Evening star., 1961-12-07
Kennedy Tells
OF Job Gains,
First in Year
But He Proposes
Standby Powers
For Public Works
BY LEE M. COHN
Star Staff Writer

MIAMI BEACH, Fla, Dec. 7.
President Kennedy today an
nounced the first substantial
improvement in the job picture
in year and pledged to pro-
pose public works legislation to
stimulate bigger employment
gains.
Disclosing the glad tidings to
the AFL-CIO convention here,
Text Of Presidents Speech. Poee DIS
the President announced that
the unemployment rate dropped
to 81 per cent of the labor
force last month from 6.8 per
cent in october. Until Novem-
ber, the Seasonally adjusted
rate had stuck close to 7 per
cent for full year.
The President reported that
total employment increased last
month to a record high for any
November-67, ,349, 900 jobs.
Public Works Planned
But because unemployment
still is too high, the President
said. 1T is my intention TO ask
the Congress in its next Q9eO
session for standby authority
to make grants -in-aid to
communities for needed public
works"
The administration proposal,
Mr.. Kennedy said, will be sim
liar to a bill sponsored by Sem
ator Clark, Democrat Of Penn
sylvania, which would provide
$500 million in Federal public
works grants for use when
unemployment exceeds 4 per
cent.
The President indicated he
will propose public works legis-
lation even if it would threaten
to unbalance the Federal budg-
ct. He said:
Work Deficit Cited
II have pledged a balanced
Federal budget for the coming
fiscal year, but equally i'm
portant is a balanced man
power budget. Four million un-
employed men and women is
as deplorable a deficit as any
deficit of dollars"
Mr.. Kennedy also touched a
sore spot in the labor fedora
ton as we'll as some employers
when he said that discrimina-
tion against Negroes sis a blot
on our democracy and a drag
on our economy"
Mr.. Kennedy's speech was off
the cuff but paralleled the ma
jor points of his prepared text.
The text contained a strong
plea for labor's support of his
drive for broad new tariff-cut-
ting authority. His actual ad-
dress pushed this point even
harder, emphasizing that liberal
trade is essential to high en-
ployment in the United States
and national security around
the world.
High Tariff Problem
High tariffs, he said, would
Illustrate efforts to eliminate
the deficits in the United
States balance of payments
and would force this country to
pull its troops back from over
seas posts.
Mr.. Kennedy also told the
union leaders he would pro-
pose measures to help COM
munitieS, industries and work.
ing men hurt by competition
from imported goods.
He rejected permanent
Govern ment paternalism,
advocating instead program
that would add to and CO.
ordinate present plans for areas
already hit by unemployment,
for small business incentives to
investment in new plants and
the retraining and compenss-
ton of jobless men and women.
The President yesterday ap-
pealed to the National As
sociation of Manufacturers for
support of a trade policy he
maintained would stimulate
exports by chopping off tariff
barriers.
To enable United States
producers to sell on world
markets, he declared labor
must demonstrate it's RESPONSE
bility in helping to keep over
all wage movements in line
with increases in productivity"