Evening star., 1937-05-31
BYRD ASKS DATA
ON HOMESTEADS
Requests Wallace Records
to Fix Cost of Shenan-
doah Project.
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.

is determined to have q showdown on
the actual costs of the Shenandoah
Homestead Projects. which he has
termed appalling waste and eXtrava-
gance.' He has called on Secretary OF
Agriculture Wallace, who inherited
these projects from DR.. Rexford G.
Tugwell, administrator of the Re-
settlement Administration, for the
record on seven specific items.
This demand WAS made by Byrd as
chairman OF the Senate Reorganization
Committee, with authority to require
by subpoena or otherwise the desired
information. He explained in his letter
to Secretary Wallace that he felt COM
PEELED to act because of the dis
crepancy between the $1,52O,2l9 esti-
mate presented to me by DR.. Tugwell,"
the estimate given through Budget
Director Bell by c. B. Baldwin, as
sistant resettlement administrator. on
May 81, and the estimate contained in
Secretary Wallace's letter to him on
May 26.
Senator Byrd is the leading advocate
In Congress for reorganization in the
interests Of economy and efficiency and
Is author of the original reorganization
resolution. He is sponsoring series
of bills and resolutions for CO.
ordinating program of legislation
which would show just how it is
proposed to regroup, curtail, CO.
ordinate or abolish certain agencies,
with the estimated saving.
Work as Governor.
It was due to his efforts as Governor
OF Virginia that the Shenandoah Park
was established, and it was as a result
of vacation period in the park area
last Summer that his attention was
called to the alleged waste in opera
ton Of Shenandoah Homestead
Projects.
For more than a year he has been
protesting against it.
Senator Byrd explains that DR.. Tug
well originally gave him the estimate
OF Sl,520,2l9. On May 81. Assistant
Administrator Baldwin, in an estimate
through the Budget Bureau, said that
In the Ida Valley tract, where the
subsistence homesteads are about
ready for occupancy, except for the
water system, the cost OF the land
will be about s37,179 and the cost of
the development will be SOL ,422,
making an average cost of $6,929 per
unit. The cost of the land in the
Washington tract, in Rappahannock
County, was estimated by Baldwin on
May 2l as $33,065, and the develop
ment cost was estimated at $l2l,704.
This is to care for n families and
the figures indicate an average per
unit cost Of s5,703.
Points to Discrepancies.
TT is difficult for me to understand
Why the assistant administrator, Mr..
BALDWIN, gives an estimate on May
81, which is entirely at variance with
the figures given by you on May 26,"
Senator Byrd wrote to Secretary Wal
lace.
"A very substantial part of the total
ALLEGATION can still be salvaged," he
added, in asking for the following
specific information under authority
Cd Copies of all contracts and
agreements of every kind that have
been entered into with respect to
these projects;
t2) Itemized statement of the cost
OF completing each project;
80 An exact, itemized statement
of all expenditures separated as be-
tween the seven projects;
% Complete statement of the over
head and administrative cost and
list of those employees at Washington
and elsewhere and the salaries OF all
who perform, or have performed, serv-
Ices on these projects;
80 A list of the families with sd-
dresses, who have made agreements
to rent the houses, and copies of the
agreements;
60 statement of the rent to be
charged and the amount OF principal
payment required.
CD y statement of the number of
agreements, with tenants or prospec-
tive tenants, which have been can
celed, and the reasons for each can
collation..
Senator Byrd emphasizes that he is
mot opposing sound and practical re-
lief to these worthy mountain famt
lies, but that he does oppose this
present scheme because it will not
be successful in giving the BENEFITS ex-
pected." He said that last Summer he
was appalled," to find that "Dr. Tug
we'll intended to expend 81 SOC, 900 on
. resettlement program for about $50
mountain families by means of COL
lective village farming, and that under
the proposals mountain people would
repay IN part this amount to the
Federal Government in the form of
rentals"
Says Project Changed.
His protest to DR.. Mitchell resulted
Senator Byrd says, "in the changing
OF the original fantastic project, known
as the c. B. I. Green project, as it was
proposed by DR.. Tugwell. 1t was
there proposed that % mountain
families would operate as a common
unit on a cooperative system similar
to those in Russia.
DR.. Mitchell recently advised Byrd
that the collective farming feature of
this project would be abandoned.
Secretary Wallace informed him that
an order for electric refrigerators had
been countermanded.
Senator Byrd points out to secre-
tary Wallace that while he VS. the
cost OF the new units will not exceed
$3,755 each, the itemized statement
OF this cost does not include any ac-
counting for the costly overhead which
has been largely responsible for the
extravagant expenditures already