Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1936-08-27

WaShington.-President Roosevelt
again has changed courses on re-
lief. This time he
Tries u. U. +. has launched an
Relief Plan experiment tn t
becomes most sig
nifcant and interesting because he
is trying out in small way the
very heart of the relief proposal
contained in the Republican plat
form.
Without any ballyhoo or any de-
allocated $22, 100000 of Publ c
Works Administrator funds for use
in direct grants to states and has
laid down formula for use of this
money that takes it into the same
category as the Republican plan.
The President took this action per-
sonally. He has not only prescribed
the conditions under which the
grants will be made but has laid
down rules for PWA which will, in
effect, bring to his attention any
completed arrangements involving
these funds.
The program provides that the
federal government will bear As per
cent of the cost, municipality or
county contributing the other SIS per
cent out of it's own funds, and be-
fore the ALLEGATION is made definite
ly, the municipality or county re-
ceiving the funds must agree to en-
ploy 100 per cent relief labor.
In this manner, the "need for re-
Lief" becomes the measuring stick.
If the local community is unable
to supply only unskilled labor from
the relief rolls and the project of
construction planned for the COM
munity requires the use of skilled
labor, it does not get the money.
The projects considered to fall with
in the category of this new expert
ment include a great many worth
while construction jobs such as
school houses, sewage systems and
water systems. The things pro-
posed, therefore, may be said to be
of permanent value and to that ex-
tent represent a veering by the
President to the theory which Sec
rotary 1ckes of the Department Of
Interior always has held, namely,
that if federal funds are expended
they should be used in the construc-
ton and maintenance of permanent
improvements. *
Although the general idea of this
new experiment in relief, new to
>, >, the New Deal, was
Handled practically forced
Locally upon the President
by the necessity of
the present relief mess, it .neverthe-
less represents return to a method
long regarded by many students of
the problem as the only way in
which relief funds can be properly
handled. 1t places back in the hands
of local communities the task of
looking after their own destitute and
charity cases. The federal govern
ment contributes share of the
funds, of course, but it does not boss
the job as has been the practice I'M
der Harry Hopkins and his Works
Progress Administration further
than the requirements that relief
labor be employed.
AS stated above, the plan now on
trial constitutes the very heart of
the Republican proposal for ham
ding federal relief. The Republi-
can platform calls for federal
grants in aid to the states and ter
ritories while the need exists upon
compliance with these conditions: a
fair proportion of the total relief
burden to be provided from the rev.
enues of states and local govern
ments; all engaged in, relief admin
istration to be selected on the basis
of merit and fitness; adequate pro-
visions to be made for the encour-
agement of those persons who are
trying to become self-supporting."
I hear much discussion around
Washington that the Presidents ex-
pertinent meets the Republican
program in every way except as
to the second provision which re-
lates to the selection of the admins
trative personnel upon the basis
of merit and fitness" There are
many who believe Mr.. Roosevelt
has reached the conclusion that
there is considerable merit in the
contention that unless steps are
taken to get relief of the unem-
ployed back into the local COM
munities, it will become an unwork-
able monster, a Frankenstein.
On the other hand, some of the
bitter critics of the Roosevelt adj
ministration are contending that
Mr.. Roosevelt seeks to try out the
Republican proposal in this manner
in order to demonstrate that it is
unavoidable. They point also to the
omission of the second provision,
just mentioned, and declare that
the President will use political pat
ronage rather than merit as the
means of creating supervision.
While the new method has not
been made fully operative so that
W. anyone can see it
way to in full detail, III e