Evening star., 1938-04-15

President Roosevelt's scheme to spend
the country out of depression so per-
suasively propagandized by him over the
radio last night, will supply the text for
the 26th annual meeting of the Cham
ber of Commerce of the United States
in Washington May 2 to 5. The official
theme of the conclave is National Prog
ress Through the American Business
System" F. D. r. was invited to ad-
dress the chamber, but told his press
conference on April II that the date is
still too far off to permit him to say
whether he'll accept the bid or not. The
proba bility is that he won't. Two men,
bers of his cabinet-Attorney General
Cummings and Secretary of War Wood
ring-Were also asked to speak, as were
two of the administration principle
senatorial foes Byrd of Virginia and
Burke of Nebraska. From Senator
ByrneS of South Carolina, another in
Vited speaker. may come something
pitched in a tone more friendly to the
New Deal The program will ring the
changes on nearly every phase of gov
ernment affecting business. Emphasis
will be laid on the necessity of curtaiing
Federal interference with private enter
prise and the ability of letting
finance and industry proceed under their
own steam. In accordance with the poll
cies and practices which made us the
richest country in the world.
*4 **
Mounting expenditure for public works
and relief is headed for vigorous pan
ming while the Nations commercial
leaders are in session. They will meet at
the end of month which found the
Government spending CUP to April II
a total of $5,676 900 600 for the current
fiscal year. That's the biggest amount
Uncle Sam has blown in for the same
Date of any year since Roosevelt took
ONCE, and the largest sum, as of April l,
in the country'S whole peacetime history.
The chamber will also learn, to it's dis
may, that although the New Deal has
poured out an average of 81, 789 O56 900
for Federal relief of all sorts during the
past four years, the army of unemployed
continues at almost depression peak pro-
portions, with hundreds of millions still
necessary as the President broadcast,
If destitution is to be avoided for a null
titude of the population.
From one of the most authoritative
quarters comes the following terse tabu-
lation OF what Congress could and should
do to put business on its feet and re-
start recovery machinery: % Amend the
Public Utilities Act in way that would
encourage private capital to invest con-
f1dently in expansion Of the industry;
CD Amend the National Labor Relations
Act, so as to hold workers, as we'll as
employers, responsible for an orderly
process of collective bargaining; %
Amend the Tennessee Valley Authority
Act, so as to give the private power
industry square deal. minus prohibi-
tive, Government-subsidi competi-
tion; 90 Amend the Social Security Act
by abolishing the so-called reserve
fund" and placing the whole structure
on a pay-as-you-go basis, and 60 Take
real steps to balance the budget by COM
pelling the Government to live within its
income and thus hold out some prospect
Of ending unbearable taxation. Business,
house divided against itself on many
scores, is virtually a unit in believing
that some such program, rather than
another spending spree, is what's needed
Industry is persuaded it can do its own
pump-priming, as it used to do long be-
fore BRAIN -trusters planned it that way"
If Congress will only clear the track.
X
One Of the first Jobs to be tackled by
Norman H. Davis a. chairman Of the