Show 0 National Topics Interpreted b by William Bruckart P Washington D D. D C C. C National Pr Press Building It Washington It Is slightly more mor than three months since President Roosevelt elt signed ned th the Slow on congressional W Works RelieF t i Ion o n appropriating five billion dollars fo fouse for use by the administration In public works and public relief To date dat according according according ac ac- ac- ac cording to the records less than hala half hal halfa a billion dollars has been allocated fo for expenditure on a agreed projects and o othis of this thIs sum approximately three hundred million dollars was turned over to th the Civilian Conservation corps a n goIng Institution The slow motion of ot the adminIstration tion lion In getting its public works relief relic program underway Is giving birth t tan to toan tonn an nn Immense amount of criticism I Ione It one Is to believe the undercurrent o of discussion In Washington It Is giving more concern to the officials responsIble ble for spending this vast ast sum sura of or money In the reform recovery-reform effort of th the New Deal So ma many y projects have beon been advanced acl and rejected In turn so many new Ideas have been brought brough forward and ballyhooed an and so many false motions have hn been Indulged In that Washington observers are rapidly reaching the conclusion that congress was correct when In deb debate te It wa a was said the administration had no concrete concrete con con- crete plan for utilization of ot this vas vast fund To review the developments since April 8 when the President signed the appropriating resolution Is to say that conditions have been one continual round of confusion First It will be recalled the President sought to meet the wishes of ot congress ns as expressed In debate by relieving Secretary Ickes public works administrator of oC much of ot the responsibility and authority he held This was accomplished by the new setup that was reported to you heretofore Now It seems the new setup has failed to function and the bulk of or the management of or expenditures expenditures expendi- expendi tures has settled down Into the lap of Harry Elarry Hopkins the tho relief reller adminis- adminis Mr Ickes still has hns some authority i It apparently Is enough to Irk Mr Hopkins These two men differ widely in their views Mr Hopkins lon long has hns been seen looked upon as a reliever by profession profession pro pro- Mr Ickes has hns attempted Insofar Insofar insofar Inso Inso- far as ns he has been able ahle to employ practical methods In administration of hIs share of the funds Ja Laying aside the personal equation which is best exemplified by the Ickes- Ickes Hopkins differences It must be said frankly that next to nothing has been accomplished PresIdent Roosevelt President Roosevelt has hns stated and reiterated that the expendIture expendI- expendI ture ure program Is getting underway satisfactorily sat- sat but the discussion among observers seems to show an alarming lack ack of oC ordination co and of or Indecision One of ot the newest projects advanced advanced advanced ad ad- and It has Just passed the stage of an executive The Youth order setting up a n Program new agency Is ls the soca called so-called 11 ed N National a Youth administration This new alphabetical alpha alpha- NYA NYA has has received ed unit unit the the fifty million dollars to spend In helping boys and girls between the ages of sixteen six six- teen een nn and twenty It Is supposed to o be a means of ot preventing Idleness among the young oung people who are of the he age during which unless they are arc occupied Irresponsible tendencies de de- de- de I I I 1 I I I I In announcing th the new pro program the President departed from his previously announced Intention of ot assisting only persons now on relief Whether this departure means menns that he has tossed aside definitely th the rule laid down last winter that the dole must go or whether this Is to be an Isolated exception ex ex- exception to that rule is not Immediately determInable It remains as a fact that hat the governments government's assistance under under under un un- un- un der th the NY NYA A will be available to needy young oung oun men who are ore not on the dole as well as to those who are on relief Secretary Perkins of the Labor Lobor department department de de- de- de said the plan had been worked out by her and her associates In n the childrens children's bureau She figured that hat 2 would he eligible for as- as Istance under the plan Those to be helped will be selected by local volunteer volun- volun teer eer committees thus establishing establishing- In each ach community another a agency ency subject subject sub- sub to federal domination and federal guidance Succinctly the scope of tb the NY NYA A as outlined by Mr Roosevelt Includes I Finding employment ment In private industry Industry In- In for unemployed ed youths Training youths for Industrial technical tech tech- leal and professional employment Providing for continued attendance of f needy youths In high schools and andol colleges ol leges Providing work relief on projects to meet the needs of ot youth Miss Josephine Roche Hoche an assistant secretary of the treasury and Aubrey IV V. V Williams assistant to Administrator Administrator Adminis- Adminis Hopkins have been given sole responsibility for management of the latest alphabetical agency The selection selection selee- selee tion lion of Miss Roche Hoche was said gold by the President to have been In reco recognition of ot her Ion long service In the social field eld and her thorough understanding of problems of the growing generations Notwithstanding the sincerity and the desires of or the President to Initiate a program that will be helpful one hears much doubt expressed that success sue sue- cess ceS will be attained In the