The press informs us that six hundred and sixty-three thousand will be advanced by the United States Public Works Committee to the city of Richmond for Negro relief. This money will be used to erect houses and build parks in the Negro slum area in Richmond. The housing project has a two fold purpose; namely, it will give Negro workers six months work or more and it will also tend to raise the standard of living among the laboring classes of Negroes in Richmond by the gradual elimination of the aforementioned slum area. Like any other movement, this proposition has its defects and, already, Negro leaders of that city have pointed out the fact that the project is likely to mean financial gain for certain white business men in the city and at the same time, it does not offer proper security for the government. The arguments advanced are logical but the advantages of the movement are obvious for, the plan will give six months work to five hundred Negro workers at the same time, will raise the standard of living among the lower and hard-working class by the gradual elimination of this slum area.

In several social centers plans are being made to use public works' money to finance large, self-supporting farming towns like Dr. Kelly Miller suggested to the N. R. A. officials several weeks ago. All around us pleas are being made for Negro Relief, which is encouraging; this fact suggests to us a Negro Relief in Charlottesville.

We are not advocating a "homing project" or an agricultural center but a City Improvement Plan strikes us as an idea. There are sections of our city where the residents have been paying taxes either directly or indirectly yet each rainy day they find themselves knee-deep in mud and cinder paths. A loan could be secured from the public works fund and streets and sidewalks could be constructed. The cost of the work could be paid by the property owners over a certain term of years with a removable interest. Of course the levy would constitute a lien on property that would hold against any other lien except prior taxes and levies. In this way, the government would have security on the money loaned. It would give our many idle men work to do, besides it would make the various Negro rental sections in Charlottesville modern, sanitary places in which to live and in turn produce citizens proud of and helpful to their country.