Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1938-12-04
MtNary Sees Fight
To Turn Relief
Over 10 States
Future Of W.P.A. Program
Expected to Be TokenUp
EorIy in Session
By ]. A. O'LEARY.

EorIy IN Session
BY J. A. OLEARY.
A fight to turn administration Of
relief back to the States was pre-
dicted yesterday by Senate Minority
Leader McNary as all signs pointed
to this as one of the. first major
battles in the new Congress.
The feature of the w. P. A. pro-
gram is almost certain to take the
spotlight on Capitol Hill within a
few weeks after the session starts,
In view of the fact the Work Relief
Appropriation Act of last June was
not intended to carry the relief
load beyond February %.
Senator McNary emphasized that
the change in the basic form of
handling relief, which he expects to
emanate from the Republican side,
would not mean withdrawal of Fed
eral aid to the unemployed, but
merely decentralizing control by
vesting administration of the prob
lem in State agencies.
= Plan to Be Studied.
Representative Woodrum, Demo-
crat Of Virginia, who had charge
of relief appropriations in the House
in the last Congress, was not pre-
pared yesterday to comment on the
proposal for State administration
beyond saying I'VE will go into 1t
and give it careful scrutiny"
What plans administration leaders
have for taking up the relief prob
lem and how much money they will
seek in order to meet w. P. A. rolls
for the last four months of the
current fiscal year are not expected
to be known until Congress con-
venes. Representative Woodrum said
that while he has no information
on the subject yet, he was sure the
question would have to be taken
up early in view of the February
B date in the last relief act.
- Vandenberg Offered Plan.
: Just before the last relief act
passed in June, Senator Vandenberg,
Republican, of Michigan, offered a
plan to accomplish the change sug-
gested yesterday by Senator Nc
Mary. 1t was rejected at that time,
.=bl to 81.
.a A revival of the issue this winter,
however, probably would find the
lines for and against it more tightly
drawn. In the first place, the Re
publicans await the new Congress
with their ranks materially strength
ened by the November elections
Secondly, consideration of the next
relief bill is almost certain to be
marked by debate over the charges
of relief in politics raised in num-
Der OF States during the recent cam
paign, and those allegations prob
ably would be injected into any
discussion Of administering relief
through State agencies.
This was indicated by Senator Nc
Nary yesterday when, in discussing
decentralization Of control, he said
he wanted to do as much as pos
ssible to take it out of politics"
:. Senate Group to Meet.
Z The Senate Campaign EXpendi-
1tures Committee investigated the
charges of relief in politics during
the election campaign and will be-
gin holding executive sessions about
December % to draft its report.
Until the report is ready for the Sen
i ate, the COMMITTEES Is giving no in
isstimation of what conclusions it will
acontain either on those complaints
f,or on other subjects. The filing of
the report may precipitate debate
over relief policies, however, even
before the next relief supply bill is
ready.
Senator Vandenberg's proposal of
last June for State administration
retained Federal relief board, but
the funds appropriated by Congress
would have been allotted by this
aboard as grants to the State gov
-ernments to assist them in meeting
the relief burden. The board would
have been empowered to base its
ALLEGATIONS on a consideration of
unemployment, living costs, popula-
stion and the financial resources of
each State.
! To obtain the Federal allotment
for his State, the Governor would
shave been required to certify that
sthe State was prepared to spend the
equivalent of Is per cent of the
Federal grant, and that the State
shad board of relief trustees, the
=members of which were not all from
the same political party.
: The Federal board could have pre-
gcribed the kind of reports to be
made by the State agencies regard
ing the administration of the relief
FUNDS. The board also was given
power to make special ALLEGATIONS
to meet extraordinary emergencies.
Would Not Have Cut Fund.
The State control plan of last
session would not have reduced the
Federal relief fund, but, on the
contrary, proposed enough for the
entire fiscal year-$2 $50 600, OO0-in-
stead Of the SLABS 900 900 carried in
the current Appropriation Act for
w. p. A. for the eight months ending
February %.
The Federal Government started
out in the early days of the unem-
ployment emergency advancing funds
to State authorities through the
r. F. G. in 1882 And when the
Federal Emergency Relief Admin
istration was established in 1888 1t
also, for the first six months, allotted
funds to the States in definite ratio
to the amounts the States had spent
for relief IN the preceding quarter of
the year. Later the present system
OF direct Federal administration of
work projects was adopted.
One OF the first acts of Congress
annually is to pass deficiency bill
to meet urgent requirements for the
remainder Of the current fiscal year.
The relief funds for the immediate
future could be considered either in
that measure or as separate reso-
luton. The problem of providing