Evening star., 1933-08-20

public works pay roll have necessarily
been disappointed. Our plan is to pro-
vide employment, and-let me repeat
useful employment, in all the 48 States,
and particularly in or near the centers
of unemployment where work Is most
needed.
Another class who will be disap-
pointed in any gold rush" on Washing
ton for a share Of the $4,000, ,000000
emergency public works fund are those
who assume that by some sort Of ''in-
fluence" they can get funds for projects
that do not meet the three tests have
mentioned. The Government is going
to get full value for every dollar it
spends in the public works program.
And where Federal money Is loaned to
cities, States or others we will exercise
the right to insist on honest, competent
work by contractors and others engaged
in the actual construction.
In Ten Regions.
To get things moving. to start actual
employment as soon as possible, and to
prevent a congestion in Washington
that woeld result in red tape and in
terminable delay, we have divided the
country into 10 regions, each With It's
own regional adviser. In each State
there is an, advisory committee OF three
to represent the public works admins
traitor and help the localities in pre-
pairing their requests and examine the
eligibility Of the projects submitted 1or
Federal aid.
Much of the money in the emergency
fund will be loaned, not simply spent
without expectation Of repayment. We
are establishing proper financial safe
guards for money loaned to States or
municipalities, so that 1t will come back
into the Treasury during reasonable
term of years. We do not want the
taxpayers money still to be "out" after
the public improvement which 1t Gre
ated has been outworn. If we loan
money for a toll bridge we shall see
to it that a fund is provided from the
tolls charged for interest on and
amortization of the loan. Such a policy
is practicable and sensible and good
business BY making vast funds avail
able at comparatively low interest rates
we are encouraging and making possible
the kind of construction that will fur
nish employment on large scale.
We are throwing safeguards around
that employment, so that 1t Will not be
possible to exploit the workers, eager
as they are to get jobs on almost any
terms. The law provides for the pro-
lection of labor in the contracts that
are let either directly or as a result OF
Federal loans. 1t is provided that no
convict labor shall be employed on any
such public works project; that, so far
as practicable and feasible, no indi-
vidual directly employed on any such
project shall work more than 80 hours
a week: that all employees shall be paid
Just and reasonable wages, sufficient to
maintain a decent and comfortable
standard of living; that in the employ
ment of labor preference shall be given
first to qualified ex-servtce men with
dependents; that then preference Is to
be given, in employment. to citizens OF
the United States land aliens who have
declared their intention to become
citizens), living where the work is to
be done. There is also further pro-
vision of law to require the maximum
of human labor. wherever practicable,
instead Of machine construction.
Back to Land Movement.
We are also preparing to spend a
fund of s25,000,0o0 to provide the
means to enable people to leave over
crowded industrial centers and establish
homes where they can provide their
own subsistence in connection with
some kind Of industrial employment.
All this is, naturally, not a one-rnan
job. On the Special Board of Public
Works, of WHICH the Federal admins
traitor is chairman. are the Attorney
General of the United States, the Secre-
taries of War. Agriculture and Labor,
the Director of the Budget. Assistant
Secretary Of the Treasury Robert, and
Col Henry NJ Waite, the deputy ad-
ministrator And back Of all Is the
driving force Of President Roosevelt
We have made a tremendous draft
upon the resources Of the country to
give opportunity for useful. necessary
work to hundreds of thousands Of men
and so create buying power. In pro-
viding work for the unemployed We
hope to keep our industrial machine
going until it is able once more to run
on its own momentum. That our objec-
tive will be attained we do not doubt
The real basis for our faith lies in the
vision. courage and initiative of the
captain of men who took over the helm
on March last.