Evening star., 1933-08-03
ELY IS REbUFFED
ON PUBLIC. WORKS
TeId Political Subdivisions,
Not States, Will Be Dealt
With on Projects.
~ the Associst ted Press.

N the Associa ted Press.
:. The Public Works Administration,
charged with directing the expenditure
Of $4,000, 900, 900 for Federal, State and
other construction projects, ruled last
night that 1t would deal directly with
political subdivisions whether or not
such action was approved by the States
In which those subdivisions lie.
The action specifically took the form
of An unconditional refusal of the re-
quest of Gov Ely Of Massachusetts
that the administration agree not TO
deal with municipalities in that State
unless a board to be created by the
Governor approved the proposed pro-
jects. ;...o.
informed the Governor the PUBLIC
works Administration would consider
solely on its merits every proposltlon
submitted and without consideratlon
of what the State government might
desire.
Mostly for Federal Jobs.
The more than 81 1000, 100000 which
the Pubic WOIhS aIAOtA -
allotted so far out of its SO 800 900 600
fund has been mostly for Federal prof.
ects because work on them in the re-
employment and power
raising move could begin without
delay.
AT its session today the Public Works
BOARD is expected to have before it i'm
portant non Federal projects. 1ckes'
attitude as expressed to Ely. will be
followed as a precedent in dealing Win
these projects.
Although they declined to go into
detail pending action by the board
public works officials said the appiica- :
lions TO come up today would be I'M
portant and probably would INCLUDE
housing enterprises in big units.
The board Of consultantS on housing
of the Public Works administration has
laid down a general policy that the
buildings should be inexpensive enough
that rentals would be under $40 per
month per room.
The houses would not be archi-
tectural monuments, but would be
sufficiently attractive to warrant people
moving from slum areas into them,
one public works Cfncial said.
Hold Post Offices in Abeyance.
Meanwhile 1t appeared likely that the
post Office building construction pro-
gram would be held in abeyance for a
considerable time.
Lewis w Douglas, the budget director,
studied the list of some 2,400 proposed
projects and placed by far the larger
part of them under the heading Not
needed and not desirable"
The administration last week ap-
proved IA, for which it decided there
I;oto T6o in 10
which are needed, but can be delayed,
probably will be put aside while grants
are made for some non-Federal projects
which various communities are eager to
start.
Approval by Ickes and the Depart
ment of Agriculture OF public works
road assignments for California, South
Dakota. Colorado Wyoming and Hawaii
was also announced last night by the
Public Works Administration.
The assignments in each of the four
States of the sums allotted them pre-
viously from the S40O 900 900 road fund
were on the basis of SO per cent for
the Federal aid highway system, IS per
cent on extensions of the Federal high
way system into and through munich
palities and 25 per cent on secondary
.=er roads.
Spend In Many COunue3.
In California the money will be spent
in so of 58 counties; South Dakota, ST
of SO counties Colorado, 49 of SO
counties, and Wyoming in all %
counties.
OF Hawaii's allotment Of S1,871 900.
Sl684OO0 Is for work ON the Federal
aid highway system and $187 900 on
secondary or feeder roads. The money
will be spent in all four of the terri
tory's counties.
Primary consideration for grade cross
ing elimination in the expenditure OF
the S4OO, 100000 fund for highways was
advocated by Joseph B. Eastman, Fed
eral co-ordinator of transportation.
He wrote Secretary IckeS that he un-
derstood Secretary Wallace had placed
grade e-crossing elimination last on the
list Of projects in order of priority. He
added he was Informed that the Bureau
of Public Roads had rated 1t in second
place.
Naturally. I do not know Eastman
wrote, the reasons which the Secre-
tary of Agriculture had for placing
grade-crossing elimination last on the
list and they may be very good reasons.
However, I do know that grade
crossing elimination is matter of very
great Importance from the standpoint
of public safety. Money spent
in elimination of the most dangerous
grade crossings would be money ex-
ceedingly well spent.