The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-01-31
BOONDOGGLING

The Anderson, S. c., Record raises milo
protest about extravaganza and waste or
one government job in that city. The An
derson paper says $4,000 has been en-
pended on a grading job at one OF the
. schools and that the JOB remains untlnlSh-
ed and an additional sum of $1,000 has
been called for to complete it.
What the Anderson Record is talking
about is boondOggling job, and the coun-
try has witnessed tens of thousands OF Such
in the past two or three years. They have
become so common, in fact, that we sup
posed everybody had ceased to pay any
attention to them. The Record is certain
that the job referred to could have been
done under private contract for fraction
Of the cost to the tax payers under the
boondoggling system. That is true, O.
course.
The Anderson Records complaint re-
wives memories of some of the bOondOg-
Cling projects put over in Henderson
county Boondoggling continues, here and
everywhere throughout the country; AMI
while some of the projects under way here,
and some to come along later, are import
ant construction jobs, meriting endorse
ment by all of our people for what they
are going to be worth to the county, II
anyone anticipates that they are not going
to be carried on according to boOndoggling
policies, they are going to be disappointed.
In other words, under this system, they
will cost several times the amount OF
money that would be necessary to finance
them as private construction jobs.
This is the ground of objection of mil
lions of citizens to the boondoggling sys-
tenn. These citizens do not understand
swhy a system cannot be devised that will
assure the government of getting at least
five or ten per cent. of the value of the tax
,mOney expended on projects designed to
furnish employment.
z In this connection an interesting case has
been called to the attention of The Times
News i'm connection with soil erosion work
in this county by the CCC. Comment was
not from citizens who oppose soil conserva-
tion-they heartily approve of it-nor dlc
it come from citizens opposed to the carry
ing on of CCC work. 1t simply pictures
the reaction of honest, intelligent, fruga
mountain people to the boondoggling pro
gram. In this particular case it is estimat
/, ed that from $4,000 to $4,000 was spent
on a soil erosion project by CCC unit
Intelligent farmers have voiced the opm
ion that the land owners cold have had tho
work done on private contract for few
hundred dollars and that the cost IN tho
money Of the tax payers was several time!
the total value of the farms on which tht
work was done.
The Times-News is not citing this as {
case where official information as to cost
have been obtained. 1t is doubtful If an!
information as to the costs of operation 0.
the CCC camps, or of soil erosion or othel
projects, would be made public by tn
government The figures given are the es
innate of intelligent citizens, who CAREFUL!
watched the project referred to, and
knowing something of the costs of main
tanning the CCC camps, prepared figures il
this case.
This sort of thing simply does not appea
to honest, intelligent people. They find i
impossible to endorse such boondogglinl
with the tax money of the people. Hare
headed citizens of Henderson county fai
to see the wisdom or the honesty of spend
ing $4,000 to $4,000 of the money of tn
people of the United States to get 500
job done in this county, no matter hoy
meritorious the intentions and designs o
the promoters may be, and notwithstand
ing the fact that the job was done by tn
,CCC boys. &C.