NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 5 January 1935, Page 5

NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT

President Roosevelt Plans to Give Work to 3,500,000 Men PROPOSALS BEFORE CONGRESS CLEARANCE OF SLUMS .'United Pres 3 Association — By Eloctrio Telegraph Copyright). Received 11.15 a.m to-day. WASHINGTON, Jan. 4. A new and greatly enlarged plan of work for the relief of unemployment is to be proposed to Congress by President Roosevelt. Without estimating the cost or greatly detailing his proposals he declared that instead of a continuance of outright doles the Government should put three and a-half million unemployed to work clearing slums and on other public works. He gave aa assurance that the figures proposed for this budget would “be within the sound money credit of the Government” and reported “more gains than losses in 1934 and strong hope in. 1935.” A promise was given that he would soon propose definite legislation for unemployment and old age insurance. Federal Government’s Decision President’s Annual Address WASHINGTON, Jan. 3. , The 74tli Congress, which is predominantly Democratic as a result of the November elections, was convened to-day and after a brief organisation session was adjourned until to-mor-row, when President Roosevelt will present liis annual message to the joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate. With more than a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives Democrats overrode the Republican opposition and elected Mr Joseph Byrns Speaker in .succession to Mr Henry Rlainey, who died on August 19, 1934. Under Mr Byrn’s direction. - Democrats immediately tightened the parliamentary rul-s to allow the Ad-.. ministration leaders to maintain a firm hand on legislation. The law permitting legislation to be forced out of committee by the presentation of a petition with 145 signatures was repealed-, making at least half the names of the House necessary. As is customary a flood of legislation was advanced, but little without the President’s support is likely to become law. In all 2400 Bills have been presented, the first being a highly controversial measure ordering the Treasury to pay veterans 2,000,000,000 dollars, in adjusted compensation certificates not due until 1945.

The President’s message to-morrow is expected to deal at length with the so-called “social security” iirogramme. A report on relief administration- affairs and other importantfeatures of the “New Deal” Treasury figures was published to-day. It showed that the half-yearly deficit at December 31 reached the unprecedented figure of £339,800,000, indicating that the vear will end with a deficit of £600,000,000. The public debt is up approximately £900.000.000 from December 1933,i to £5,570,ooo.coo.