Evening star., 1936-08-18
Member of the Associated Press.
Drought Relief.

Comparisons of the severity Of this
years drought with those of other years
are not important. The important as
pect of the drought this year is the new
conception of the Federal Governments
responsibility in alleviating the condition
of the victims. Under this conception
every sufferer from the drought is
ward of the National Government, ELI
gible for assistance in various forms,
extending even to aid in removal from
the afflicted regions and resettlement in
some other more promising land. That
Is the most extraordinary thing about
the present drought.
The announcements today from the
two relief agencies now most concerned
in administering to the sufferers lndl-
cate that by the time the President
makes his visit to the drought lands
next week more than 10000 farmers,
most of them heads of families, will be
receiving benefits from the relief pro-
gram the President initiated a little
more than a month ago. Furthermore,
before the Works Progress Administra-
ton and the Resettlement Admins
tration complete their programs more
than half million farm families. en-
bracing a total of perhaps 100000
individuals, will be receiving an esti-
mated total of S100000,000 in cash
grants and other forms of relief.
When the past session of Congress
appropriated its s1,425 100000 for relief
1t was with the understanding that If
the funds were not sufficient the new
Congress would appropriate whatever
additional amounts would be needed for
the remainder of the current fiscal year.
When the relief funds were appropriated
no drought relief needs were antici-
pated as no drought was then in sight
1t is now certain that new appropria-
tions must be made for relief this Winter.
AS an indication of how the drought has
upset calculations of ,relief needs, DR..
Tugwell's Resettlement Administration
may be cited as one example. The R. A.
ciisalloved funds for its use-$85, ,5O0,0 900
Of "earmarked" money, which was to
take care of It's numerous activities in
resettlement and soil conservation pro-
grams. Now the drought has demanded
emergency expenditures of Resettlement
Administration funds, and the ultimate
cost of its drought relief is placed at
about s7o,o0o,ooo, leaving balance of
about s15,000,O00 to carry on its normal
program. That normal program, nat
urally, will be drastically curtailed II
It Is not thrown overheard entirely.
Sharing the program of relief with
the Resettlement Administration is Mr..
Hopkins Works Progress Administra-
ton, which is not able to make cash
grants, but must provide work in return
for the relief wages it pays. Today the
w. P. A. has 10000 workers on its drought
relief pay roll, and by early next week
there are expected to be 100000. That
will not be the peak load" either, and
even when the peak is reached, relief
in the form of cash, work, loans for
seed, and even the resettlement of
stricken families, must continue over a
long period. AS the w. P. A. program
will be curtailed by bad weather this
Winter, that program must be supple
mented by others.
The drought was not anticipated by
Congress in making relief appropriations,
nor was it apparently taken into con-
sideration by Secretary Morgenthau and
the President in their reassuring state
ment last week that no new or heavier
taxes would be necessary.