Unemployment in the United States

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1828236179

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-226169

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Unemployment in the United States

Place of publication:: Washington

Publisher:: United States, Government Printing Office

Year of publication:: 1930

Scope:: II, 193 Seiten

Digitisation:: 2022

Collection:: Economics Books

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Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Statement of Prof. Paul Douglas, of Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa.

Collection:: Economics Books

int * to On rly his hed ubt 00, tha ‘ho = You out ore. y to 11] ~ {QV = de- ne this ess re- red ice, 10W hen tate are at I the pon aal- UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES 81 administering the funds. But now I come to what really seems to me—— Mr. MoNTAGUE (interposing). What would you do with the con- verse statement? Mr. Doucras. Where a State is efficient? Mr. Montague. No. You say it is designed to prevent States from maladministration and corruption. Mr. Doucras. Yes. Mr. Montague. What are you going to do to prevent the United States bureau.from maladministration and corruption? Mr. Doveras. Well, you gentlemen are here to prevent that. Mr. MonTacue. No, you say if we put out this act it will prevent maladministration on the part of the State; now tell us what would prevent maladministration on the part of the United States? Mr. DovucrLas. In the first place I may point out that the National Government—— Mr. MonTAGUE (interposing). As a rule the state governments are more economically and more efficiently conducted than the United States Government. Mr. Doucras. I may point out that the States would be spending the money under this act; the Federal Government would be spend- ing very little money and that there would be this stimulus to efficiency, namely, for every dollar of Federal money which the States expended, they would have to match a dollar of their own, and therefore there would be a pressure upon them to expend their money efficiently, which is not present under the reverse statement. Mr. Summers. There is one objection which occurs, I think, to a good many members with reference to this character of legislation. In the first place, from reading the bill hurriedly, it appears that this Federal agency exercises a sort of general supervision over these state agencies, and they have to come more or less as petitioners to the Federal agency for permission to participate in the scheme, and if this Federal agency does not like the way they are doing things it may cancel them out; then they may have to come, a sovereign state, and appeal to the Federal officers. That is one thing that we do not so much like about it. Mr. Doucras. Now, may I ask, would you favor as an alternative an outright Federal grant without supervision, so that the States would spend their money any way they wished, without a Federal check-up? . Mr. Summers. Well, that would present a very difficult problem. Mr. Doucras. May I point out that we had this experience once in the United States when we distributed the surplus funds in the administration of President Andrew Jackson, and that the States immediately squandered their money; and may I point out also that in the case of the Morrill land grant law, where grants of land were made to the States to assist them in founding agricultural colleges, the land was sold for a song? . Mr. Montague. It would not bring more than a song when it was sold, would it? Mr. Doucras. But the question may very well come as to whether it would have been better to have held the land. Mr. Sumners. The Federal Government gave a great deal of land to the railroads, did it not?

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