The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1938-12-16
OLSON OFFERS
2-PO|NT PLAN
TO Give JOBS
Permanent Problem, y
Says Californian
BY THEODORE HUNTLEY


should be treated on that baiS, in
the opinion Of Governor-elect
Cuthbert L. Olson, of California,
here to discuss it with Federal
officials and to attend the Grid
iron dinner.
With 20 per cent Of CALIFORNIA;
annual State outlay going into
food and clothing or other relief
expenditures for its half-million
unemployed-$100, 000, 900 bein g
the estimated minimum require
ment for the next two years for
this purpose-the silvery-haired
Democrat who was elected in No
vember largely on his ideas for
meeting the problem advanced a
program of his own on arrival in
Washington.
PROGRAM STATED
/. Continuation of a works
program similar to that now
administered by the WPA, with
larger WPA appropriations to
enable it to carry what he re-
CARDS as the Federal Govern
ment's proper share of the load.
Q. A local or State program
Of cooperative production for
consumption by families Of the
unemployed, to comprehend the
canning of food, the making Of
clothes, and the production Of
other things they need to make
them as Self-supporting as pos
sible during the period Of unem-
ployment.
TELLS PROBLEM
Governor-elect Olson, who &C
quired his first political experience
in Washington as secretary to
Senator William H. King of Utah
his couSin-wlile the Senator
was member of the House, and
who was graduated in law from
Columbian College, now George
washington University Law School
In 1901, declared a million tran
SientS ana new residents have come
to California to live since the de-
preston settled over the country.
They are still flowing in at the
rate of. zoe, 900 or 100000 q year,
he said, creating q problem not
in any other State.
He declared himself emphati-
cally opposed to the program fol-
lowed for a time by the Merriam
administration in California and
likewise by State officials in Flor
ida, Of turning them back at
the border" unless they could
show they had sufficient funds to
make them self-supporting.
He believes it possible to cut
the cost of relief in half by en-
couraging cooperative enterprises
among the unemployed, but made
1t clear he does not believe they
should be assigned to production
for outside markets. thus putting
them in competition with private
industry.
OFFERS SOLUTION
Unemployment is certainly
our greatest problem" he de-
clared. IT look on it as a perma-
nent one, and I believe employ
ment in production for use,
along with public works, should
be the basis Of public policy in
dealing with it.
"A broad program Of that
character, reaching all Of the
unemployed. would mean their
rehabilitation, q better standard
Of living and more hope for
them. They are not happy now,
and we see many evidences Of
mamutrition and other evils
from our failure to deal ade-
quately with the problem now.
There are 114,O00 persons on
WPA projects in California now,
and we have about $4,000 on
direct relief at a cost of about
&32 a month. And there are
still 275, 900 persons in the State
who are eligible for relief and
can't get it.
NEED FEDERAL AID
1.-THE problem is so great for
the citizens Of California as to
tax city, State and local re-
lief efforts to the utmost. We
can't handle it without Federal
aid, and one Of the purposes of
my visit is to learn, If I can,
about what We can expect from
the WPA in hte next two years."
Asked if he thought relief re-
cipientS would cooperate in his
production-for-use program, he
said, emphatically:
"Oh, I haven't any doubt in
the world of it. Not a doubt in
the world. I suppose there will
be some moronic persons who
will be content to live on
small cash dole, but their num-
Der will be negligible.
IT think what most people
want is a chance to work for a
decent living, and to be self
supporting. Millions Of people
in California and throughout
the nation resent charity, or the
idea that what they are getting
Is charity"
During the years he spent in
Washington the governorelect
was q member Of the Senate and
House press galleries, correspond
ing for Salt Lake, Ogden and
other newspapers while serving as
q congressional secretary and
working his way through law
school.
One Of the outstanding gov.
errors elected in November
Democrat who swept his STATE