Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-11-05
TUGWELL AGENCY
TO SHIFT SET-UP
But ResettIement Work Will
Continue Under Sew
eraI Units.
BY BLAIR BOLLES.

months which almost daily repro
| duced in some new form the rumol
that Tugwell was resigning and Re-
settlement was to be junked. Tugwell.
from all indications, is eager to remain
as Undersecretary Of Agriculture. and
Resettlement Is only to change Its
form. with the 48 States separately
experimenting one of the chief r. A.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of imam
cially-distressed farmers.
The scrapping Of Resettlement is ex.
pected before January S. 1887, the day
Of the opening Of the next Congress
through these moves:
]. Incorporation of the farm debt
adjustment program Of r. A. within
the Farm Credit Administration.
2. Transferring the resettlement
program. which is essentially a hous-
ing program, to the domain Of Harold
Ickes. as Public Works Administrator
3. Shifting the land utilization pro-
gram which involves the purchase of
100000 acres-an area as large as
Maryland-of submarginal land, to the
Agriculture Department.
4. Turning rehabilitation back to
the States with slight Federal over
seeing by Harry Hopkins Works Prog
resS Administration.
Fate Of Employees.
The fate of the $4,000 Resettlement
employees, scattered through Is Wash
ington buildings and every State in
the Union, is unknown, although it
Is believed many will follow their
work into whatever bureau their par
ticular division happens to be moved.
These workers are paid more than
$40 000, 900 a year. although Tugwell
Is paid only as Undersecretary $4,000
q year.
Orders already have been issued to
the heads of the Land Utilization Di-
vision. which at present is Tugwell's
chief interest, to consider curtailment
of personnel and to plan for in
creased efficiency of operation as q
forerunner of the transfer.
Except for the work of this land d.
, vision, Resettlement Is practically at
a standstill so far as active new bust
ness is concerned. 1t is launching no
new resettlement projects, and while
it has not shut down on loans its chief
concern now Is the collection of for
mer outpourings Of money, which. ex-
cept for drought activities last Sum-
mer. total little more than $780,
100000.
4 T1ynuall hir1ca1f Ia ctvnn 1Oos
both Of demands that he resign or b<
fired and of rumors that his departure
was imminent, has leave of absence
until next June from his economics
| professorship at Columbia University
There Is every reason to believe he will
take advantage of the leave, even
though his wife and two daughters
have moved to New York City.
The soil conservation program
which succeeded the outlawed crop
curtailment program as the fountain
of farm subsidy-is the current foun-
dation Of the New Deal farm program
and its philosophy is land before
crops. Tugwell said as long ago a:
last March that his land utilization
program-which is aimed at taking
out of cultivation submarginal land
and retaining it gradually for a va.
riety Of uses, including cultivation
should be a part of the Agriculture
Department. He feels it is naturally
complementary to the soil conserva-
ton program, which Is designed tc
prevent soil depletion by scientific land
use OF arabic land.
Work of L. C. Gray.
| Tugwell found in the Agriculture
Department, when he became its As
sistant Secretary in March, 1888, L. c.
Gray, who years before had begun a
campaign in behalf of the economics
Of land use, which he considered of
much greater importance than the
economics of marketing.
Gray had been given a free rein by
| the department for his studies, but
little attention had been paid to his
gospel. Tugwell, however listened, and
Gray today is, next to Tugwell, the
most important man in Resettlement.
He is in charge of the land-purchase
program, and not an acre can be
bought until Gray gives the word.
Gray would move back to Agricul-
ture upon the expected transfer of the
Land Utilization Division. The fact
that Gray today enjoys immense pres
tige among the few persons who know
what he Is doing is tribute to the
importance to the administration Of
Tugwell. who found him a man after
his own heart and gave him a chance
to put his ideas to work.
The other activities of Resettlement
were all under way before Resettle-
ment was organized, and we're admin
istered by Hopkins and Ickes. The old
Federal Emergency Relief Admins
tration. for instance, spread among
distressed but deserving farmers the
money needed to adjust debts which
the F. c. A. could not touch, and to
make loans and grants to farmers,
through the States. for the purchase
Of equipment and stock.
Rural Relief Headquarters.
r. A. took over these duties because
it was set up as the headquarters Of all
rural relief. whether the obvious work
Of giving money to q farmer to keep
him from starving or the more elusive
business of buying land so that future
generations of farmers will have some
productive soil to till.
In the year and four months r. A.
has been the debt-adjuster and the
loan-grant maker, it has lent $s7 ,066,-
400 to more than $4,000 farm FAM
lilies. Repayment. according to Tug
well. is made at a good rate: Of
$S,552,6S due October /, $6.543,897,
or 76.5 per cent, was paid.