minds mind of many students of ot governmental affairs there are thoughts flitting back and forth Inquiring whether It Is possible for a central group roup like the federal government go to arrange methods or occupations for a n population population tion so far Car flung as ns our own It Is la further doubted that sufficient flexIbility flexibility can be worked Into In o any program to permit of ot any genuine good coming from the expenditure of ot even so vast vasta a sum as ns fifty million dollars Be Beyond ond tha that I have heard it asked how the administration expects to find employment for unemployed youths O In Industry when late figures show a alar lar larger er list of oC unemployed adults than obtained at this time a year ear ago High schools and colleges of course fare f are available to provide the educational requirements forming one Idea Iden In tho the general program Those youths who desire to continue their education certainly certainly certainly are deserving of ot help and the NYA offers a means to that end ItIs It ItIs Itis Is too early to forecast what the requirements requirements requirements re re- will be or what sort of ot rules will be laid down respecting ap ap- applicants applicants for educational assistance But even the tho administrations administration's most vigorous critics have omitted throwing any barbs at this feature of tho the NY NYA A. A Almost simultaneously wi with th the Presidents President's announcement of the NYA he made known that Non Federal the way was clear dear for construction on Projects what he lie said was the first group of ot non-federal non projects under under un un- der the public works section of the i 4 billion dollar fund Cund He gave gaye his approval approval approval ap ap- ap- ap to 03 63 projects the total cost of ot which was figured at approximately twenty one million dollars Each Ench of or the loans made In this allocation allo ano- cation of ot funds was based on n grant of ot 45 per cent of ot the cost of ot the particular particular par par- titular project by the community where the work Is to be done The federal government loans the other 55 5 per percent cent In thIs tills way vay the cost to the government government government gov gov- In most Instances Is expected to be held within the limitation of 1143 per man per year Some weeks ago the President figured figured figured fig fig- out that the cost of or no project In which the federal government put money should exceed an amount greater than 1143 for every man mon em em- This was designed to spread employment But the rule thus far has hns been Inoperative because not a single le man has been put to work under under un urr der an any of or these projects In the thc meantime numerous and sundry other proposals for expending parts of the federal money have hale either been thrown overboard or have been held In abeyance pending further con coo This Is true of ot a gigantic housing program worked out by Secre Secre- Secretary Secretary tary Ickes es It was planned there to to spend and when It was announced a press statement was forthcoming from the Public Works administration that hundreds of men would be offered Jobs within a n month so far had the plans advanced Also J since April 8 nothing whatsoever whatsoever t ever eyer has been done toward elimination I of or dangerous railroad grade crossings I was told toM at the Interstate Commerce commission and again at the bureau of or public roads that their plans were all nil ready to proceed with reduction of ot these highway traffic hazards and eliminate potential death traps where hI highways cross railroads Something has blocked the effort In this direction however howe and as far as present Information Information Inor- Inor mation matlon goes actual work on grade grade- crossing elimination will not be started for the next severn several I months I While the administration Is seeking to develop new projects to aid unemployment unemployment plo ment and relieve Pet Scheme destitution one of Its Runs Amuck pet Pct schemes appears to be running amuck I refer to the effort to transplant Middle Western farm families to the l valley of ot Alaska This colonization project was carried on with federal relief reller money an and thos S families which were uprooted were taken talen to Alaska Ala to find the end of tho the rainbow According to activity around the he Federal Feder l Relief Heller administration hero heroIt herot It t Is made to appear that the end of or orthe the rainbow was us usual some distance distance dis- dis tance further on Certainly It was not In n the valley because a number of the families already have havo determined to quit and return to their home communities In to the states i Members of ot congress who are acquainted acquainted ac ae- ac- ac with Alaskan conditions tell me that the valley vaHey Is s probably probe probably ably the most fertile spot In continental continental continental conti conti- United States They hold to the he conviction that almost any kind of food foor can con be grown In the soil soli of ot that bat valley But these men are under no Illusions They know the hardships that hat confront those settlers who ho were being planted there by the federal gov gOT gOT- eminent In the hope of colonizing that hat area Few o of them the house members assure me Can tan live there very long unless Uncle Unde Sam Is willing willingto to o spend millions In providing pro at least some of ot the modern modem conveniences of this his day and age and supplying In addition ad ad- means menns of or transportation and communication The word that com cornea comes dIrect from colony to the tho Relief tellef administration shows In my opInion pinion that the project was conceived and nd executed without any thought bay bay- lag Ing ng been given to the practical lema to be met w. w u. u j r 0 |