Show Senates Senate's Relief Probe ProbeL ED b by Senator James Couzens of Michigan L LED a senate committee launches a probe o of Administrator Administrator Ad Ad- Harry Hopkins' Hopkins handling of relief Though the inquiry aims to discover the reasons for arbitrary quotas set by Hopkins whereby some gome states receive federal funds to meet as high higI as 95 per cent of their relief needs it will be highly desirable for the investigation to go much farther into the whole matter of relief if only to clear the air Hopkins' Hopkins denial of relief funds to Illinois until it furnishes to add to toa toa toa a federal allotment of in effect sets a 75 25 ratio This was cited by Senator Couzens when he asked for the probe The relief administration submits that in 1934 1933 rel relief ef has cost of which the federal government supplied 1549 the states and localities Adding to this spent so fO far this year the total cost of new deal relief amounts to more than The administrator in an interview last week stated that he had discarded the pump-priming pump theory that he does not think th the new work relief fund will vill aid recovery much more than it may have been aided during the S past year by federal expenditures and that the whole matter should be viewed as a relief problem pure and simple He based his opinions opinions opinions ions on h his s assertion that the amount of money to be spent is not more than 20 or 25 per cent greater than all agencies spent during the past year He stressed that his job this year will in include include in- in clude elude seeing that persons actually employed come of off relief rolls and that persons on work projects take private employment when it is offered Royal Meeker president of the Index Number Number Num Num- ber her institute in a special article on relief published published published pub pub- Sunday scathingly criticised relief ex expenditures expenditures ex- ex o of the past Squandering money for projects not needed and for such purposes as the New York aldermanic inquiry recently in investigated investigated investigated in- in he declared had only been done be because because because be- be cause there were no plans ready for necessary undertakings In spite of a mountain of work in advance planning for Utah projects it is seen that much time must pass before any considerable considerable considerable consid consid- erable volume l work will willbe under way The president ent has stated that his hope is to havethe have havethe 1 v the whole program in full swing by August In Inthe Inthe inthe the meantime the in the last ap appropriation appropriation ap- ap is counted on to tide the needy over until the jobs appear The handling of relief funds and the scuttling scuttling thug of the federal budget draws a heated attack from Senator Harr Harry r F. F Byrd of Virginia in Nations Nation's Business published by the Chamber of of- Commerce of the United States Out of the appropriation for public works effective June lune 16 1933 he charges is still unexpended as shown by a recent treasury department report to the senate Another Another An An- other unexpended appropriation amounted to Of moneys appropriated for emergency emergency emergency emer emer- gency purposes he asserted had been spent for administrative expenses of 29 various branches of government including for enforcement of the oil code when the expectation was that code costs would be borne by assessments upon the members of af affected affected affected af- af industries Such handling of funds Senator Senator Senator Sen Sen- ator Byrd contends is a blow at the whole budget system He offers figures to show that the federal government will spend this year nearly 5 per cent of the total wealth of the country Taxpayers last year paid Added to the public expenditures a total burden of more than was placed on the people which he contended equaled 40 per cent of 9 f the nations nation's total gross gross' income Regardless of the fact that President Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt in appointing Secretary Ickes to be watchdog watchdog watchdog watch watch- dog over the fund Frank Walker to look after the political angles and Harry Hopkins to put the money out after a presidential okeh the congress and the people are entitled to much more complete information than they have re received received received re- re regarding past past- present and future handling handling han han- dUng of the vast relief enterprise It will add greatly to national confidence if Senator Couzens Couzens Couzens Cou Cou- zens presses for a probe that will go deep into the whole matter |