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UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE UNITED STATES 73
He urged that not only upon private business, but also upon the
States, and the local municipal governments to take account of this
principle in local appropriations.
If that is sound policy for private business, and for State and local
governmental business, it is sound for the Federal Government.
And that is embodied in this particular group of bills.
Mr. MontaguE. Does that mean that an appropriation made for
a public building should be held, and then expend it, or. would you go
on with it irrespective of the general economic conditions of the
country?
Mr. Foster. Do you mean under the terms of the bill?
Mr. MonTaGuUE. I referred to your statement. I am not here to
find any fault with it. I want to understand you. I understood you
to say that the public moneys for public purposes and public works,
of one form or another, should be carried on over a long period with
a view to initiating and completing structures here, with regard to
the state of employment or unemployment? .
Mr. Foster. That is the general principle of which I am speaking;
that so far as feasible public expenditures should be made with
reference to the conditions and the chances of business in general.
Mr. MonTAGUE. I want you to go to Richmond, Va., my city, and
make an address on that subject.
Mr. Foster. Now, this brings me to the question of whether this
whole program is really a national problem. It certainly is a national
problem for the reasons mentioned. That we can not take up the
slack of unemployment at any time as readily and as quickly and
economically as we otherwise could, unless we can move the workers
across the State lines. And it is a national problem in this respect,
that it demands national leadership. No organization in the United
States is large enough or powerful enough for this leadership. If
we did not know that to be true theoretically, we would know it
to be true from the fact that no such leadership has been taken by
the States or the municipalities, nor private industry nor business.
when business depression threatened. .
No such leadership was underway after the depression of last fall,
when the Federal Government took such leadership. Such leadership
 is necessary, as no one can so appeal to the entire country as the
the Federal Government. No agency in the United States; no combination
 has the power to collect the necessary information to carry
out such a program. That is the reason for the bill presented by
Senator Wagner, calling for the collection and the spread of information
 in relation to employment is necessary. } }
Private interests are incapable of collecting that information.
The information from such agencies would be réceived with suspicion
as to its source. Local leadership is not sufficient, as we can see
from the present conditions. Business as far as I can see, from a
definite and sustained effort to improve the business trend for the
last six months, has not improved so that it is noticeable in actual
statistics. Business does not get better. It will not get better in
my judgment without more powerful and definite action to make it
better than we are getting at the present time. }
I do not say the passage of these bills will cure this. They are
a part of a necessary, constructive program. The Federal Government
 should have a program and these three things are the necessary