Evening star., 1939-06-15

administration ldS to haze Fed
eral Government take oUer prob
lem OF relief for unemployed.
Several methods hare been tried,
NTH present one OF propiding
made 1Uork being most favored by
Ne1O Deal friends. Criticism of
this program has resulted in
curbing appropriations and in
uestigating its administration.
By the Associated Press.
Two high administration officials
spoke out today against restrictions
on Federal relief spending proposed
in the s1,716 900, 600 House bill to
finance 1910 relief operations.
Secretary Ickes said a prohibition
against using future Public Works
Administration funds to build in
dustrial plants in competition with
existing private enterprise dictates
to municipalities what they should
and should not apply for, and in
that it distinctly traverses the
democratic principles of govern
ment."
Col. F. c. Harrington, Works
Progress Administration chief. said
after a conference with President
Roosevelt that some of the things
in the bill are going to be awfully
tough to try to administer"
While declining to discuss details,
ne declared that as presently writ
ten the measure imposed certain
time limits on the administrator.
Blocs Organize Drives.
In the House various groups be-
gan organizing drives to increase
various appropriations.
The Democratic Steering Com
mittee planned to try to have the
House restore the Appropriations
Committees S42,0O0,0OO cut in the
Presidents request for s123,OOO,OOO
for the National Youth Administra-
ton.
Representative johnson, Demo-
crat, of Oklahoma, said he would
offer an amendment to raise the fig
ure from S81 900 900 to 100000 900,
but Representative Collins, Demo-
crat, of Mississippi served notice he
would insist on the full amount.
Thirty farm bloc members named
Representative Hope, Republican, of
Kansas, Poage, Democrat, of Texas,
and Gehrman, Progressive, of Wis
consin, to study the possibility of
raising the proposed $123 900 900 for
the Farm Security Administration to
at least sl50000,000 This group
decided to ask funds to continue the
mid-western shelter belt for which
Congress twice has refused to ap-
propriate.
Still another group met to con-
slider increasing the 125,000,0 900 ear
marked for the Public Works Ad-
ministration.
Ickes Attacks DictatiOn.
1t was about restrictions proposed
on spending this money that Secre-
tary Ickes spoke at his press con-
ference.
He declared the provision struck
directly at the P. w. A. public power
development program, under which
S253,000,000 of public utilities plants
have been constructed since 1888.
There are pending, he said, appli-
cations for an additional $50,000 900
OF public power construction toward
which P. w. A. would contribute IS
per cent in grants if Congress au-
thorlzed a new public works pro-
gram.
ANY municipalities, Mr.. Ickes
said, should have the right to say
whether it wants a power plant of
its own, just the same as it may ask
for schoolhouse.
But the language of this bill die
tates to the community what it shall
do and what it shall not do"
Concern Is Voiced.
Several of his relief advisers urged
the President to try to speed up con-
gressional action on the relief ap-
preparation.
Although the measure is slated to
pass the House tomorrow night, a
White House official said there was
a possibility of a nasty situation
developing" if the Senate should
fail to act by June 80.
Col. Harrington and Aubrey Will
liams, National Youth Administra-
tlon director, called on the President
to express concern, it was reported,
over the near exhaustion of relief
funds for the current fiscal year.
which ends June 80.
A White House official said that
while the House planned to dis
pose OF it IN three days. the COM
mittee itself had received the Presi-
dents request for funds nearly two
months ago while it investigated
relief machinery.
They said relief officials were seri-
(See RELIEF, Page A-14)