Evening star., 1939-03-10
Roosevelt. Plea
For $50 Millions
For Relief Seen
Woodrum Gives View
After PorIey at
White House

Congress early last month cut
$150,000,000 from deficiency ap-
preparation bill to proDide w. P.
A. 10ith funds to last until July1.
Immediately on signing the
measure, President Roosevelt sent
message asking passage of an
other s150,0O0,0 deficiency bill.
Since then administration lead
ers haze indicated desire to aid
business. and there haze been in
dtcdtions Mr.. Roosevelt mioht
request smaller sun, for w. P. A.
By the Associated Press.
Representative Woodrum, Demo-
crat, of Virginia said today he
thought President Roosevelt would
renew either Monday or Tuesday his
request for an additional sl5O,OO0,-
900 for relief.
Representative Woodrum, Chair
man Taylor and other Democratic
members of the Deficiency Appro-
prlations Subcommittee of the House
conferred with Mr.. Roosevelt today.
A little earlier the President had
told his press conference his orig
lnal relief estimates of early Jam
uary still held good.
After his group had seen Mr..
Roosevelt, Representative Woodrum
said:
Il think the President will send
up regular, formal budget estimate
for the $150,000, ,0OO."
At his press conference, the Presi-
dent said current estimates of relief
needs were the same now as on
January 3, when he decided to ask
Congress for s875, 100000 for relief
up to July !.
Says $4,000 Waiting.
The Chief Executive would not
state, however, whether this meant
that In his special relief MESSAGE he
would insist on the supplemental ap-
preparation of s15O,00O,OOO.
About 850000 needy persons are
now on w. P. A. waiting lists over
the country, Mr.. Roosevelt ex-
planned. He said this was an in
crease of about 100000 over the
number on the waiting list jan
uary 3.
This increase, he said, was pre-
dictable. and he had expected it be-
cause Of economic conditions which
ordinarily prevail in January and
February.
AS of January 3, the President
continued, he had expected about
100000 persons would be cut off
relief rolls by July /, the beginning
OF the new fiscal year.
Since there are 3,85O,00O either on
the rolls or on waiting lists, he ex-
planned, the total as of July should
be around 3,550,000.
Mr.. Roosevelt said his latest relief
figures came from Col. F. c. Har-
rington, w. P. A. administrator,
who made a survey of relief rolls
in line with request from Con-
gress contained in the recent S725,-
100000 relief appropriation bill.
Congress asked the new informa-
ton before it acted on the Presi-
dents request for a total relief al
location of s875 900 900 for the period
February to July /.
Col. Harrington reported yester-
day that unless Congress grants
$3.50, ,000, 900 by April l he would be
forced to begin drastic reductions in
relief rolls. He said the rolls might
have to be reduced to 100000.
The President told newsmen at
his press conference that he was
giving no indication of what his
request to Congress would provide,
but was only explaining the figures
which had come to him.
Mr.. Roosevelt said he would work
on his relief message over the week
end, adding that there were two
factors in the relief situation which
stood out as important
One, he said, is the fact there
are only about five people out of
every hundred on the relief rolls
who should not be there. He called
this a very small percentage in view
OF the great number of relief re-
cipients and the changing condi-
tions under which w. P. A. is oper-
ated and added that it represented
pretty good administration.
The other important point to keep
In mind, he asserted, is that people
who are put on the lists from which
w. P. A. workers are selected are
put on by the local governments
and not by Federal representatives.
AS evidence of this, the President
cited that in Meriwether County,
Ga, representatives of the county
! government handle relief lists and
the same is true in Dutchess County,
| New York. The Chief Executive
has homes in both counties.
He said the 10000 aliens cut off
the rolls in accordance with restric-
tions imposed by Congress in the
last relief bill had been replaced
by citizens who were on the waiting
lists.
Several Reasons for Errors.
Those enormously on the rolls, he
declared, are there for several rea-
sons, including:
l. Persons who have received in