The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-05-16
Grave Relief Problems Face The Heavy Industry Cities
Cleveland Crisis Is Serious, But Is Being Met Calmly
BY JOHN SHEA NEA Service Staff correspondent


 Cleveland, May 16-Although not as serious as it has been painted elsewhere, the relief situation facing the "heavy industry" cities, stretch ing across northern Ohio roughly on line from Pittsburgh to Detroit, is unequaled in gravity since 1883.
 Centering in Cleveland, where only the most desperate scrambling and hand to- mouth, day-to-day ex- pedients have prevented crisis for solution.
 The fact that people of Cleve- land and other cities in the indus trial belt, relief clients as well as those with jobs, are taking the sit uation quite calmly does not alter the fact that officials are faced with a problem which has steadily grown more serious since Jan. 1. The sit- uation is not nearly as desperate as the rest of the nation has been led to believe, but it is sufficiently critical to tax the best efforts of authorities.
 In cities such as Youngstown, Warren, Akron, Canton, Lorain, Toledo, and others, several factors have served to emphasize the prob lem.
 First, the "heavy goods" cities are devoted to making products not im- mediately consumed - steel, auto parts, machine tools, tires, autos and the like. The business recession hit them harder than it hit towns pro- ducing consumers goods" with the result that unemployment mush- roomed more swiftly.
 Second, the cushion of unem- ployment compensation is lacking. Ohio does not get it, due to legis- lative delays, until 1889.
 Can't Issue Bonds
 Third, the state constitution pro- hibits city bond issues above five per cent of the tax duplicate ex- cept for certain self -liquidating ob- jectives. With tax duplicates lower in the past few years, nearly all the cities find themselves unable to issue bonds for relief.
 
 in what Harry Hopkins has called "the most backward industrial state as regards relief" is one of make shift and expedient rather than a smooth-running machine, with the Ohio state government entering and retiring from the picture in greater or less degree from time to time, and no permanent understanding between local and state units as to their responsibilities. A year ago the state pulled out of the relief pie ture entirely, leaving cities to strug- gle along the best they could.
 Fifth, politics and the forthcom- ing fall election cast their shadows over the scene. Governor Martin Davey's greatest strength is in the rural districts which control the legislature, and which have never been brought to realization of the relief needs of the cities, particu- larly Cleveland, where a Republican administration under Mayor Harold Burton struggles with the problem. Drops in the Bucket
 Cleveland has been reduced to drawing on its WPA sponsorship funds for direct relief, which means that WPA money will be harder to get in the future. One city council- man has even been given permission to hold relief "tag day" in his ward to raise funds that will tide over relief clients until a solution can be found. With direct relief needs of $25,000 a day, any such plan is the merest palliative.
 Largely dependent on steel and auto parts business, Cleveland has, at latest estimate, some 189,00O un- employed. That reaches almost the peak record of 1883, and means that one person in four is getting some form Of public assistance. Of these, about 73,000 are on direct relief, a gain of only about 1000 since the first of the year because meanwhile WPA rolls were increasing from 2,000 to GA 1900.
 But WPA projects and allotments, set up for the smaller number, had to be telescoped in such a manner that they will run out by the middle of June. Unless they can be contin- ued after that time, the bulk of these people will have to turn to di- rect relief.
 Relief Staff Fired
 Meanwhile Cleveland's share of an admittedly inadequate 1888 state ap- propriation for direct relief petered out on April 15, despite an effort to eke 1t out by cutting food allot- ments far below U. s. government standards. The entire relief admin istratiOn staff had to be discharged