The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-09-20
MORE SPEED IS VITAL.

Secretary Ickes is right to be insistent that States counties and communities to which pubic funds have been allotted for building hasten work on them. He is right when he that failure to do so will result in withholding Of additional funds to those guilty of delay. There is no ques- tion that the building program is tagging badly. There was at the outset delay in the allot- ment of funds by the Public Works Administration This war largely due to Secretary Ickess determna- tion that there should be no opportunity for gra1e and no display of political favoritism HoweVer' that delay is past weeks ago The machinery in the Public Works Administration is working smoothly
 In the great public interest aroused by NRA activities the public at large, and possibly officials in charge of expenditures of building funds, have lost sight of the vital part that the public worKs relief program must play in the general recovery program Public works expenditures were selected as the priming for the recovery pump It must be that if the pump is to work The great Federal fund, s33OO0 0O000O has to be put to work now not next year-if MIRA codes kept from becom- ing intoerabe burdens upon industries. That is the reason for Secretary Ickess demand for action and yet more action.
 In the very nature of it's undertaking MIRA can not achieve results overnight. In some of the major industries MIRA codes do more harm than good There is limit to which depressed industries and trade can go in raising wages shortening hours of labor and employing additional men unless thelr volume of business is increased from some outside source And the public building program IS the only big source in sight. Later but that will take more time than be allowed right now, the effect of general employment of increased earn ings of the agricultural industry in the aggregate purchasing power of the Nation will carry them along.
 The country, however, faces its critical period now The billions of dollars that have been set up for public works have to bridge this over. Iney have to provide jobs directly for hundreds of thousands the projects themselves and indirectly to other hundreds of thousands in the production of raw and finished materials and supplies, in the manufacture of equipment, in transportation and other services Throughout the country there IS tagging in getting work started.
 We in Alaska, have some slight knowledge of this condition The Alaska Road Commission, which is directing the expenditure of the major portion of the emergency funds allotted for use in the Territory has shown commendable speed in get ting men into the field. It has launched work on every project to which funds were allotted and has put hundreds of idle to work Gov. Troy mas obtained funds for other projects and within few days after they were available were doing work on them and drawing wages for it. That IS the sort of action that is demanded everywhere
 The progress that the United States Forest Service which has handled the E. c. w. sit uation so a d m rably and with such excehent results and United States Bureau of Public Roads have made with the $35000O emergency funds for road building in Alaska has not been so impressive. Although this allotment announced some weeks ago. not one man has been put on. In fact. not a single project has been started, have any been advertised for bids.
 We are aware that local officials of these bureaus have done what they can to get things started Ihey have submitted detailed programs, specifications for the projects to which the money has been allotted More than that they cannot well do. They have to have approval of these things from San Francisco and Washington before they can go ahead and put out bids let contracts and get men to work If this sort of thing is being repeated on a large scale outside of Alaska, it is time that Secretary Ickes, as Public Works Administrator, locate the responsibility and take whatever steps that are necessary to eliminate the causes of delay.
 In recent appeal to those having charge of expenditures on the public works program. MT. Ickes said:
 What I am urging now is action all the
 way down the line to translate this vast
 money force into wages and purchasing
 power No matter how rapidly the Admin
 istration and the Board of Public Works
 allot the money it does not serve its full
 purpose until it reaches the pockets of the
 workers To this end I earnestly request
 all officials as well as others associated
 with us in this great effort to push forward
 at an even faster pace.
 Evidently this didn't have the desired effect TOT last week he admonished them in even stronger terms criticised certain practices that are leading to delay and declared he didn't intend to be made the goat His aggressiveness ought to be applauded by the public, and his position supported Surely, after the experiences of the past three hard winters