Evening star., 1933-08-20
WORKS ALLOTMENT
MORE THAN BILLION
Third Of $4,000, 600, 900
Fund Advanced, Putting
Many to Work.
BY the Associated Press.

by the ASSociateo PreSS.
More than. one third Of the $780,
000, 900 public works fund already has
been allotted and many additional
projects are to be approved soon In the
administrations efforts to provide en-
ployment.
ALLEGATIONS thus far aggregate ST.
works administrator, announced yester-
day. He added that If the present rate
is maintained the entire fund " I'D
be exhausted In less than six months.
Most Of the projects approved have
been for Government work. but many
Of those to be announced soon are nom
Federal ones.
Federal projects were selected first,
Ickes said, because the machinery al
ready existed to get them underway
with q minimum Of delay and with
out opening unprotected avenues where
funds might be misused."
Adds Purchasing Power.
"The function of the Public Works
Administration Is to get men back to
work and thus restore purchasing power
as quickly as possible" he added This
Is being done with the greatest expedi-
ton.
"The Public Works Administration Is
fighting the depression and unemploy-
ment with American dollars. Work is
being supplied thousands who for
months have been carried on relief rolls.
A very high percentage of the money
already allotted will 60 into pay en-
velopes.
The men who 60 to work directly on
a public works road, bridge, housing
project or naval vessel are not the only
beneficiaries of the public works fund.
For every man employed at the site OF
the project it Ii estimated that two
others behind the lines get jobs. This
necessarily means o tremendous stimu-
lation to business.
Men Actually At Work.
1.-THE first objective in the attack OF
the Public Works Administration
been achieved Men actually are at
work on national recovery highway
projects. Many others, long unem-
ployed, are joining them every hour.
And as the program moves from paper
into construction. men move from relief
rolls on to pay rolls.
Although speed has been the watch
word, the Public Works Administration
is determined that there shall be no
misuse of the fund, no waste and no
extravaganza.
Contracts will be drawn carefully,
with every protection afforded the
Government and the taxpayers, who are
putting up the money"
Ickes said there were many "un-
qualified" projects which would never
be approved despite the pressure ex-
erted on the Public Works Administra-
ton"
Big Fund Set Aside.
Sections of the national recovery act
under which the $1,000, 900, 900 public
works fund was created automatically
set aside a considerable part of the
sum already allotted. including $780,
100000 to the Farm Credit Admins
tration, S50,000, 900 to the Tennessee
Valley Authority. $400, ,o00. 900 for high
ways throughout the States and $25,-
100000 for subsistence homesteadS.
President Roosevelt yesterday was
urged by labor leaders to accelerate
construction of public buildings under
the public works program.
William Green. president Of the
American Federation of Labor, who
headed the delegation, said:
I'VE are very much pleased with the
assurance the President gave us Of de-
veloping public buildings construction. u
50 Per Cent Unemployed.
The labor men said that not more
than 20 per cent Of the building trades
men were at work, with virtually no pri-
vate building going on Of any conse-
quence.
A. ]. McDonough Of the building
trades division of the American Fedora
ton of Labor, and John Coefield, presi-
Union, accompanied Green.
They reported that Mr. Roosevelt is
giving special attention to this problem
and has in mind some Army barracks
on which work can be started immedi-
ately, with slum clearance projects in
New York, Brooklyn and Cincinnati.