Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-11-21
c. v. A. D|SbURSES
100000 CHECKS
Gigantic Task o. Sprss dino
First weeks wages Is
Surm0unied.

Completion of the gigantic task of
getting out 100000 checks with which
to pay the army of Civil Works Admin
istration workers for their first weeks
work was announced yesterday by
Harry L. Hopkins, civil works admin
istrator.
Hopkins declared that checks will be
on hand to pay of practically every
G. w. A. worker on Saturday morning,
and these checks are expected to 60 to
about a million men and women who
have been taken on by the Government
on civil works projects from the relief
rolls throughout the States.
1t was the greatest single discussing
job ever undertaken by the Govern
ment, not excepting the great disburse-
ments of money during the war and the
payment of the bonus.
Accomplished in 10 days. 1t used the
facilities of the Bureau of Printing and
Engraving day and night, with three
shifts working for the 10 days, and the
checks were rushed out into the field
by plane and train, despite what seemed
to be at first insuperable difficulties.
First Major Hurdle.
The undertaking was the first major
hurdle the Civil Works Administration
had to clear, and Hopkins believes that
throughout the country the workers will
get their checks in time to go to mar
ket on Saturday and stock up with pro-
visions for the week end. 1t marks the
turning point in dealing with the relief
problem Of the country, taking as 1t
does, in one fell swoop approximately
putting them on pay rolls at the pre-
vailing rates of pay for their respec-
tive sections of the country.
Many factors initiated against the
success of the effort. which was started
when the first plans for the civil works
program were discussed, and drew in
all the forces of the Government.
After the Bureau of Printing and
Engraving had worked day and night
to get the checks out, the weather took
a turn for the worse and commercial
plane lines were grounded all over the
country. The trains were deemed too
slow to complete the task and the C.
w. A. officials frantically turned to the
Army for planes with which to distri-
butte the checks.
Trains and Planes Used.
The Army looked skyward and re-
marked that II commercial planes
couldn't fly, how could Army pilots be
expected to risk their necks?
Back TO the trains went the G. w. A.
officials and bundle after bundle of the
checks went out with messengers, who
had instructions to get them off trains
and onto planes at the first possible
clearing of the weather. The checks
went out and picked up planes in vari-
Gus sections of the country and were
sped on to their final destinations. The
last of the checks left yesterday, and
with them went the forms and instruc-
tions to the approximately 1000 assist
ant disbursing officers, who, with their
assistants, in turn, will hand them to
the G. w. A. workers Saturday in the
first frantic effort to lift the yoke of
depression from the necks of hundreds
Of thousands whose only subsistence
for months has been a few hours of
relief work weekly or direct handouts
of food and cash from the Federal
Government.
The checks are all blank and are to
be filled in by the disbursing officers,
who have been borrowed from the Vet
Grams Administration to do the job.
These discussing officers work under
the direction of the State disbursing Of
ficers Of the Veterans Bureau.
Bonding Task Hereulean.
But the getting out of the checks was
not the whole difficulty Each of the
disbursing officers has to meet the
bonding requirements of the Govern
ment for handling this new money for
workers and the job of getting them
properly bonded is in itself a herculean
task. but task which the C. w. A.
officials expect to have completed in
time.
The checks are on the familiar blue
Government check paper. and every
precaution has been taken to guard
against their going astray or any She
nannigans being played with them.
Each check bears a notation that it is
not to exceed $50.
Administrator Hopkins expects no
actual figures on the number Of men
put to work this week until next week,
after the first pay roll figures come in.
Every effort has been bent toward get
ting million men on jobs during this
first week Of the program, but there has
been no assurance that this has been
accomplished. Hopkins is confident
that the program has been got under
way with the greatest possible speed
and that something near that figure has
been reached.
On the basis of 1000, 900 men going
to work in this first week and with
each man getting six hours work a day
and i've days work a week. the indica-
tons are that between $I2, 000, 900 and
s20,00O,0O0 Of the $400,0OO,00O civil
works fund will have been discussed to
the previously unemployed by Saturday
power will have been increased by that
amount.