Evening star., 1940-02-06
Roosevelt Defends
New Deals Record
With Statistics
National Income Up
II Per Cent in Seven
Years, He Asserts
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
President Roosevelt backed his
administrations record against its
critics fault-finding today with fig
ures intended to prove that seven
years of the New Deal had meant
greater prosperity for America.
He reeled off statistics at press
conference yesterday at Hyde Park,
N. Y, before ending week end
visit at his family home and leav-
ing for Washington.
From a table prepared by sew
eral Government agencies he read
data which recorded, between 1882
and 1899. ar advance of II per cent
in national income-from $4,000
000, 900 to $4,000, ,000, ,000-and tre-
mendous strides upward in such cat
egories as wages and salaries, farm
income, dividend receipts, non-ag-
ricultural employment and exports.
At one point he said the statis-
tics had no implications one way
or the other. At another, however,
he asserted they were pretty for
AAAAAo0AC 416 ulCo w IoAC Ol4 VI y
to show the country is bust"
Answer to Critics
New Deal fiscal and domestic pol
icies have been assailed not only
by organized labor spokesmen but
also by Republicans on the trail of
the party's presidential nominal
ton. To whatever challenges they
may have offered, the presidential
presentation of figures apparently
served as a response.
In discussing New Deal econom-
les Mr.. Roosevelt said national in
come is going along at a rate of
more than $70OO0,OOO 900 a year.
His goal. he said, remains $8O,OO0,-
10000 year.
If that level were attained, he
said, Government expenditures for
such things as relief would taper
of, Government income would rise
and the budget would be little
better than balanced.
There are lot of people, how
ever, the, Chief Executive went on,
who prefer to pare down expendi-
lures at once in such a drastic way
that there would be a repetition
| of the recession which lasted from
the fall of 1887 to the spring of
1899.
Figures Are Cited.
Tilting back in chair in the
study of his country home, the
Chief Executive recited these fig
ures:
Wages and salaries, 81, 400. 900 900
in December, 1882; $3,888. .OOO, 900 in
December, 1899; up 62 per cent.
Weekly pay rolls of factory work.
ers, 100000 in December. 1882;
$197 100000 in December, 1889; up
145 per cent.
Cash farm income. 1862 ,OOO, 900
in 1882; s8519,0OO 900 in 1939 in
Guiding $807 900 900 of Federal bene-
fit payments: up 50 per cent.
Dividends received by individuals,
s2,745 600, 900 in 1882; $4253, ,OO0, 900
in 1899; up SIS per cent.
agricultural employment ex-
elusive of about 5000, 900 employed
by the C. C. c., w. P. A. and N. Y.
A., 27,245 900 in 1892; 1890 900 in
1889: up % per cent.
Export. $1.611 900, 900 in 1882; So
100000 in 1899; up 81 per cent.
Reserve Board Index.
Federal Reserve Boards produc-
ton index, 1882 average 81; 1889
average los; up ga per cent.
Interest received by individuals,
S. 5,277 900, 900 in 1882: s4,828, 600, 900
IN 1889; down per cent.
AS regards the last item, Mr..
Roosevelt explained that two fac
tors were responsible: First. inter-
est rates had gone down and peo-
pie now can borrow money at lower
rates; second, total Indebtedness
has gone down.
He said debts owed by individuals
and corporations we're a great deal
smaller, and that while the Federal
debt had gone up with the Federal
assumption of some burdens for
merly carried by States and mu-
inequalities, the debts of State,
county and local governments had
sown corresponding decrease.