Evening star., 1938-02-13

same position Mr.. John L. Lewis was
also advocated. Rockwell Kent, who
appeared in person, IS quoted as hav-
ing said that the less those at the
head Of this department knew of art
the better it would be.
| As the scientific departments of the
| Government, such as those at present
under the Department Of Agriculture,
the Department Of the Interior and
the Smithsonian Institution, are not
clamoring for transferral to a depart
ment one-third their own and as those
| advocating the measure seem far from
agreement, there is not much prob
| ability that this bill will be favorably
considered.
For a Bureau of Fine Arts
Under the President.
RETTER drawn and Of more serious
content is H. r. s1o2, a bill to
provide for permanent bureau OF
fine arts, introduced into the House
of Representatives by Representative
Cofiee of Washington State, on jan
uary 2l. 1888, and referred to the
Committee on Education. The pur-
pose Of this bill is to perpetuate the
Works Progress ADMINISTRATION art
projects. The manner of procedure
is the creation Of an independent bu-
reau under the President of the United
States, which shall consist of q COM
missioner and six members, one for
each Of the following arts: Theater,
dance. music. literature, graphic and
plastic arts (painting, sculpture, etc.)
and architecture.
The commissioner, whose salary Is
fixed at $12.500 per annum, is to be
appointed by the President from 4
panel Of names to be submitted by
organizations representing the great
est number of artists employed in
each of the arts. The commissioner
in turn will appoint other members of
the bureau from names similarly sub
mitted. The salaries Of the six men,
bers of the bureau under the COM
missioner will be $4,000 per annum.
All Of the activity OF the Works
Progress Administration in the pre-
scribed fields shall be Immediately
taken over. consigned and transferred
to the Bureau Of Fine Arts, The coun-
try is then to be divided into regions,
for each of which q committee of six
will be appointed. again on recon-
mendation Of organizations in the re-
gion representing the greatest number
Of artists employed.
All persons employed under this
bureau shall not be subject to civil
service, but they shall be entitled to
all rights. benefits and privileges of
Federal employees in the matter Of
tenure, vacations, sick leave. retire.
ment pay, etc. Furthermore they
shall have the right to organize for
their own protection. and wages and
working conditions shall be the same
as those established by trade unions
for similar work in private industries.
1t Is stipulated that in no event shall
the artist employed under the bureau
receive less than $50 in any week as
compensation.
The funds to support this gigantic
project are to be appropriated an
nually by the Congress of the United
States in accordance with estimates
furnished by the commissioner and
approved by the director of the
budget. For the expenditure of these
funds the commissioner, acting as
chairman Of the bureau. will be solely
responsible to the administration. The
first appropriation, according to stip-
ulation, is to be made for the fiscal
year beginning July l, 1899. Mean
while, all funds heretofore appro-
priated to the w. p. A. art projects
are to be transferred to this bureau
Not only are artists to be employed
under this proposed Bureau of Fine
Arts, but the bureau will undertake
the instruction Of the public in the
knowledge and appreciation Of art
throughout the country.
This bill was drawn and is directly
sponsored by the so-called art unions
which have come into existence within
the last few years as a by-product Of
governmental relief measure in the
field Of art. These unions declare it
their chief purpose to force the Gov
ernment to support artists, giving
them full liberty to produce such work
as they themselves see most flt and in
accordance with their desires.
The passage of this bill would put
the creative art of this country on the
basis of q trade product and in the
hands of those who are primarily
seeking employment. It would prac-
tically throttle all creative effort on
an independent basis.
The w. P. A. art projects were and
always have been primarily for relief,
coming into existence Is the child Of
the P. w. A. p, instituted ut the OPEN
ing of President Roosevelt's first ad-
to relieve suffering caused
by the depression, and to get money
quickly into circulation. Neither con-
q monopoly on the part Of
the Gocernment of art activity which
A. p. and the w. p. A. have both
served . good end as witnessed by
certain hy-products no one will deny, |
but that they should pave the way to
any such governmental control Of the
creative instincts Of the people Of this |
country was far from the original In
tention and would be greatly to be
deplored. The measure as 1t now stands
Is undemocratic In the extreme. Its
are such that It should not