Evening star., 1933-09-19
No Easy Job.

NO Easy JOU.
Instead of receiving the heartfelt
sympathy due a man who has to get
rid of $4,000, 100000 in a limited Pc
riod and be assured, at the same
time. that the money will 60 a long
way to relieve the unemployment situa-
ton, Public Works Administrator Ickes
has been suffering from the darts Of
critics who contend the money Is being
spent too slowly. He Indignantly re-
sents it. and expresses his resentment
in bristling terms that leave no mistake
about 1t. The Secretary replies to the
charge Of too much red tape by making
the counter-charge that while he has
cut red tape everywhere. the political
snipers are trying to trip him up with
the same material.
Secretary Ickes deserves public SYM
pathy, not for the criticism which he
has suffered now, because he Is able
to let facts speak for themselves and
adequately defend himself against that,
but for the greater criticism in store
for him in the future. That there will
be such criticism is foreordained. He
has been placed In the unhappy position
Of miracle worker. When the miracles
are not performed. he gets the blame
for 1t That is going to be the sum
and substance Of future criticism.
A dispatch the other day reported
the arrival in Chicago of Col. H. NJ
Waite, deputy administrator. Col
Waite went to Chicago to invite the
States, SO the dispatch said, to come
and get it." He said the delay in
getting the public works money to work
was due to the slowness with which
the cities were applying for 1t, and
this slowness he attributed to mis-
understandings about terms on which
money could be secured Not a cent
OF the money would 60 for lining 1.-The
pockets of politicians" he said. All of
it will go for building
A few days before he left Washing
ton the Public Works Administration
had adopted a plan which gave the
States a certain time within which
they must submit their plans after
obtaining tentative allotments Of
money. The thirty day deadline was
coupled with the warning that failure
to carry through the project and COM
plete the contract may be used by the
administration as reason for cancel
ing the allotment"
Thus far the Public Works Admins
tration, starting out with $4,000. .000.-
000 has been able to dispose Of about
81 500 ,80l .37l. but q great deal OF this
money, although allotted for approved
purposes, will not find its way into
the pockets Of the workers for several
months OF this sum- 81 1852. 900, ,539
has gone for Federal projects and only
S148. 100 1882 for nom Federal work. In
this connection it will be recalled that
the Reconstruction Finance Corpora
tion had fund Of 81 500 900 ,0OA
available for lending at low rates OF
interest for self -liquidating projects,
to be carried out by States. munich
palities and even private enterprise
But when the work Of lending money
for such things passed over to the
Public Works Administration the
r. F. c. had actually loaned only
$40, ,031 00O-although approval had
been given for loans totaling s2l7.-
$3.50 Applications for loans total
ing $5Oo.OOOO0O were turned over to
the Public Works Administration That
was hardly drop in the bucket.
1t is a question whether the Public
Works Administration will be able to
dispose of a billion or SO dollars for
public works in the form OF loans and
grants. The other question is whether
would do a great deal to relieve unem-
ployment. In December. 1881. the
public works committee of the Presi-
dents Organization on Unemployment
Relief had said that plans for a S.
900 100000 public works bond issue
were unsound in principle. declaring
"the problem of unemployment cannot
be solved by any magic of appropria-
tions from the public treasury" That
is yet to be demonstrated as a falla-
cious theory
Secretary Ickes is making valiant
effort to dispose of the money and do
it In a manner that will bring most
employment on necessary work. This
is difficult job. and no matter how
well he does it the indications are that
Congrcs3 will be presented with plans
for increasing the amounts available
for loaning and grants and letting down
the bars on how the money can be
spent. The proposal by the Governor
of Georgia the other day that airplanes
should be sent all over the country
dropping $40 bills may not be as far
fetched as it sounds.
If the present sergeant at arms OF the