4 War On Poverty’ Under Attack

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31520, 7 November 1967, Page 17

4 War On Poverty’ Under Attack

(N.Z.P.A .-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, November 6. President Johnson’s “war on poverty” programme, under steady attack in Congress, faces a new challenge with a hostile lobby pressing to cut or even dismember the whole multi-million-dollar effort.

Economy-minded Congressmen, many basically opposed to State welfare schemes, are preparing for a major battle in the House of Representatives this week on a Government request for $2060 million in anti-poverty funds. Poverty project leaders fear that Congress “hatchetmen” will slash the Budget and may try to break up Mr Johnson’s Office of Economic Opportunity (0.E.0.) by transferring some of its functions to city-level control. Smouldering hostility between the Congressional lobby and the 0.E.0. has grown so intense, according to some reports, that the 0.E.0. director. Mr Sargent Shriver, is thinking of resigning. Because of Congressional delays in voting funds so far. the 0.E.0. says it may be forced within the next few weeks to shut 35 local programmes serving 500,000 poor people. Existing funds are so

stretched that 3000 employees of the anti-poverty agency may go without wages on November 14 unless money is sanctioned by then. Conservative Republicans and Southern Democrats in the House of Representatives have kept up a running feud with Mr Shriver’s office since it was set up three years ago as part of the President’s drive for a “Great Society ” 0.E.0. projects include vocational training for school drop-outs, summer camps for slum children, loans for poor farmers, adult education and a neighbourhood youth corps which puts unemployed youngsters to work on park maintenance and traffic control.

The Congressional lobby is suspicious of many of these projects, claiming too much money is being spent on people who ought to fend for themselves. Critics also say the Washington-run 0.E.0. is getting too much influence around the country.