Home Photo Gallery Classroom Documents Letter, Utah County Department of Public Welfare
PROVO, UTAH March 8th, 1937
Mr. Glen D. Reese, Director Dr. Mr. Reese: With respect to what I have heard concerning the C.C.C. and my own opinion of same as referred to in your letter of March 6th, I have the following to say: I called several of the leading men of this county on the telephone and asked them to state frankly their reaction to the C.C.C. Program--for or against it as they themselves saw the situation. I secured from each a statement with authority to quote them. Here is what some of them said. Mr. Clayton Jenkins of the Chamber of Commerce says, "An excellent thing for the morale of the young men. I know of many cases where young men have been taken into the camps as raw, inexperienced young men and in six months' time have been turned out able and efficient in handling good jobs such as "cat men," bulldozer men, etc., and have been placed with contractors at good pay. The flood control work has been very beneficial although not entirely completed." President T. N. Taylor of the Utah L.D.S. Stake made the following statement: "The whole setup is fine. Taking boys off the streets, out of the pool halls, and out of the gutters of despair, and giving them good, clean work with some remuneration so that they can help themselves and help their parents, can't help but be a moral uplift to the boys, giving them a little sunshine in their lives instead of all shadows and brooding." President Franklin S. Harris of the Brigham Young University said, "Unquestionably a good thing for the type of men it is supposed to benefit. More attention should be given to getting groups of similar general habits of religion and life philosophies together to avoid the displeasure and resistance of the families of the enrollees and of the community." As to my own personal opinion, I can say that the opinions quoted above seen to me to be fair and impartial, and I endorse them. The C.C.C. work in this county has been very beneficial to the young men who have participated. It has given them a better outlook in life, it has given them something to do at the critical period of their lives when bad habits are easily formed, it has impressed upon their minds the necessity of working for what one gets, and it has given them the very valuable feeling that they are a part of society doing their part to further the interest of the general good. The type of work hat has been done speaks for itself. The flood control work served a very definite purpose in holding or checking what otherwise might have been bad floods last summer and fall. This, to my mind, is the least valuable of the C.C.C. Program because the same wok could possibly have been done by other groups for the same amount of money. From our view point the money received by the allottee has solved many relief problems in much better way than they could have been solved by direct relief or in some cases even by W.P.A. assignments for the following reasons: It seems to me that where a young man allots a certain amount of his earnings to his parents for the benefit of them and other members of the family, he does a thing that helps to build up a family solidarity, which gives him the feeling of responsibility and some importance, and tends to greatly improve his morale. On the other hand, the family is also benefited. The example of industry, that is earning what one gets, is set to the family and the spirit of independence and taking care of one's self is not broken down to the extent it is where direct relief is administered. As a Welfare Department we have used the C.C.C. to solve many of our most perplexing problems both social and financial, and in many instances the final result has been more gratifying because the young man qualified himself to take his place in the world of affairs at a good livable wage. Very truly yours,
UTAH COUNTY DEPT. OF PUBLIC WELFARE WHC:LP
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