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and almost practically carried out the aims and objectives of the proposed demonstration cities program that is before this committee, and that is why our testimony shows what we have done and how we really have coordinated programs.

Senator DOUGLAS. Do I take it that you favor this legislation if properly carried out?

Mr. NORRIS. Yes, sir. In fact, we favor mostly the statement that Senator Muskie made in his speech on Friday concerning a Federal coordinator.

Senator DOUGLAS. Thank you very much, gentlemen. I want to thank you for the progressive attitude you take toward these things. We get frequently isolated from the communities in the country, it is very valuable to have this direct testimony.

Thank you very much.

Mr. NORRIS. Thank you very much, Senator.

and

(The complete statement of Mr. Norris, along with a statement of E. S. Bishop, chairman, Minority Housing Subcommittee, Corinth, Miss., follows:)

STATEMENT OF TROY NORRIS, CHAIRMAN, CORINTH URBAN RENEWAL COMMISSION Mr. Chairman, distinguished members of the Senate Housing Subcommittee, as chairman of the city of Corinth Urban Renewal Commission, I would like to present the following testimony.

Corinth, Miss., is a typical small southern community and is located in northeast Mississippi 50 miles west of Florence, Ala., and 90 miles east of Memphis, Tenn. Our population is 13,870 people with a Negro population of 13.2 percent. The change of population in the surrounding area from 1950 until 1960 was minus 6.9 percent. The median family income a week is $35.86 and 41.2 percent of all families have income under $3,000 per year. The highest median school year completed is 9.6 years, and 40 percent of all the housing is substandard. The purpose of the testimony today is done with the intent of sharing with you the successes, the problems, and the possible failures that have occurred in the city of Corinth by attempting to coordinate a broad spectrum of Federal programs by State and local efforts.

The Corinth Urban Renewal Commission in the last year has sponsored a Neighborhood Youth Corps program which has provided jobs for 5,000 disadvantaged youths in 11 Mississippi counties, sponsored an 8-county Headstart program which provided preschool education for 2,000 youngsters, started a Small Business Development Center which was responsible for the approval of 32 small business loans, built 16 units of moderate income housing through FHA 221(d) (3) program, has executed a contract for a 32-acre urban renewal project with land acquisition and relocation well under way, is planning a total approach to community planning through a community renewal program, is planning a 167-acre Southside Corinth general neighborhood renewal plan and a 486-acre West Corinth general neighborhood renewal plan, and initiated a community action program by utilizing a program development grant.

The Corinth Urban Renewal Commission, by coordinating its activities with other agencies, boards, and commissions, has resulted in a manpower development and training program being started. Local industry is sponsoring a MDTA on-the-job training program. There are work-study programs in our junior colleges, and there is a work experience program being administered by the local welfare department. There are 30 new units of public housing in the planning stage to supplement the existing 160 units of public housing, a new Hill-Burton hospital has been built, there are two title III education projects and a title I education project being administered by Corinth's school board. The county welfare department is administering the surplus commodities food program. The city itself has constructed a new municipal building utilizing 50 percent APW funds, and constructed a sanitary system using 33%-percent Public Law 660 funds.

The State of Mississippi is building a city bypass using Bureau of Public

Poods funds The Hotchio wotershed and the Tuscumbia watershed programa

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are in full swing. An overall economic development plan and a gram for community improvement have been developed by our An REA co-op provides the city's electricity, which is purchased All of the aforementioned programs were initiated and coordina Miss., with the following U.S. Departments and agencies: Hous Development; Labor; Health, Education, and Welfare; Agricultu Office of Economic Opportunity; Small Business Administration fication Administration; Bureau of Public Roads; the Tennes thority; and various delegated agencies of the State of Mississ The most outstanding success that the city of Corinth enjoy program was the marshaling of the resources of the citizens participation.

In March 1963, as a requirement of the workable program for provement, the city of Corinth appointed a biracial Citizen's Advi The main objective of the Citizen's Advisory Committee was to needs for an urban renewal program. As the advisory commi Renewal Commission, the city governing body and other groups praised, and criticized urban renewal programs one point becan the problems that were Corinth's could not be solved even parti urban renewal program.

The Corinth Chamber of Commerce, in 1963 sought professiona Fantus Co. of Chicago, Ill., to prepare an industrial developm November of 1963, this survey was published and the following 10 pointed out as existing for the city of Corinth and its people: 1. Absence of adequate supply of skilled labor.

2. Lack of facilities for training high school students for position.

3. No college in the city or advanced educational program 4. Distance from market center (transportation).

5. Inadequate recreation programs for citizens.

6. Lack of civic center for concerts, plays, and general mee 7. Business area not the most attractive place.

8. Lack of off-street parking.

9. Old areas near "downtown" run down and unattractive. 10. Rail stations and adjoining areas are "eyesores." The most amazing and striking point made with the publicatio Report was that the above 10 liabilities coincided almost 100 p findings of Corinth's Citizen's Advisory Committee.

