Evening star., 1936-05-12

some instances, the employment rolls
1t had in 1929. In the face of this,
comparisons are made by the Sun dis
closing that various agricultural States
have increased the number on relief
and in several industrial States the
number of unemployed on relief has
remained either the same or grown.
Many Reasons Given.
Why are relief rolls high notwith-
standing an Improvement in employ
ment? The official explanation here
Is this:
/. Individual savings have been ex-
hausted among unemployed who now
60 on relief.
2. About 25OO,OOO more employables
have come of age.
3. Standards on relief have i'm
proved and many people accept relief
now who used to hesitate.
4. Earlier relief figures were under
estimates.
5. Landlords in the South have
shifted to the Federal Government the
burden, especially in crop reduction.
Some of these points are matters
IN dispute among New Deal officials,
but on the whole they express what
ever explanation can be derived from
official sources on the contradiction.
Congress Hazy, Too.
Congress is just now voting more
relief money. And the truth is the
Congress hasn't any more definite idea
Of what the available figures mean
than the average man looking on. The
taxpayer is being told it is all neces-
sary ito rebuild America" or so that
nobody may starve." But sooner or
later the demand for the facts will
become irresistible. Thus far, every
effort at an investigation or inquiry
has been squelched by the admins
trations influence in the House and
Senate.
Even an unemployment survey has
been shelved for fear it might show
how little real progress has been made
toward e-employment as a conse-
ouence of the "priming of the pump"
theory. But there'll be an unemploy-
ment survey made soon with results
to be completed after the next Novem-
Der election when the disclosures will
no lenger be politically damaging.
The most important fact which is
becoming more dramatic each day as
the inquisitive minds of newspapers
and investigators are turned to the
situation is that the New Deal itself
has created a vast amount of unem-
ployment. This was. of course, unin-
territorial. Also, inside the New Deal,
this is bitterly denied by various spon-
eors of the policies supposed to be at
fault.
Rural Areas Suffer.
Thus the w. P. A. has shown that at
least II per cent of about 100000
cases studied showed unemployment in
agricultural or rural areas. While the
A. A. A. money helped certain farm
ers, much of the money went to pay
back debt or was sent to other regions
of the country to purchase supplies
whereas, small neighborhood stores
and business suffered because of the
increase in unemployment and the
consequent breakdown in the pur-
chasing power of rural labor.
The economic planning" which has
been going on is best illustrated by
a statement in one of the New Yorl
Sun surveys which remarks that 3,000.'
600 farmers were paid $1,000, 900, ,00t
to curtail production, thus leaving
100000 farm laborers high and dry
and on relief"
The Sun has been collecting figure!
on increases in employment through
out industry and the results indicate
that the task before the manufactur
ing and allied trades is by no mean
as great as has been believed and tina
the real problem is how to find job
for the many millions of persons dis
placed in the agricultural States O
left by the refusal Of the New Dea
to allow the capital markets to func
ton so that investor funds will b
available for new enterprises an
especially for the so-called durabl
goods group of industries.
(Copyright 1936l