Show BLOW DEALT TREE SHEL TER BELT PLAN Controller General Thumbs Down on Outlay Outlay Out Out- lay of for P Project I IW W WASHINGTON Sept 22 President Roosevelt's own plan for a gigantic forest shelter belt in the great plains area to combat fu fuI future fu- fu ture drouth has been seriously threatened by a ruling of Controller I G General McCarl pro prohibiting use use of already allotted for the purpose it was disclosed tod today y 1 It Is the first instance in which the controller general has come come directly to grips with the president over a matter Maner of public spending Not only did President Roosevelt devise the forest plan hi himself ns 1 but he promulgated gated the executive order setting aside the The belt was to be miles wide and reach from froni the Canadian border to the Texas panhandle at an ultimate cost of Mr McCarl McCarI who operates Independently independently Inde inde- both of the chief executive and congress overrode th president on the ground th that t the allotment was I to come from the drouth relief fund appropriated during the thelast thelast thelast last session of congress and that the proposed undertaking ng not be regarded as as a direct and immediate relief measure According to some of those affected by the controllers controller's ruling he reluctantly reluctantly consented to the use o of 1000 of the amount all allotted This is isto isto isto to be spent for preliminary work such as establishing forest nurseries collection of ot some seed for fall planting planting planting plant plant- ing acquisition of trees for lor spring planting and establishing an administrative adminis adminis- and scientific organization tog to g get t the project under way Congress authorized the drouth relief fund in an amendment amendment amend amend- ment meat to the last deficiency appropriation tion bill In do doing in so it acceded to administration suggestions that no part of the total be earmarked for tor special use although the administration tion in requesting the amount appropriated appropriated ap ap- based its estimate on probable costs of ot special ings In these the tree belt was not Included Mr McCarl ruled further that before any use was made mad of of such a large amount of public funds for such a long range rance proposition congress should have an opportunity to pass upon the merits of the proposed proposed pro pro- pro pro-I posed undertaking He did this over the protests of some agricultural Officials officials of Of- that in such matters of policy final decisions of the controller should be secondary to a decision dedsion by bythe bythe bythe the chief executive I |