Show Looking Ahead Dy By DR GEORGE BENSON PRESIDENT NATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM Problems or of poverty and deprivation do exist In this richest nation In the midst or of ample opportunity to attain living standards the th highest any people ever enjoyed TO WHAT extent should the federal government propose remedies for distress and poverty pov erty for lor the sixth one or of our population which according to the President lives below minimal levels or of health housing house hous ing nit rood food and education The principal thing or of course Is maintenance of a constitutional government that provides pro pro- provides vides the tho utmost f Ire r e e d o 0 m mand mand and encourages each t o 0 achieve all that his natural endowments and e d abilities will permit BUT Bur BurlIEN lIEN for lor reasons reasons' sometimes difficult to determine deter deter- mine there exists need among migrant workers Indians the elderly the disabled and the mentally m ill what then Some or of our national leaders leaders lead lead- ers have thought this situation justifies a National Service Corps set up along the lines of the overseas Peace Corps TIlE THE PROPOSAl vague as asIt asit It Is In the bill which passed the Senate evidently does not Intend to provide material assistance as so many other national programs are now doing But It would add corpsmen to some pro pro- professional social workers This new government effort would be only a drop In the bucket Whether such a corps could stimulate greater Inter Interest Interest est In social problems dramS dram them and recruit other workers evidently would depend de de- pend upon the extent to which this help is requested In local communities SENATOR Spessard of Floridea Flor idea has bas ridiculed the notion of having our our highly centralized bureaucracy send out a a corps to Inculcate In local citizens an Interest in their local af af- fairs The whole concept is wrong D ax this point he Iris insisted insist insist- 1st ed despite the idealism of those supporting it The basic disagreement inthe in inthe the debate over the tho National ServIce Corps seems to In volve the bigger concept of the fundamental role federal fed fed- eral government and w whether eth or er it actually can solve social and welfare problems ON TIlE THE one hand the argument argue ment runs that the answer to the needs of the distressed is isa isa several a new bureau costing million dollars But on the theother theother other experience does not necessarily necessarily prove that success is achieved this way Some federal employ ees ees for example are already concerning themselves with Indian affairs about one work et er for every 33 13 13 Indians on reservation During the past year the Bureau added 1500 workers BUT EVEN now as in the past the Indians charge the Great Father with every kind of mismanagement and lack of leadership and apparently apparently most of the charges have been backed with f fads U If the Bureau of Indian Affairs M. M fairs has bas not needs of the Indians will another federal agency solve its fail aU- urea ures DESPITE the idealism of the planners of such a corps and the good intent of its personnel per per- It is bound to th tho ills of the usual bureau high administrative ad ad- costs a tendency to expand and possible cal uses Of the first two one can be fairly sure The Peace Corps operates presently at a ratio of one ad to ten field per per- despite costs that have risen from Irom 30 million to 58 million to a projected mil lion in three years THIS TUIS compares to L 1 to 15 1 for the Red Cross which spent about million last year with an administrative cost or of per cent compared with projected costs of 30 per cent for tor the National Service Corps As to political motivations the corps idea undoubtedly carries vast appeal for lor any administration cone e ern r n e d about the politics off of survival As campaign workers corpsmen could surely round roundup up the underprivileged vote In every depressed area of the land As a talking point to em em- voter appeals concern for th the underdog never did any candidate any J harm arm PRESSURE toward so- so the National Service Corps would add its own particular par par- weight To T the social 1st minded this bill blU has merit simply because of tho leverage lever lever- age it offers to the central government to get into the everyday ev affairs of the people to make itself Indispensable o othe on the national scene n l I I |