AMERICA'S PLIGHT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18596, 5 January 1935, Page 12

AMERICA'S PLIGHT

EffORTS FOE RECOVERY

•DIFFICULTIES FACED

,pJJTLOOK UNCERTAIN

i The view that the. National Recovery schemes in the United States still suggest a promise rather than its fulfilment -was. expressed by several passengers on fhe''Mariposa, which passed through Auckland.last Saturday, en route from Zos.Angeles to Sydney. "I am. American born," said Mr. J. R.. of Cforistchurch, "and J do not wish to decry the laud of my birth. However, I, have to admit that the' country's efforts to meet the depression have not been as enthusiastic and' successful as reports in New Zealand make them out to be. It appears that "Arricrira is facing the 'toughest' problem j.n. her .history. It is really a testing', time- for -the .nation and, although &ho will doubtless win through, she ; may have to accept -vast national 'changes in the process." I Mr. Templih said he had spent about six' months in the United States on a business visit and among business men he had note heard a good word said for the National Recovery Act, President Roosevelt was by no means tno national, hero that ho was painted and » considerable volume of opinion .was against his recovery measures. ENORMOUS BORROWING "It is generally admitted that some-

: thing had to be done," Mr. Templin continued, "but many people arc nerj vous about the enormous borrowing programmes and also about the way in which the money is being spent. I In some cities it is quite common to , see people driving to the relief depots I in their own motor cars to draw their ;. unemployment benefit. In one place in I the West the unemployed have their i rent, electric lighting and water charges | paid for them and, in addition, each ! i receives a dollar a day. Taxpayers, not ; ' unnaturally, are asking how long such j i a state of affairs can continue> i There are about 16,000,000 or 18,000,000 people in the United States dependent on relief schemes and, as far as one can see, the position is not improving very materially."

Mr. C. J. B. Norwood, managing director of Dominion Motors, Limited, and a former Mayor of Wellington, who passed through the United States on his way back from England, said lie had met many leading industrialists, but, as far as he could see, there was not yet that return of confidence calculated to stir the country into action on its own behalf. The machinery for dealing with the unemployment problem was causing many difficulties and taxation seemed to be most unevenly distributed. .

PAYMENT OF RELIEF In somo States there were as many as live different bodies with power to impose taxes. It appeared that the largo sums paid for unemployment reTJ&f were not evenly distributed, and it was stated there was a large floating population which travelled from place lo place, depending on the size of the. unemployment benefits. "The National Recovery Act has. been J modified from time to time," Mr. Norwood said. "Soon there, wjll b.Q left only

a skeleton of tin; original plan." The view that the United States was still beset with difficulties was also expressed by Mr. P. K. Condicl, vicepresident of the International Telephone and Telegraph Company, and one of (he leading figures in the communications system of America. "There are problems on all sides," he said, "and if is hard to tell what the outcome will lie."