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November 17, 1934 My dear Mr. Hopkins: During the past week I gave attention to the lower east side, to the white collar district in Manhattan's west side, to the Bronx, and several left-wing organizations. Despite a considerable number of closings as a result of investigation, relief rolls in the four precincts visited have continued to increase. New applications are coming in at usual rates and a larger number of re-applications have been reported. Only in one section of the Bronx were there signs of leveling off; there was an influx of applicants during the summer months and less last month. Figures showing a tendency for relief rolls to level off for the whole city are discounted by relief people as arising from stringent investigations and forced closings. For the first time there were indications of a return of jobs among white collar people. Although this trend has not affected relief rolls in any large degree, there is a constant turnover in the white collar clients and a small but appreciable number are getting permanent jobs. These range from editorial work to real estate, with the salaries generally much lower. In the lower east side, where the bulk of the people are needle workers in the garment industry, season work is getting less and less each year, according to the bureau occupational directors. The clients go back to work for shorter periods at a time and return to the relief rolls more quickly. In contrast to Harlem, East Harlem and Queens, where considerable apprehension was felt concerning future trouble, the districts visited this week are free of that feeling to a large extent. Because each precinct in New York is almost unique in itself, it is difficult to classify the report, except to discuss the situation by districts. In the lower east side, with a 90% Jewish population, much trouble at the precincts is caused by Unemployed Council demonstrations, but no one expresses any great fear that the Communists are gaining in strength or that trouble in the future will be any more than there has been for several years. Discontent has actually decreased with the improvement of relief administration. The likelihood is that if checks arrive on time and immediate problems are taken care of, relief can go on for some years without any change. It is the feeling that practically all trouble in the precinct is caused by professional agitators, and after talking with the Communists there and with quite a few clients in homes or in the reception room, I think that is true. The Jewish people there can make the relief budget stretch; there is dire need of clothing, but as far as putting up with it is concerned, the people have accepted it and will not complain much. In short, as far as the east side is concerned, there is a status quo that took effect some time ago with better administration. Fifty per cent of the relief load has unemployment as the sole cause and jobs would solve the matter. Seventy-five per cent in this section want to work at reasonable jobs; fifteen per cent are no good any more except for certain types of easy jobs; ten per cent are chiselers and chronic cases. In the east side, work relief as set up in the city is useless. The Jewish clients cannot work at manual labor; some of those who wanted to work "at anything" have been injured by labor. They require certain types of skilled jobs which the work relief division cannot supply. Relief workers plead for Federal projects which would supply a variety of jobs. The Jews can't do construction work or shovel snow. There have been numerous refusals to work at such jobs. Jewish young people comprise the big and uncertain problem. They are personally ambitious, they want to get somewhere and most of them have taken advantage of high schools and colleges. Very few are on relief independently. They are included in the family budget and it is difficult for the Jewish youth to strike out against family wishes. For this reason there is an increasing amount of "ingrown" family trouble, and the Unemployed Councils and Communists have made definite inroads among young people. Old time case work falls down completely with young people. "You can't do case work on people unless something's the matter", said one supervisor. "And the thing that's the matter with 85% of these young people is jobs. There's nothing else the matter, but let it go on for two or three years and there will be something the matter." The old people will not protest and demonstrate, but the young people will. In contrast to Queens and Harlem also, is the attitude toward the government. People I talked with think business is coming back. They prefer to work for private industry and business, and quite a few of the Jewish people would start in business on their own if they could get the money from banks. They feel that somebody has to be responsible for the unemployed, but only as a last resort. The dependency on the government felt in other parts of the city is not felt in the east side among the Jews. Relief investigators and supervisors, however, feel that private business and industry will never absorb more than a fraction of these people. They feel that the depression, however, has not destroyed the initiative of the people and has not had widespread mental deterioration. These people could more quickly and easily adjust themselves to a low relief budget and were accustomed to periods of hardship. But the feeling was also present that unless jobs appeared within another year or two years, this section would have its hands full of psychiatric cases. The people are naturally emotional and hysterical, and diabetes and cardiac cases have increased. Health is not serious and is being taken care of by the medical service. Household equipment is much worse this year. Many of the clients do get work by the day occasionally but it is difficult to check. One dissenting voice to this appraisal was heard. A case supervisor said "I don't think this group is willing to stay on relief much longer. The government will have to take a stronger stand and provide jobs." The Unemployed Council organizer and chief associates are a noisy outfit demanding everything under the sun and shouting in the reception room in order to attract attention. They complain every day about individual cases, the majority of which have been previously investigated and found ineligible for relief. On Manhattan's west side, the problem is entirely different. No unrest is shown and no trouble expected. The serious problem is the unattached man and woman, and the inadequacy of the relief budget gets plenty of panning. These singles live in furnished rooms and the rent checks do not cover the rent. This means moving frequently. Without clothes fit to wear, many of them have to stay in their rooms most of the time. The mental deterioration is reported to be extremely serious and the clients I visited with an investigator bore that out. The unattached woman above forty is in a pretty hopeless situation and she is usually aware of it. A mere job is not enough for this group, for their morale is broken. These singles have been approached by the Unemployed Council without results. They live by themselves, still hopeful of "a chance," but their mental and physical conditions are much worse. There is not the feeling, however, that private jobs are never coming back. They are not organization-conscious and are going to pieces on relief. As for the man of 40 and 50 in this