The Phoenix index., 1941-10-25
0pporiur1ifY's
Doors Would Be
Closed Tohany
Suggest Work
Be Turned Over
To Other Agencie,
WASHINGTON BUREAU
ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS

WASHINGTON-If the federal
government follow the advice be-
ing offered by the educational
policies commission of the Nation
al Education and discontinues the
NYA and the CCC at the COM
nletion of their defense training
programs, there will be hundreds
of Negroes thrown out Of work and
the doors Of opportunity closed to
thousand of Negro youth of both
sexes throughout the coutry.
In a statement last week, the
commission said that the agencies
had performed notable public
service in meeting the urgent de-
mands of an emergency situation.
cit does not follow that because
an agency does a good job on
temporary emergency assignment,
it should therefore become a
permanent part of the govern
mental structure and of the edu-
cational system" the statement
said.
WOULD STIFLE AGENCIES
Asserting that both the NYA
and the CCC were moving in a
direction of performance" the COM
mission foresaw the possibility of
permanent federal system of
education controlled from Wash
ington, paralleling public school
systems, and competing with them
for funds, staff and Students
Tine commission recommended
that the more important function
Of the NYA and CCC be given over
to other agencies. 1t proposed that
vocational training and other
forms of education be transferred
to state and local educational
agencies; employment of public
works to general public works
agencies and NYA student work
program to ''the appropriate edu-
cational agencies"
Little does the commission rea-
lize that in this latter instance,
the same general pattern in educa-
tional policies followed in the
South would deprive Negroes of
any opportunity to obtain voca-
tional training, and even if they
did, the type of training they
would receive, the quantity OF
training, would be below par and
not equal, to that given the whites
Of the same communities.
ANOTHER PROBLEM
The. 3commission fails to realize,
it is pointed out, that employment
problems would be multiplied il
they/ were handled by any agency
not responsible to- the federal gov
errnent. : This /; has , obtained
throughout. the country previous
to the insistence of the federal gov
eminent that Negroes be &, giver
feqqtal nrI2t)ttunity in work. and
education. :'s9 y d.
Such a tbreak down ,of thes NYA
and iCCCf would! work hardships OF
ccunltlesss inn@ent Negro yohttsl'
who's have profited ( by, ,$the 3 ''mort
abundant fway7Sof diving" I. and il
would <be: difficult tc explain tt
them the whysy and wherefores O.
gE eliminating Sthei NYA ! and the
Il may be true that there is {
falling off of registrations in botl
the NYA. and CCC, but an inspec
ton: will ishow; that there has beer
a decided increase in the n,l1nbe
of &C. Camps for Negros boys. AL
though there }has been savings ant
returns Of funds to the fedora
government I from the CCC, : th'
number of Negro camps to-day il
lalsrger: thar ever before. This ( il
not a. healf fhy sign nor Isl it proc
ithat : the Negro isl being tabsorbet
.in> the defense industries. l. in area.
Where thf IRE are; defense industries
as fast ais certain ager1c cies, wouli
have the government Officials be-
! lieve.
URGES CONTINUANCE
While one agency is demanding
the closing down of the NYA ant
&C, Owen ID. Young, chairman Of
the American Youth commits sion
urges the contilation of the pro.
grams for youth.
Mr.. Young g iny speaking at ;th,
opening meeting !of two-day ses.
sion of the4 commission at the U
s.. Chamber of Commerce. discuss
ed the general report on The car,
and edu cationi Of the nation ,
youth af ter six years of research.
There's is no doubt whatever,
said Mr.! Young, that the funda
mental problem of youth is pre-
cisely the problem of full employ
ment for all employabel workers
For most young people, true free
dom will never exist until WI
establish conditions which viii
maintain an abundance of EN-.
ploy1nent opportunities in a fret