Evening star., 1945-09-04
hu|ti:bi|Iion Program
Urged by Ickes 10
Combat Depression
By the Associated Press.


BALTIMORE, Sept. 4.-secretary
OF the Interior Ickes called last
nlgnt Tor the planning of a multi
oliilon dollar public works program
which could be put into effect i'm
mediately If another depression
should occur.
Mr.. 1ckes, in speech at a Labor
Day rally sponsored by the CIO in
Baltimore, said I'VE must imme-
diately set up a reserve of public
works so that another depression
will not lind us without projects
blueprinted and ready to CO."
Il regret to say" he declared,
that, so far as I can find out, there
is no list of public works worthy of
the name which would be ready for
execution if depression were to
strike us tomorrow, despite our pain
ful experience at the time of the
last depression.
Cost Not Frightening"
"The fact that we may have to
spend few billion dollars on such
program should no longer frighten
us when we have already spent we'll
over two billions to develop the
atomic bomb.
"As a matter of fact, the spend
ing Of four or five billion dollars on
a public works program would be
comparable to printing pump with
an eye-dropper ."
The Interior Secretary said that
"as a general principle" the grow
ing notion that a nation owes every
man the right to a job" was correct.
But" he continued, because the
Government owes every man the
right to job does not mean that
each and all of us individually can
sit on the backs of our necks and
say Well, where's the job
THE initiative in setting up en-
terprises which provide jobs for
working men should not be the
prerogative of Government or of
industry alone.
Workers, Unions Have DUTY"
The working man and his unions
also have duty to partake in the
creation and finding of jobs and
to my mind that duty consists of
good deal more than lobbying in
the halls of Congress ="
He said that 'it is clear that
labor's stake in winning the peace
is as great as its stake in winning
the war.
1T is also clear that all kinds of
obstacles will be placed in the way
Of achieving the time-tested aims
and aspirations of labor. That they
will be accomplished in the long
run Is unquestioned.
THE trouble is that in too long
run he will be dead. This genera
ton, too, is entitled to its share of
the well being of life.
ITO this end, the working men
and women of America must bend
their unf1agging efforts"
Mr.. IckeS urged the retention of
the Nations great productive facil-
tiles built up during the war.
They were created under the
urgencies of war, but they can be
productive of peacetime jobs and
PSoNSeAA4iC SOoNo pCdSCG11llC
enterprises" he said.
Would Retain War Plants.
"I want to believe that there was
laid at San Francesca the foundation
of world that will not again
prodigally make our people and our
resources available for the disasters
and dislocations of war.
Unless it can be said that all
Of us ir this country have all the
things we want, the liquidation of
our wartime manufacturing plants
would be crime.
For instance, here in Baltimore,
any proposal to scrap the Martin
bomber plants would be equivalent
to saying that all those who need
or want air transportation now have
1t.
I'VE are as far along as the men
OF Biblical time who beat their
swords into plowshares, but we must
beat our output for war not only
into plowshares but into all instru-
mentalities that would make for
prosperity and contentment in an
era of peace"