Evening star., 1940-04-18
Roosevelt Seeks
Discretion in
Relief Fund Use
Asks Power to Spend
Full Amount ii Eight
Months if Needed
BY JOHN C. HENRY.

President Roosevelt asked Con-
gress today for a 1941 relief ap-
preparation of $975,0O0, 900. with
discretionary authority to use
the full amount in the hrst eight
months of the coming fiscal year,
If necessary.
Meanwhile, at a press conference,
Mr.. Roosevelt indicated he had
abandoned hope of getting from
Congress the $460 1000, 900 In new
taxes requested in January.
Mr.. Roosevelt's request was sub
mitted in a letter addressed to
Speaker Bankhead and follows two
weeks Of consideration of the relief
problem by House Appropriations
Subcommittee. Yesterday, the
President conferred with House
leaders on this matter, presumably
making his decision known to them
at that time.
The figure mentioned in his letter
today is approximately that given In
his budget message Of last January,
with the significant portion Of his
present recommendation being the
voting Of discretion on use Of the
funds. Mr.. Roosevelt asked that
this discretion be given either to
him or to the Work Projects COM
missioner.
Il can assure you," he wrote, that
If this discretionary authority is
provided in the appropriation act,
the appropriation will not be ex-
pended within the eight months un-
less 1t is absolutely necessary to
avoid suffering and hardship.
Limited Discretion"
II would like to make 1t clear
that am asking only for authority to
exercise a limited discretion in the
expenditure of the appropriation,
and that am not asking that the
principle of apportionment which is
written into the current appropri-
alton act be abandoned"
BY the present supply measure,
expenditure of relief funds must
be apportioned over a 12-month pe-
riod, plan which was calculated to
impose most careful economy In re-
lief and eliminate the necessity of
making deficiency appropriations.
For the present fiscal year, Con-
sress made available for relief about
81 SOC, 900 900. Mr.. Roosevelt's budeet
estimate for next year represented,
therefore, a decrease Of approx
mately one-third from the amount
currently available. If forced to be
spread over II months, the Chief
Executive said today, the $975, 900 900
would provide an average employ
ment "of only about $50 ,O00."
In making known his proposal to-
day, Mr.. Roosevelt recalled that in
his January budget message he had
predicated his estimate upon in
dustrtal activity as Of last December,
Il regret to inform you," he said
today, that the hopes which en-
tertained at that time . have
not been sufficiently realized and
that it is therefore, in my judge
ment, now necessary to adopt meas
ures for dealing with the situation
which exists today and which may
be quite confidently predicted for
the next few months"
Dincult to Predict.
Asked at his press conference If
he had any new opinions on the
Federal debt picture, Mr.. Roose-
velt said this was about as difficult
to see In advance as was the oues-
ton Of relief and employment.
With his budget figures for both
expenditures and income leaving
the Federal debt close to its $45, 900. :
0O0, 1000 limit, the President had sue-
gested In January that there might
be enacted legislation for an addi-
tional $460, 900 900 in tax receipts
Today, however, he said that Con-
gress may cut his expenditure figure
by total of 5000, 900 900 while tax re-
ceipts may exceed estimates by an.
other 500, 600 900. With this hone
he said that the Federal debt might
be kept within its statutory bounds
without tax legislation.
The President pointed out to his
conference that all appropriations
made this year would not necessarily
be spent in the coming IL months
In this category he mentioned a
(See RET JEF pooe A-1oI-