In March of 1964, a delegation of Corinth's citizens met in W with the then Housing and Home Finance Agency as the host. T with the various departments of the Housing and Home Finance ment of Commerce, and the Department of Health, Education, discuss and to request aid for programs that would supplement in order to solve problems of poverty, urban blight, and educatio had an opportunity to discuss without professional help our aspi needs, and doubts. We discussed programs that provided comp ning, housing, job training, education, welfare, economic opportun aspects of nondiscrimination.

The following policy statement was presented to the group of with whom we were meeting:

"DECLARATION OF COMMUNITY RENEWAL POLICY

"The community renewal program to be initiated in the city of County, Miss., will be used to point up the actions necessary for co opment by the city, county, State, and Federal governments.

"The emphasis of the program, however, will be on the steps th to utilize private enterprise and to create spontaneous and indi necessary to achieve sound community development. The partici zation of all levels of governmental action aforementioned will b way that will supplement private endeavor.

"The community renewal program as envisioned by the city place emphasis on all phases of community development, such as i opment, vocational training, availability of jobs, and a decent, sa home for every family. Knowing full well that no one agency o viduals can accomplish the above goals, the community renewal p

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for participation by all groups, commissions, etc., so that they have a key role in the day-by-day development of the city of Corinth, Miss.

"The Corinth Citizen's Advisory Committee, representing every city commission and governmental agency of Corinth, will be responsible for the direction and scope of the community renewal program. The Citizen's Advisory Committee, by directing the community renewal program, can achieve a means and method of implementation and coordination in carrying out an action program designed for all of the citizens of Corinth.

"The community renewal program in Corinth, Miss., will point up and provide a sound basis and method to carry out President Johnson's program to coordinate all existing community agencies to accomplish a program to abolish poverty.

"The concept of the community renewal program is perpetual in nature and will represent the combined ideas, aspirations, and efforts of all the citizens of Corinth, making the community renewal program a living program and not just a program limited by time and contained between the bindings of a book."

All of the programs that are presently being administered by the Corinth Urban Renewal Commission stem from the February 1964, meeting in Washington, D.C.

The problems that our programs today are experiencing after more than 1 year of operation are mainly that of communication and administration. It is extremely difficult to coordinate such a wide range of Federal programs with State and local officials on an individual basis. Many misunderstandings and petty jealousies occurred.

The failures that have occurred in Corinth's program are mainly caused by a lack of experience and ability of program staff and administering local commis sions to deal with the complexity of the various departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

However, I would like to make one observation. If it had not been for the Neighborhood Youth Corps programs of the Department of Labor and the complete understanding of key staff people of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, there would be no programs in the city of Corinth, Miss.

By July of this year an urban renewal demonstration report will be completed explaining how Corinth has utilized various Federal programs to help accomplish the elimination of poverty. Copies will be made available to this subcommittee. Included as attachments to this testimony are various articles and exhibits that attest to the coordination efforts and some of the results of these efforts. These attachments also point to a need for a closer coordination than that which is even now responsible for the successes in Corinth, Miss.

Mr. Chairman, with your permission I would like to read an editorial that appeared in the Atlanta Journal on April 9, 1965.

"ALERTNESS IN MISSISSIPPI

"There is pleasant irony in the fact that, to see how a small city moves alertly in the Federal-State-local poverty program, delegations from all over the country have been traveling to Mississippi.

"They go to Corinth, a city of 11,500 people in the northeastern corner of the State. There they see what rapid progress can be made with strong cooperation between a small community and the big, bad Federal Government.

"The full results will not be in for some time. But our bet is on Corinth and the Feds.

"The irony lies in the fact that Corinth is in a State where it had become not only fashionable but almost mandatory for anyone in public office to parrot the local ideological line, cussing Uncle Sam and the Kremlin with equal fervor.

The State itself had erected barriers at the border. Some time ago the Mississippi Legislature passed a law which discourages communities from taking part in the urban renewal program.

"Corinth, however, had gotten urban renewal underway before that was done. Now it has built its poverty program upon that framework. Under the direction of the Northeast Mississippi Economic Commission, it is moving to give training to school dropouts in a five-county area and laying groundwork to strengthen its schools with the money that the program provides for areas with many lowincome families.

"Not only is Corinth now receiving visitors from all parts of the country to observe its early progress in this field; it also seems to be persuading the rest

of the State. Gov. Paul Johnson is now pushing the prog Mississippi.

"All this is a far cry from the extremely senseless and uninfor ments about the evils of the Federal Government which have Mississippi and, for that matter, in Georgia. Action by one helped expose the foolishness of that kind of unreality."

I know that the testimony that I have just given is very gene are any specific questions or inquiries that you Senators would li be more than happy to try to supply you with the answer at t