| Show crr at crossroads on ath birthday alternatives or death criticized of all T east ne paw W de deal al units camps have good record by jose JOSEPH ph W labi labine NE franklin roosevelt had been president 0 only five days before he called callec a select group of yuth youth lea leaders ciers into his office by rpm april 6 1933 exactly six years ago the civilian conservation corps wa was s created as va tion of the first new deal one ne agencies today as some youths h s in almost 1500 camps cele celebrate brate the sixth anniversary of their benefaction has hit rough waters by the time congress adjourns this least criticized of all roosevelt agencies may either be sentenced to death or changed into a semi military army of unemployed youth has done such a good job that strong new deal critics like henry link new york psychologist ogist praises it in his tie return turn to religion and rediscovery of man in six years some boys have gone through its routine one fourth of them emerging to take permanent private jobs some of the rest re enrolled most alost recruits needy heres how works its membership comes almost exclusively from underprivileged homes boys who have left school cant get jobs and need both moral and physical training they enroll and leave the group every three months so there is a constant turnover last october for example new enrollees were accepted averaging years of age they must be between 17 and 23 places these boys in in camps gives them 30 a month of which 22 must be sent home to needy parents and teaches them not only the rudiments of hard work but a lot of extracurricular extra curricular activities as well reveille sounds at 6 a m breakfast comes at and inspection at by they are on the job remaining until 4 p m with the exception of an hour hou r oti off for lunch the lads get vocational training during evening hours they learn crafts like photography radio cabinetmaking leather work blue printing and landscaping but the training apparently is not very efficient 1 because american labor unions object to having craftsmen turned out by to the detriment of their apprentice system mr fechner is an old time american federation of labor official educational accomplishments but craft or no craft fcc does good work last year illiterates learned to read and write finished grammar grades finished high school and 13 got college dial diplomas omas almost all the youths take school work either by correspondence spon dence or from part time residence instructors if enrollees range from 17 to 23 and come from underprivileged homes they rise from the very stratum of youth responsible in 1937 for 13 per cent of our murders 28 per cent of our robberies 42 per cent of our burglaries 51 per cent of our auto thieves and 21 per cent of our sex criminals youth camps are not a new deal invention in 1930 california tried the scheme doubtless getting the idea from the english hinksey dinksey hink sey diggers of whom philosopher john ruskin said their two mils mile road was the worst in three kingdoms set enviable work record what have they done cons constructively As a sample of what costs the current fisc fiscal al years appropriation is 1 and the nation should expect to get something tangible in return it has has planted some 1 trees and built fir fire s towers to protect them it has strung miles of telephone from lookout post to watch tower ower the country has miles of 01 new w roadway and dams to t check erosion there are countess less new recreation recreation centers and wild life alte habitat has been safeguarded to 10 protect these innocents from the wages of civilization has also provided aai an emer geney cy army its membership has done eye yeoman oman service in fighting fori est tires fires rescue work hood flood relief th and rehabilitation i tation after disasters the 8 bred red cross the v recalls how in api ohio hoods floods of january and d february 1937 more than 22 enrollees hundreds of reserve P no M N 41 ABOVE silhouettes of service tivo youths fighting a forest fire RIGHT new enrollees leaving for camp there of these young men accepted last october but the current enrollment atvill be smaller because is being forced to retrench rei rench officers and technical personnel were rushed to danger points whither in his budget message last january the president recommended om orn a slash of in the corps budget from to this means camps and personnel must be reduced camps from 1500 to 1200 and men from to this redu reduction c is already under way and th the e april enrollment will be small smaller er than usual worst of all will wil die naturally on june 30 1940 unless extended militarized zed youth camps military minded congressmen are already thinking about this wondering if cant be retained and made an integral part of our defense program this means adoption of the plan proposed by ken buckys rep andrew jackson may which would provide for not less than two nor more than five hours of military training for enrollees each week the immediate result has been a protest not only from anti new dealers but from what are jokingly referred to as the tabbies pacifists paci fists you can paint a horrible picture of this militarized zed potentialities if you let your imagination run 0 VA 4 fal L V R n Q away you can see several million unemployed youths saved from hunger and privation who would rally round the banner of the man chos responsible for it you can see a political army if you wish armed trained and disciplined but feeling greater loyalty tor to a political clique than to the nation itself but can be safeguarded against such evils dangerous perhaps but maybe its even more dangerous to contemplate american youths fate without some agency to keep idle minds out of mischief 1936 39 budget of is far smaller than our annual national crime bill which approximates western newspaper union |
