Evening star., 1936-04-12
Changes Impending
in New Deal Set-Up
By Owen L. Scott.

is out-even in the event of a Demo-
cratic victory this Fall-unless permitted
to serve in a larger capacity than at
present.
DR.. Tugwell now is Undersecretary Of
Agriculture and resettlement admins
traitor, with about $300,000,000 to spend
on a wide array Of social and economic
experiments. But in each of his jobs he
really is No. 2 man to somebody else and
is without a free hand in applying his
ideas.
That poses the problem confronting so
many important New Dealers: Govern
ment work, with its delays and its po-
litical and personal rivalries, is irksome,
yet what comparable thrill of power can
be had in a return to former private
jobs?
At this point developments impend
that may offer a way for several prom
inent administrators to realize their am
bitions for place and power. Moves are
starting that suggest a plan by President
Roosevelt If reelected to try to stream
line the National Government through
a reorganization that would fit the ad-
| ministrative creations Of the last three
years into a definite pattern. At least
one new cabinet job-that Of Secretary
of Public Welfare-is being talked about.
So, in the shuttle ahead, Mr.. Roosevelt.
given another four years, may find work
and titles to please DR.. Tugwell and Mr..
| Hopkins and others of those who have
labored to make the New Deal what
| it is today.
Few in close touch with the Govern
ment question the need for some action
on the part of the President to bring
order out Of existing administrative
chaos.
He has recognized that need by nam
| ing three experts, Louis Brownlow, Prof.
| Charles Merriam and Luther Gulick. to
start looking over the Government with
a view to reorganization. What they
discover should prove an eye-opener
even to those accustomed to the intri-
cacies of governmental organization.
One of the first sights to Jolt them
| into action may be DR.. Tugwell's own
Resettlement Administration. Here the
| investigators will find nearly $4,000 en-
| ployes scattered across the land, doing
| jobs that other departments already are
supposed to be doing. DR.. Tugwell, how
| ever, seeks to do them in a slightly diff
| ferent way and at considerable expense.
He is rehabilitating destitute farmers
job for relief administration and one
| formerly handled by F. E. r. A. Re-
| habilitation takes the form of loans and
| grantS-a type of operation in which
| the Farm Credit Administration has a
| world of information and experience.
DR.. TugWell also is engaged in buying
| up submarginal land. To get this task
| he had to take it away from the Agri-
| cultural Adjustment Administration. He
| is carrying on experiments in planned
use of land. in erosion prevention and
in reforeStation. But so is the Depart
ment of Agriculture, with it's erosion
service, its forest service and its A. A. A.,
with $500,000,0O0 to spend on soil build
| ing.
AS one more line of work, the Resettle-
| ment Administration is experimenting
with suburban low-cost housing, and
with subsistence homesteads. DR.. Tug
well took the subsistence homesteads Job
| from Harold Ickes, administrator of
emergency housing. and his low-cost
housing experiment is just another ver-
sion of that of Mr. Ickes.
Analysis of Resettlement Administra-
tion activities discloses that all or nearly
| all Of them are duplicated by other
departments of Government or are
transfers from other departments. Money
voted by Congress for unemployment re-
| lief finances the experiments.
A glance at housing activities of the
| New Deal provides another eye-opener
| Experiments in this field are scattered
| all over town.
DR.. Tugwell has his subsistence home
steads and his satellite cities-ventures
| into low-coSt housing. Mr.. IckeS, under
P. w. A., has his slum clearance and
other low-cost housing ventures, which
the Resettlement Administration copies
| with few variations. Both have their
administrative staffs.
That makes two organizations. Ano
| now Senator Wagner, with what he says
is administration support. is proposing
to create third low-cost housing set-ur
under new administrative commission
An entirely different organization, the
Federal Housing Administration. also
with a big staff, is trying to stimulate
| private home building among income
| groups able to finance their own homes
Mortgage reform is another aim oi
| F. H. A.
But F. H. A. is entirely separate from
the Home Owners Loan Corp, with it.
refinancing of old mortgages on a lower
| interest basis. Thus the New Deal i.
able to offer in the field of housing
r. A., P. w. A., F. H. A., H. o. L. c., 6
prospective new administration machine
| and also r. F. c., which lends to bigger
| borrowers than those taken care of by
H. o. L. c.
The apparent duplication Of effort
| within the New Deal gives point to the
observations of Gen. johnson Hagood
| who generated serious trouble for him.
self by saying to a congressional com.
| mittee:
II am not familiar with the variou.
| pockets in which Uncle Sam keeps hi.
money. I understand that there Il
| budget money, which is very hard to get
| there is P. w. A. money, which is not
| so hard to get; and then there is vas
| quantity of w. p. A. money, which is
very easy to get for trifiing projects, but
almost impossible to get for anything
| worthwhile"
It is in the name of relief and w. P. A
| that Mr.. Roosevelt is operating by
| executive order to keep the N. r. A. ides
| alive.
The Blue Eagle is dead. The Nationa
Recovery Administration became extinct
| on April /. But. as in other fields more