Evening star., 1937-11-15
Text of Roosevelt Address
Value of Census of Unemployed Cited as President
Urges Jobholders' Cooperation in Getting
Idle to Return Cards.

Following is the text Of President
Roosevelt's radio address last night
"a the census Of unemployed:
Am appealing to the people Of
America tonight to help in carrying
out . task that is important TO them
and to their Government.
It is part, but an essential part,
Of the greater task Of finding jobs
for willing workers who are idle
through no fault of their own; of
finding more work for those who are
tnsufdciently employed and of sur
veying the needs of workers and in
dustry to see if we can flnd the basis
cf 4 better long-range plan o. re-
employment than we have now.
Enforced idleness, embracing any
considerable portion of our people, in
Nation of such wealth and natural
opportunity, is paradox that chal-
tenges our ingenuity. Unemployment
Is one Of the bitter and CALLING prob
ems that now afflicts mankind. It
has been with us. in a measure, since
the beginning Of our industrial era.
1t has been accentuated by the in
ereasing complexity of business and
industry, and it has been made more
acute by the depression.
Effect Of Unemployment
On Prosperity of All.
1t has made necessary the expendi-
ture Of billions of dollars for relief
and for publicly created work; it has
delayed the balancing of our ma
tional budget. and increased the tax
burden of all our people In addition
10 the problem face by the National
Government. our States and local
governments have been sorely pressed
to meet the increased load resulting
from unemployment
1t is a problem of every civilized
hation-not ours alone 1t has been
solved in some countries by starting
huge armament programs, but we
Americans do not want to solve 1t
that way.
nevertheless, as nation we
adopted the policy that no UNEMPLOYED
man or woman can be permitted to
starve for lack Of aid That is still
our policy But the situation calls
for a permanent cure and not lust
temporary one.
Unemployment relief is. of course,
not the permanent cure The perma-
nent cure lies in finding suitable Jobs
In industry and agriculture for all
willing workers. 1t involves co-opera-
tive effort and planning which will
lead to the absorption Of this unused
man power in private industry. Such
planning calls for facts which we do
not now possess
Application Of Planning
To Employers Is Cited.
Such planning applies not only to
workers but to the employers in in
dustry because it involves trying to
get rid of what we call the peaks and
valleys OF employment and unemploy-
ment-trying with the help of indus
try to plan against producing more
goods one year than people can or will
consume. and cutting production dras-
tically the following year with the
resulting lay-off of hundreds of
thousands Of workers.
That Is long and dificult prob
hem to find the answer to and it may
take many efforts in the coming
years to find the right answer. But in
the meantime we need more facts.
For several years varying estimates
OF the extent of unemployment have
been made. Valuable as some of these
estimates have been in providing us
An approximation of the extent of
unemployment, they have not provided
lis with SUFFICIENT factual data on
which to base comprehensive re-
employment program. During this
coming week we are going to strive
b get such facts. We are going to
conduct Nationwide census of the
unemployed and the partly unem-
ployed and we are going to conduct it
In the genuinely democratic American
way.
Points Out That Census
Is Wholly Voluntary.
This is to be a wholly voluntary
census. We are going to hold the
mirror up to ourselves and try to get,
not only a true and honest reflection
OF our present unemployment condi-
tions, but facts which will help us
% plan constructively for the future.
Only in a nation whose people are
alert to their own self-interest and
alive to their responsibilities of citi-
senship could such voluntary plan
succeed. I am confident that this
great American undertaking will sue
eeed. Every effort is being put furth
to make all Of our people understand
and appreciate fully its significance
and am sure you will all give it your
helpful aid as you have in previous
efforts aimed at national improvement,
and through which our people have
shown their capacity for self-govern-
ment.
On next Tuesday. November is,
the Post Office Department, through
Its far-flung and highly efficient or
eanization, will undertake to deliver
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