SURPLUS GOODS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 45, 22 August 1938, Page 10

SURPLUS GOODS

FOR WORKLESS IMEN

AN AMERICAN ENTERPRISE

A striking activity, of the Unite* ' f States Government, about which. little has been heard, is the Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation, writes the New York correspondent, of the "Manchester Guardian." This is a byproduct of the Works Progress -Administration and its indefatigable chief, Mr. Harry L. Hopkins. "What it does is to prdduce food, clothing,, and otljer. necessities, and.. distribute, .theni ..Without cost to some" 3f■" tHe 5;O0OtO00 Ifaipi-.

lies •or so that are without employment arid are obtaining aid from the Federal Government or the States and cities. ' : '.'_' :■....' ..,__..', .:'■;■

A simple example of how the cdr», : poration works came when . drought conditions prevailed in the northern part of the Middle West several years ago. Cattle were starving and dying of thirst, and farmers: were in desperate The Government stepped in and. bought and slaughtered the cattle. The meat, to the extent of millions of pounds, was tinned, \ and then distributed without charge to recipients, of relief. The same thing^ has been done with many other food products—ham, bacon, potatoes,; yege-" tables, and fruits of all sorts. In no case, except in great emergencies, are such distributions made a substitute for ordinary relief payments. They are in addition to normal relief and: are given to the poor under the argu-- v ment that, even at best, relief standards are not high enough to maintain a proper health level. MILLIONS OF GARMENTS. Millions of garments have • been manufactured or repaired for the use of those on relief. Unemployed persons are engaged to do this work, and are paid modest wages in cash. Worn-out clothing may be-brought ia by a person on relief, and it is repaired or. he receives a new garment in exchange. In some cases surplus cotton kept off the market under the Agricultural Adjustment Act has been made into cloth and the cloth madeinto garments through this system. A striking development of these practices was seen recently. During the present depression clothing fac- ; tories produced a large excess supply of garments that they have been unable to sell, and the needle trades have experienced sharp distress in consequence. The Amalgamated Clothing Workers, an ably.led union in thi3 field, has arranged for the. United States Government to buy these garments to a value of £2,000,000 and dis-\ tribute them free. Conservative critics loudly assert that this is Socialism,. . but no one else seems to mind, and T many of the unemployed are sure of having protection against the sub- V Arctic cold which afflicts the northern , half of the United States in winter.