The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-04-08
INDIANA ROAD
WORK HELPED
IOBLESS men
State Commission Paid
$4,000 in Wages Dur
ing Three Months.
ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE
Most Employment Provided
in Drought Stricken
Counties.

More than 600 men and 1913
teams were provided work in Janu-
airy, February and March by the
state highway commission as its
contribution to drought-stricken
farmers. Many men are still en-
ployed and will continue working
until more profitable employment
IS obtained or the projects COM
pleted.
Working in cooperation with the
state drought relief committee, the
maintenance division Of the road
department, employed men and
teams whenever and wherever grad
ing and dragging work could be
done. Due to the open winter, this
made-wOrk program was Of ma
terial financial aid to the heads of
hundreds Of families in southern
Indiana.
These figures we're made public
today by John J. Brown, state high
way director, on receipt of a report
from A. II. Hinkle, maintenance
superintendent. This work was in
addition to regular forces employed
by the highway commission, Brown
said, and in each case of relief en-
ployment, the commission engaged
only men actually in need Of work
rs certified by the relief committee.
Counties Benefited
Highway relief work was prose-
cuted more vigorously in Harrison,
Washington, Ripley, Dearborn, Sui
Ivan, Greene, Warrick and Spencer
counties, where opportunities were
greatest for grading and condition
ing unpaved roads with hand labor.
Speaking of the relief program in
the Seymour district, c. w. Nc
Claim, district maintenance en-
gineer, said he employs approx
mately $50 men and IS teams. This
work Is divided into several projects.
On Road Sd, east Of Midtown in
Harrison county, a grading project
uses so men and 25 teams. They
work two weeks, a new gang comes
on for two weeks, then men and
teams again alternate. BY this plan
work is divided among nearly all
the needy in the immediate vicinity.
we experienced some trouble at
first in procuring teams with sufi-
cient strength for this hard work, -
McClain said, because the horses
were underfed 1t is remarkable
bow the animals improved with the
Etra food given them after owners
rev their first money"
On Road So, east of Salem, and
on Road 35, south of the same place,
rs men and 40 teams are employed;
ali from Washington county Prof.
ects on Roads 129 and 90 use so
men and 10 teams, and in the same
vicinity south of Versailles, Ripley
county. the commission opened a
stone quarry, providing employment
for IS men. Road 56 in the same
maintenance district gives employ
ment to 20 men, and Road SO, same
locality, provides 20 men with work
on a grading project.
315 Men at Work
Reporting on relief work in the
Vincennes territory, H. G. Offett,
maintenance engineer, has 315 men
and 118 teams employed in addition
to regular forces. In this drought
affected territory the program of
grading and constructing new fills
is confined to Road 68 near Selvin,
Dale and Cynthiana; on Road AZ,
constructing new entrance to
Shakamak State park, and grading
Road 66 near Grandview.
The demand for employment is
lessening in these farm areas. and
with the approach of the season
when farmers must get busy in the
fields, the unemployment situation
will become steadily better, officials
predict.
Director Brown says that main
tenance work is starting on state
roads all over Indiana, and in
March the highway department had
1852 men on the maintenance divi-
sion pay roll. This number will be
increased gradually until a maxi
mum of about 5000 used in the
summer rush is attained. Regular
employees will be augmented this
year through a plan of holding to
an eight-hour day schedule instead
of a nine-hour day as customary.
BY this method 800 or more men
can be added for regular employ
ment without additional cost to the
department.
Drought relief work inaugurated
by the commission aided those en-
ployed to the aggregate of $4,000
to date, officials said.