Montana labor news., 1936-08-06
President Announces
Drought Relief
Plans

WASHINGTON-(FP) - Plans for
the care Of the estimated 100000 farm
families in immediate need as a result
OF drouth in the northwest states have
been formulated and set into operation
President Roosevelt announced here.
The plans fall into three categories
OF the 100000 families $4,000 will be
taken care OF by work relief programs,
Farmers will be set to work digging
wells, building water conserving dams,
and constructing farm-to-market roads.
They will be paid average weekly wag-
es Of SIS which, the resident estimated,
will carry them into the winter. The
work relief program will be continued
until weather conditions make it i'm
possible to work outside.
Another $4,000 will be cared for thro-
ugh subsistence loans or subsistence
grants from the Resettlement Admin
istration. These loan and grants, it is
presumed, will be given to farmers sit
uated on the least favorable land and
some attempt will be made to rehabi-
litate them elsewhere.
Approximately 10000 families Of the
100000 needy in the drouth area are
already being taken care of by Reset
Element, according to the President,
and they will continue to receive aid,
The remaining $4,000 are the subject OF
continued study and an effort will be
made to find some means OF aid,
The President caused a litter to run
around his air-cooled office as he an
nounced to hard boiled political news
men that in the latter part Of August
he would make a personal inspection
trip Of the dustbowl area adding hat he
would make no political or historical
speeches.
In announcing reports reaching him
on various phases OF the drouth the
President said that large cattle owners
were managing TO get their stock out
OF the drouth area without much trou-
Bile and without causing a decline in
prices. The herds are being shipped
either to market or to feeding areas
out Of the drouth burned plains.
Small cattle owners, unable to pay
the freight for shipping their herds
out, will be loaned money with which
to get their cattle to feeding areas and
will be allowed to retain title to the
herds. 1t is the intention Of the gov
eminent according to the President, to
encourage farmers to retain their live
stock and basic breeding herds as long
as possible.
The President also announced that
although wheat acreage was 10 per cent
higher this year than the average wheat
acreage between 1923 and 1882 the yield
would be considerably smaller. The
same situation exists in corn, he said.
This fact, the president carefully en-
phasized, proved that the shortage Of
wheat and corn and the consequent
high prices was due to the drouth and
not to any scarcity programs.
His emphasis Of this point was taken
to mean that the administration will
claim during the coming campaign
summer that high farm prices were
the result Of the AAA scarcity pro-
gram but that shortage in crops and
high prices to consumers were due to
the drouth.
The President denied stories that the
administrator intended to. depopulate
the northwest area and claimed that
the intention of the administration was
to reform the economy Of that Sec
ton Of the country. He said they in
tended to work out a program that will
keep the population there and at the
same time relieve the government Of
the necessity OF providing drouth and
grasshopper relief every year.
No estimate was given OF the cost
OF the present relief program and funds
will be derived from various sources.
The problem was termed a long range
disaster calling for a long range point
OF view. States thus far most seriously
affected by the drouth are the Dako-
tas, Montana, Wyoming and parts of
Minnesota.