The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-04-11

Harding called normally"
His scheme was to have a vast
program Of public improvements
planned in advance and all ready
to turn loose, TO take up the slack
Of unemployment. Immediately
upon the termination Of an emery
ency which, for awhile, had kept
every worker on the job overtime.
There are a lot OF these i'm
provements that we need, he said;
they're not relief; the money spent
on 'em will be invested in sub
stantial assets that will do the
whole United States no end of
good.
With the improvements in full
blast. he recognized that a new
emergency might arise, necessitat-
ing a curtailment Of work on them.
Okay curtail it then during the
emergency period, getting back to
it with the emergency's end and
the imminency of another slump.
The essence of the Hoover no.
ton was to have every blue print
for every improvement ready, IN
order to permit an instantaneous
start, absorbing labor as fast as 1t
went overheard from emergency
Jobs, thus forestalling hard times.
The only trouble with the sug-
gestion was that 1t never got much
beyond the stage Of a mere sug-
gestion. The actual planning was
not done. The blue prints weren't
made. The slump occurred and
the proposed cushion to bounce it
off wasn't there; Herbert hadn't
progressed farther than to say 1t
would be a highly desirable thing.
Not Hoover's Fault
Possibly II wasn't his fault.
Uncle Sam went into the last war
with no thought Of a subsequent
depression's inevitability. Herbert
wasn't then in a governmental po-
sition to recommend his scheme
at least, not with any authority.
And when he did get into the COM
merce department and next into
the White House, the postwar
boom was on, it generally was as
sumed that II was going to last for
ever, and nobody paid any atten-
ton to him. After the boom had
popped II was too late. Hoovers
administration did, indeed, do
coolies Of government building in
Washington, and Of federal edifces
throughout the country. but it
wasn't program Of sufficient pro-
portions to signify considerably ma
tionally.
But this time we're administer
ing the postwar depression a i
dote ahead Of an attack Of the dis
ease.
The other day President Ro5se-
welt submitted to congress a report
by the National Resources Plan
ming Board on a postwar public
improvement program that's a
corker. Frederic A. Delanos the
boards chairman. Associated with
him are economists like DR.. Charles
z. Merriam and Charles w. Elliot.
It's hard to think Of an unemploy-
ment slack that that outline won't
take up. And advance plans and
specifications. The board has EN-
to burn. Construction can be start
ed on EN- overnight. They'll cost
like fury. but they certainly will
keep wages In circulation.
slx-Year Program
President Roosevelt told con-
gress that their purpose is 10 main
tain "a strong and healthy national
economy in prospective period
OF "post-emergency readjust-
ments"
It's a six-year program.
Therefore It presumably will
slop out Of the Roosevelt regime
into the next one-unless F. D.
runs for fourth term.
However, Herbert Hoover made
the initial suggestion; he's entitled
TO that credit. F. DIS keeping the
suggestion going. TIN be up TO
some other president to carry It
on. and maybe pass it along to HIS
successors.