Evening star., 1938-01-30

many are unemp
Without exception, witnesses from all
classifications approved public works pro-
grams calculated to add to the real assets
Of the Nation as well as to give employ
ment. It is virtually certain, therefore,
that one Of the committee recommends
tions will deal with the formulation Of
long-term program Of such work, timed to
bring greatest expenditures during periods
Of comparative quiet in private industry.
Returning to the matter Of relief, the
committee found virtually all except the
certain number of business spokesmen
very definitely TN favor Of the w. P. A.
form of relief rather than dole. Two
variations Of opinion did develop however,
one centering over the degree of centrali-
xation Of administration and the other
over proportion of financial participa-
tion by the States or communities.
The suggestion that administration be
broken down to States and municipalities
with only very general standards being
promulgated by Washington was presented
most forcefully by Charles p Taft, son
of the late Chief Justice and now an
attorney who devotes most Of his atten-
ton to relief problems in his home city
of Cincinnati. Mr.. Taft was stout advo-
cate of work relief, but declared without
qualification that such a program could
be operated locally at one-fourth the cost
Of the present national administration
set-up.
On the other side was Mayor La
Guardia, dynamic little Fusionist Mayor Of
New York City. who confessed that he
felt closer to Washington than to his
State officers in Albany and that he very
much preferred Nationwide administra-
ton Of work relief.
Credit Of States Studied.
The committee itself showed the keenest
interest in the problem OF financing
works programs and its technical aides
are now engaged in studying data on
the credit status of many States and
cities. Another of their recommendations
is likely to embrace the principal of
definite formula by which the Federal
Government would advance work relief
funds on matching basis only.
Two other aspects of work relief in
trigued the committee. one being the
presence of career workers on the w.
p A. ranks and the other being the
practice of many to supplement their
income with private employment.
With regard to the former, w. P. A.
officials testified that from 20 to 70 per
cent of the w. P. A. workers had been
on the rolls since inception of the pro-
gram, the percentages varying in different
States and localities. It was emphasized
in most cases, however, that these long
time job-holders are mostly on the border
line of employability, usually unskilled and
physically handicapped.
As for supplementary incomes, in their
questioning at least, the committee failed
to go deeply enough into the practice to
determine whether such income was of
importance or was comparatively incon-
sequential.
The committee indicated, however, that
they may recommend periodic checks on
W. P. A. rolls to determine how long
individuals are remaining and how much
others may be making on the side.
Social Security Change Studied.
Several of the committee, members, par
ticularly Chairman Byrnes of South Caro-
lima, manifested an early interest in the
possibilities of amending the social security
law to allow States to pay unemployment
compensation benefits before the required
two years had elapsed after passage Of
their own laws. South Carolina was one
Of those which failed to enact its law
promptly upon passage of the Federal
statute and it is not yet permitted to draw
compensation funds from its account In
the United States Treasury
Although Chairman Arthur J. Altmeyer
Of the Social Security Board said the
board would recommend such relaxing
in the present law, his insistence that it
would take at least six months for any
State 10 set up the necessary machinery
for laying benefits had a noticeably COOL
ing effect
Later, the committee was warned sharply
ty william Haber, an economies professor