Evening star., 1939-01-14
u. ). Has More People
On Land Than / Can
Support, Farley Told
Negro Conference Hears
Dr.. Alexander. Tell Of
RuroI Problem

America S7s mora people on the
land than the land will support, DR..
Will ~ Alexander, administrator of
the tarn,s Security Administration,
told the Second National Conference
on Problems d the Negro and Negro
Youth, which closes sSaree days of
sessions here today.
DR.. Alexande, addressing the
delegates at the LabCr Department
auditorium yesterday afternoon. said
he had some decided views on how
to reduce this surplus farm popula-
ton, but could not 60 into them on
the present occasion.
AS an indication of the critical
problem the F. S. A. had faced in
the South, especially among colored
farmers, DR.. Alexander cited that
In Alabama $4,000 farm families had
been found to have an average net
worth of $3.50 each.
At the height of the depression
he said, there were ~ 100000 farm
families in the United states on re-
lief, but the Federal Government
since has alleviated these conditions
for 600 900 to 100000, making them
more nearly self-supporting.
Not Confined to South
These families, DR.. Alexander said
needed land on which they could
make a living-much, of the land
was no longer tillable-and sufficient
tenure to enable them to get starte !
and animals and tools with which
to work the soil.
This winter, he added, there are
hundreds of thousands of farm
families in the South better fed than
they have ever been before. He said
rs per cent Of the loans made them
were being repaid on schedule.
'Low-income farmers are not con-
fined to the South" the administra-
tor pointed out, but are all over tn.
country"
In this mass attack" on farm
destitution, he said, it has been nee
essary, particularly in the South, to
teach farmers how to raise more
than one crop and how especially
to grow their own food.
Slave-Era Laws Blamed.
DR.. Charles S. johnson, a men,
ber of the Farm Tenancy Comnis-
sion, blamed antiquated laws in the
South on much of the difficulty Ell.
countered by sharecroppers in try
ing to rehabilitate themselves. Many
of these laws, he said. were adopted
in the era of slavery and prevent q
tenant or sharecropper from mort.
gaging anything he may nave un-
less the landlord valves his priol
right to all property.
Harry B. Mitchell, chairman o.
the Civil Service Commission, tolo
the conference that the present com.
mission had taken a liberal attitude
and had tried to equalize employ.
ment, so far as it lay within it:
power, between both races.
II think" he said, that there l!
an impression that the commission
has more authority in appointment!
than it has. 1t is merely an ex.
amining and certifying agency, anc
the actual appointments are made
by the heads of departments ane
bureaus"
Andrews Speaks.
Mr. Mitchell deplored racial preju.
dice and said he would like to SEE
colored applicants get an even break
wherever they were qualified fol
Federal jobs.
Elmer Andrews, administrator o.
the Wages and Hours Division, sale
he realized that legal and economic
freedom do not 60 hand in hand,
and while the Negro in theory wa!
free to go where he chose and de
any type of work for which he wa!
fitted, this actually was not the case
The wage-hour law, he said, wa!
designed for colored and white alike
and there would be no discrimina
ton in applying its provisions.
The conferees, he added, coult
help members of their race by tryint
to raise it's average level of enlight
ment and also by seeing that the,
received all the benefits to which
they were entitled under the wage
hour act.
w. Frank Persons, director of tn,
United States Employment Service
said its policy was to deal fairly ane
impartially with all groups, regard
less of creed and color
The various phases of the socia
security program were explained b,
Evan Clague, director of the Burea,
of Research and Statistics of tn,
Social Security Board.
The conference was sponsored b,
the National Youth Administration
Conference Delegates
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