Evening star., 1939-12-08
President Lays
Ohio Relief Ills
To Governor
Assembly Also Is
Blamed for Failure
To Meet Obligations

President Roosevelt today accused
the State of Ohio of failing to carry
out what the Federal Government
considers an established obligation
to care for its needy unemployables.
Although he did not mention Gov.
Johi w. Bricker by name, Mr..
Roosevelt placed full responsibility
for the alleged failure on the Ohio
Governor and the Legislature
Reminding his press conference
that the Federal Government some
six or seven years ago adopted
policy of supplying assistance to
needy employables while leaving to
the States the problem of direct re-
. lief for those unable to work, the
President said this does not mean
town, county or other local govern
ments
Since the local government setup
differs in various parts of the coun.
try, he explained, the various rela-
tionships between the States and
these subdivisions are not the con-
cern of the Federal Government.
Ohio's relief Notwithstanding in
Cleveland and Toledo-are solely
home relief troubles and entirely the
responsibility Of the State govern
ment and its agreements with the
affected communities.
Even so, he added, the Federal
Government has gone beyond its
normal measures to send surplus
commodities into Ohio for direct
relief purposes.
Ohio Taxes Held Moderate.
Significantly, in the light of fail
ure of either the State or local gov.
ernments to raise extra relief funds,
the President read from memcran-
dunn that tax burdens in Ohio are
moderate and could be increased
without departing from sound fnan-
cial practice.
Asked whether State authorities
ever had denied or acknowledged
responsibility for helping the un.
employables, the President said that
was like saying the national policy
adopted years ago was based on q
contract between Federal and State
governments. That, he declared, 10
tommyrot.
Congress said, he went on, that it
would make provision for taking
care of the employables, and every
State, even the poorest. proceeded
along lines Of aiding the unemploy-
ables.
The President, with a memoran-
dunn before him from Col. F. c. Har-
rington, w. P. A. commissioner, said
Ohio had not done half as we'll, per
case, as had Pennsylvania in caring
for needy persons who for one rea-
son or another are unable to work.
Most of the affected persons in
Cleveland, he added, fall in that
category.
Comparative Figures Quoted.
There was, of course, no contract
with the States, he said. Reading
from Col. Harrington's memoran-
dunn, Mr.. Roosevelt declared that in
1899, Ohio, with 5000, 900 people, had
expended $4,000 on home relief
for the unemployables. Pennsyl-
vania, with 100000, he said, spent
S33 900 900 in the same period.
The average general relief benefits
per case in october of this year, the
President said, were SIG in Ohio and
$27 in Pennsylvania. That goes to
show, he added, that Ohio Is not
taking care of its home relief cases
half as we'll as Pennsylvania.
Guesses U. S. Burden Is Higher.
Asked about the percentage Of
needy employables being cared for
by the Federal Government in Ohio,
Mr.. Roosevelt said he guessed it was
higher than the average of other
States.
Turning to other questions, MIR.
Roosevelt asserted that anybody who
says anything about taxes at this
time is making wild guesses.
Tax problems are in the study
stage, he said, and will be until
December 26, which some of his
hearers took to be the date by which
he expects to have his budget rec
concentrations to Congress in shape.
His remarks were prompted by .
reporters question about what re-
sponse he had received to a sugges.
ton he made recently at Warm
Springs, Ga. that the people con-
slider whether a special tax should
be levied to put inreased defense
costs on pay-as-you-go basis. The
alternative, he said, was further
borrowing to pay for expanded de-
fense outlays.
The President said there had not
been very much response from the
Continued on page A-9, column -
j. :. Will Hold Russia