Evening star., 1941-02-07
Huge Works Program
Is Planned 10 Meet
Postwar Slump
President Will Seek
Authorization for
Project Reservoir
BY JOHN c. HENRY.

BY JOHN c. HENRY.
President Roosevelt told his press
conference today that authorizing
legislation for great postwar pub
lie works program probably will be
asked during the present session OF
Congress.
He said the projects, such as high
way construction, hospitals, air.
ports and housing, would be put on
a shelf and be brought out when the
need develops to take up the slack
of defense employment after the
war.
They would consist, Mr.. Roosevelt
said, of any kind of public works
but especially the type that would
provide some kind of return of capi-
tai to the Government.
indicating that initial emphasis
VII be on the further development
c the national highway system, the
F"csident arranged to confer this
Gfternoon with Commissioner
Thomas H. Macdonald of the Fed
eral Bureau of Public Roads.
To Confer With Winant.
Mr.. Roosevelt also disclosed to
his press conference that he would
confer later this afternoon with
John G. Winant. neWly-appointed
Ambassador to Great Britain. Mr..
Winant will come to the White
House after the regular Friday cab
met session.
During questioning. the President
also acknowledged that some new
form of economic administrative Or
ganization in the Government may
be created as an instrument for di-
recting and co-ordinating efforts to
improve our foreign and domestic
trade position in the present emer-
gency.
In this connection it was noted
that another of the days engage
ments was a White House confer
ence with five officials prominent
in Government economic agencies
These we're Leo T. Crowley. head
of the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corp; Undersecretary of Treasury
OdIllCl oCll. .. Z. -. Slld4l ltloIi
jerome Frank and S. E. C. Mem
bers Sumner Pike and Edward c..
Eicher
In connection with his conference
with Mr. Winant, whose nomination
was sent to the Senate yesterday,
the President said he expected the
new Ambassador would leave for
England in about 10 days.
Hopkins Due Back Soon.
Asked about speculation that a
Minister might also be named to
Great Britain. the President indi-
Gated no immediate intention to do
this.
Mr.. Roosevelt told the conference
that he expected former Secretary
of Commerce Harry L. Hopkins, who
is now in England on a special con-
fdential mission, would be back in
Washington in the near future.
Wendell L. Willkie. 1910 Republican
presidential nominee, who is now en-
route home from a quick inspection
trip ir the British Isles, will be well
coined for White House consulta-
tion, Mr.. Roosevelt continued. as
soon as he returns to Washington.
In discussing the Winant appoint
ment, the President took occasion to
compliment the former New Hamp-
shire Governor as a representative
American who is fully aware of the
changing world conditions and is
qualified to represent the American
people in a post where such aware
ness is important.
Winant American First.
While conceding that there has
to be some discussion of politics anG
of Democrats and Republicans, the
Chief Executive said it was a mis-
take to stress in news stories that
Mr. Winant was a Republican.
He declared that Mr.. Winant had
been appointed because he was an
American and added that he
thought there was nice distinction
there and that he could have said
the same thing had he named a
Democrat.
Mr.. Roosevelt noted that Mr.
Winant had bad wide experience
as an executive, since he had been
a Governor, chairman of the Social
Security Board and director of the
International Labor Office.
The man thus, he remarked, had
a very good background as an Amer
lean and in a crisis like this he did
not think it was good line to take
that Mr.. Winant. was Republican.
Questioned About Highways.
The Presidents disclosures with
regard to the postwar public works
program came in response to ques-
tioning about the possibility of new
Federally- financed highway between
Baltimore and Washington AL
though he disclaimed any first-hand
knowledge of this single project, MI.
Roosevelt said it is quite probable
that provision will be made in the
entire program for a new trunk
highway along the whole length of
the Atlantic Coast.
Baltimore and Washington pre-
sumably would be tied into such
q project, he added.
First consideration in his discus
sion with Commissioner Macdonald,
he said, will be the question of mill
tary and civil need. The second will
be the complex problem of condem-
nation of rights of way.
In this latter consideration, he ex-
planned, thought is being given to
the so-called principal of excess
condemnation.
Might Take More Than Needed.
BY this theory, the Government
would take over more property than