white collar section, the situation is not as bad as in other places. The family unit has remained pretty close and while the men never expect to get back, family resources of one kind or another will take care of the older members. Mental deterioration and broken morale is chiefly among singles. Household equipment was of the better sort anyway and has lasted pretty well. This district also includes Columbia University, where some students, professors and others of this class are on relief. Here again, there is no great dependency on the government. They still believe private business and industry will pick up, and accept relief as a last resort. There are numerous instances of men in this district passing the relief bureau six or seven times before getting the courage to walk in and ask for relief. There is still much stigma attached to it. Among students and younger men who have come out of college, there is a distinct radical trend. They see no way out except government control. One investigator in the Columbia section reported that almost every one of her clients has talked suicide at one time or another. They are apt to despair and several cases I talked to in this district were ample evidence of what the depression has done to the more sensitive white collar groups. Work, an extremely simple thing in words, would have done wonders and still can do a lot. One man, who was a civic organizer, and has held pretty big jobs, is slowly going to pieces in his furnished room. He tried getting jobs through politics but was of the wrong Democratic stripe. He was extremely bitter against Farley and was trying to work out a "clean-up, paint up, build-up" campaign for the country. He had suggested it to Roosevelt. Two years ago he helped poor people to get relief, but now he is out and just dabbling away in his room. In this white collar neighborhood, those on relief are too depressed and "bowled over" by the shock of going on relief to take any action. Only the younger ones would follow a leader. Most still feel their problems are individual ones and don't blame anybody in particular. Relief checks are extremely inadequate for this white collar group, but feeling is that if checks continue to come there will be no outward trouble, only serious psychiatric problems. Among young people, however, the answer is the same, that they are receptive, have nothing to do, and find the doors to work closed against them. They are more aware of mass psychology and possibilities of mass action. This applies only to those out of school since l929; the single men in furnished rooms are not likely to organize or follow a group or leader. In the Bronx, the big problem is rent, and trouble is likely over this irritation. The maximum rent allowance is $17.50; it is absurd to think that this covers rent in this middle class area, for the vast bulk of apartments rent for $30-40. So far the clients have had to supplement from some source. There is considerable bitterness from both clients and relief workers over the rent problem. Investigators admit they are "kidding themselves" that the people borrow money from friends. Actually, most of them work at odd jobs, but are afraid of being caught and taken off relief. Chiselers here run about 15 to 20%, but this average includes the Italian section which is better off than before home relief. Aside from rent, the clients are no more restless than before and relief could go on for some time, a couple of years, without any change. Unemployed Councils are active, but only on individual complaints and are orderly. They have not gained much strength, as the case load is an older one and family people only protest in such acute crises as evictions or lack of coal or clothing. There seems to be tremendous apathy in this big area; the people are not organization-conscious and will not revolt. Young people are an unknown quantity in this section. One administrator believes they are getting restless and feel cut off from future jobs. One investigator, who is an ardent Communist, calls them "the lost generation" and considers the situation tragic. But the truth is that nobody really knows what is happening to the young people and it is no small job to find out. They are rarely at home, and not many of then are working. Few are on the relief rolls as individuals. As far as the Bronx goes, more adequate relief would solve the problem. Most of them want jobs, but will not revolt if they don't get them. Only the Italians are satisfied on relief; the family units are depressed, and with no car fare or adequate clothing, leisure time stuff is out. One investigator believes the stigma of relief, very high in the Jewish-Bronx, is gradually leaving and that government responsibility for the individual's welfare is soaking in. Many clients still believe private industry is the solution and will come back, but two administrators and most investigators see no chance of business revival taking more than a fraction of the unemployed back. Work relief is always brought up and is the obvious answer to an immediate solution. One administrator strongly advocates factory production for the jobless. "Industry can't recover without purchasing power. There is no purchasing power in relief money. I can't see any way to avoid competition with private industry. Why be so tender towards business?". Household equipment in the Bronx is getting I bad shape. "They can tie over individuals for a month, but not for two years." Health is believed to have suffered considerably in the Bronx. "Relief has had a degrading, placid effect." Clients visited in the Bronx were obviously in need of clothing and household incidentals. Clothing is particularly acute. The bulk of apartments are fairly modern and have most conveniences. Food is the least of the worries. But with landlords, the rent situation is bad. Many relief clients still have a sense of humor. One applicant held up his application paper and called it "The Pauper's Lullaby" and said, "And this is the sheet of music." One expression of an investigator was "The emergency is over but the depression lingers on." Another investigator told of a friend who was driven by curiosity to go through the files of the New York Daily News and add up the unemployed it had put to work through front page headlines. The answer was 56,000,000 people since Roosevelt went into office. In the Jewish sections, both in the Bronx and lower east side, complaints are bitter against the surplus food division. The meat that comes here is not suitable for the Jews and the waste, etc., has caused no little resentment at bad management. Other outspoken complaints were against such Federal projects as Knickerbocker Village, despite the fact that this was built merely on a government loan. Impression is that the Village is a government-sponsored project and that it was a pitiful answer to slum clearance. Work relief also received complaints in Jewish sections, since no jobs are provided suitable for them. Some relief people who have ideas can't understand why the government doesn't use the garment workers to make clothes for the relief clients. Small business men, barbers, cigar store managers, food merchants, restaurant managers, etc., of the small class, are mostly unanimous in saying that business is either no better or is definitely worse. A high editor of Fortune Magazine, however, is convinced that industry will absorb about half of the unemployed when the adjustment is over. Very truly yours,
Wayne W. Parish |