It has
sent cold shivers down the spines of
responsible legislators, men and
women who understand that the gov
ernmental expenditures cannot be
maintained at such rate for long
without bringing financial ruin.
The big questions now are: Who is
to handle all this money, to deter
mine the details of its spending. and
for what is the money to be ex-
pended? 1t has been stated that
President Roosevelt will attend to the
ALLEGATION of the money personally.
If the President undertakes this task,
it may be a back-breaking affair.
Certainly many of the details must
be left to others. The Senate has
placed in the bill kind of a guide to
the President in the ALLEGATION of
money to various types of projects,
like highway construction, the elimi-
nation of grade crossings, rural elec-
IRRIGATION, etc.
There has been demand for quick
spending of the money made avail
able under this appropriation. Speed
in getting it out is the thing, it is
said. Committees of Congress have
tried in vain to obtain detailed state
ments from the administration as
to what projects would be undertaken.
If there is to be speed in spending,
the chances Of permanent and impor-
tant public works growing out of the
expenditure diminish. It takes time
to prepare for such projects.
Launched on such q program Of
spending, the country will hope that
1t may obtain the greatest amount of
relief, leading to recovery, from these
efforts of the Government. Relief is
temporary and a failure unless re-
covery can and does follow. A grow
ing feeling exists in Congress that
this must be the last huge relief ap-
preparation bill; that something must
be done beyond palliatives. 1t is a
feeling that has developed as strongly
on the Democratic side as on the Re-
publican. Yet the lure of money
spending still has the Congress as
well as the administration under its
influence. When the showdown came
on the adoption Of the conference re-
port on the huge bill only seventy
members of the House and thirteen
members of the Senate voted mo"