Evening star., 1936-11-12
WHY Not Count Them?

1Not NouAt
Even before last Summers drought
diverted relief funds into new, unantici-
pated channels, it was pretty we'll taken
for granted that additional appropria-
tions for relief would be necessary as
soon as Congress convenes in January.
The President confirmed the probability
of the new appropriations at his press
conference Thursday. Will the money
be handed out. as heretofore, to meet
the sustained demand of the relief ad-
ministrators, in spite of returning pros
perity, or will the appropriation be cou-
pied with some effort to learn facts about
unemployment that after all the billions
spent for relief, remain matters of con-
lecture and estimate?
In his second term the President, 1t
would seem, has an excellent oppor-
tunity to make valuable contribution
toward solution of the unemployment
problem by inaugurating regular and
dependable census of the unemployed,
facts that would accompany such
census. An unemployment census under
ordinary circumstances might prove
politically embarrassing But in his Sec
ond term, with his decisive victory IN
the past election as evidence of the
confidence he enjoys, the President has
nothing to fear on that score. II there
is count of the unemployed now, 1t
would be made at time when unen-
ployment is on the decrease, along with
the political liabilities of the count.
Until we learn more about unemploy-
ment and its trends and causes we
shall never be able to approach the
problem of providing very intelligently
for its relief or with much hope of doing
more than applying the superficial and
expensive treatment that is represented
in w. p. A. and its alphabetical prede-
cessors. If one relief appropriation is
merely to follow another, without scien-
tific determination of the number and
the nature of the unemployed, the relief
burden will tend to increase in weight,
feeding on itself and constantly tight
ening its hold. There are plenty of
available estimates today of the number
of the unemployed. But they remain
unofhcial estimates. And experience in
WASHINGTON, as elsewhere, has shown
that there is not necessarily, any direct
relationship between the number Of
people on relief rolls and the number OF
available jobs. There are probably more
jobs available in Washington now than
in many years. But the number of per-
sons on the relief rolls shows little
substantial change, except as the result
of changed policy in administering relief.
How many unemployed employables
are there today who. except for the
receipt of public relief. were in prac-
tically the same condition before the
depression? How many people are re-
ceiving relief today who never held
job for more than a few days at any
time, before or after the depression?
How many people are on the relief rolls
today who are turning down offers of
private employment for fear OF losing
their relief jobs? How large is the
permanently unemployed element of the
population?
Future appropriations for relief are
doubtless on their way-perhaps for
many years to come. But money should
be spent to determine facts about un-
employment that remain unknown, as
far as official inquiry is concerned, after
four years of relief policy that has
accomplished little If anything except to
meet the continued demand for more
relief.