Evening star., 1939-12-17
Relief Issue Looms
As Major Question
In 40 Campaign
U. S. Chamber Report
Urges Transfer Of Work
To States and Cities

.
To States and Cities
The relief problem, which has
grown since the days of the Hoover
administration until 1t now calls for
an annual expenditure of from
three and a haH to four billion dol
lars a year, looms as major issue
in the coming national political
campaign.
Gov. John w. Bricker, Republican
Governor of Ohio, speaking in New
York last night, charged the Roose-
welt administration with playing
partisan politics with relief in his
State, answering the Presidents
own charge that the Bricker admin
lstration had fallen down in ham
ding direct relief cases in Cleveland.
At the same time President w.
Gibson Carey, jr.. of the Chamber
of Commerce of the United States,
made public report submitted by
special committee of the chamber,
advocating the gradual restoration
of relief administration to the
States and local governments.
The Chamber of Commerce report,
omitting the political angle, carries
a careful analysis of the relief prob
lem, dealing with it from the stand
point of economy and getting the
greatest amount of relief from the
least amount of money. This, the
report asserts. can be obtained by a
gradual transfer of all relief admin
istration from the Federal Govern
ment to the State and local gov
ernments.
Not New Proposal.
This Is not new proposal. 1t
has been urged on the administra-
ton and on Congress in the past
by both Republican and Demo-
cratic critics of the present system
of handling relief-with the Federal
Government playing the dominating
role.
AS a result of revelations of the
use OF the w. P "A. in partisan poll
tics in the 1888 campaign, the Hatch
Act has been written into law pro-
viding heavy penalties for those who
attempt SO to use relief appropria-
tions. Within short time Con-
gress will be called on to make ap-
preparations for relief for the next
fiscal year, national election year,
which begins July /. Records show
that in the election years 1884, 1896
and 1888 the numbers of persons on
Federal relief have greatly in
creased and have sagged in the off
years.
To substantiate his charge that
the Roosevelt administration had
sought to smear the Republican
State government of Ohio, Gov.
Bricker told his New York audi
ence that during the last year w.
P. A. employment in Ohio has been
cut by the Federal Government
53.6 per cent while the average
reduction for the whole United
States was only 439 per cent. And
he asked whether Ohio was being
punished because it voted Republi-
can in 1898.
In Favor of Adequate Relief. w
Neither the Republicans nor the
Democrats are likely to advocate
doing away with adequate relief
for the unemployed and the needy
in the coming campaign. The
tight probably will come over the
methods to be employed and the
quality Of administration.
The report made by the Chamber
OF Commerce committee bears di-
rectly on the question of methods
to be employed in providing nee
essary relief. 1t expresses the con-
viction that public relief should
be gradually taken over by State
and local governments, both for
the more adequate protection of
deserving relief recipients and to
permit more, efficient and economi-
cal administration" The com
mittee has spent months studying
the relief problem.
President Carey of the chamber
transmitted the report to the men,
Der organizations throughout the
country with a recommendation
that it be given careful considera-
ton. looking toward such sug-
gested procedure as may fit your
community and the possibilities Of
your organization"
The report In no way minimizes
the need Of relief. 1t seeks to point
out. however, that ways must be
found to minimize the cost Of relief
or it inevitably will wreck the
country economically"
"The stubborn fact persists" says
the committee, that this country
cannot indefinitely support relief
activity costing three and one-halt
to four billion dollars annually"
Heavy Relief Cost.
The committee points out that
the present annual cost of relief
approaches the entire yield of local
property taxes and is nearly double
the combined yield of all Fedora.
and State income taxes.
The cost of relief, the committee
holds. could be reduced. 1t adds: "A
principal factor is the inherently
high cost of Federal relief activities
which suggests that an equivalent
program should be carried on b,
State and local governments at much