Imperial Valley press., 1933-12-08
CWA LIKELY
To Be MADE
PERMANENT
Success OF Program Is Highly
Gratifying To Leaders OF Ad-
ministration.
MAY IGNORE TIME LIMIT
Plan Viewed As Excellent Sub
stitute For Unemployment In
Surance.
By RAYMOND CLAPPER
United Press Staff Correspondent


United Press Staff Correspondent
Copyright, 1888, by United Press)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8-Launch-
ed as a stop-gap emergency effort
to put 100000 men to work, the Ci-
vii Works Administration is regard
ed by some in the administration as
a possible permanent substitute for
unemployment insurance and old
age pensions.
Among those holding this view is
Harry M. Hopkins, director of CWA.
Officially the experiment runs
until February Is. Actually the ad-
ministration refuses to think of
turning 100000 men back on char
ity in mid-winter. 1t expects to ask
congress for money to carry on for
an extended time.
More than this, Hopkins told the
United Press today he believed the
CWA had possibilities of becoming
permanent institution.
1T might easily lead to a scheme
of using civil works as a device for
permanently providing work on i'm
portapt public projects for the un-
employed" he said. The country is
not going to be kindly disposed to
unemployment insurance in terms
of men going up to window to get
a dole
These possibilities have caused
many here to regard the CWA as
one of the most significant of the
recovery agencies.
Men could be put to work on
things not naturally in the compe-
titive scheme" Hopkins said. For
instance, work like the CCC is do
ing. am convinced that agency is
here to stay. 1t is doing work in the
forests that never would be done by
private enterprise. There are many
other things CT similar nature that
can't conceive of being done with
in the profits system - such as
drainage of swamps. public health
projects, development of public re-
creation centers.
Would Assist Aged
Even in the best times we have
100000 or more men out of work
and a portion of these could be thus
absorbed and saved from charity
Then there is percentage of old
people, unable to work. They have
no purchasing power for they are
dependent upon charity. Unemploy-
ed who are able to work could be
used to produce goods for those who
cannot work. Such goods would go
to people who cannot buy anyway
and private industry would lose no.
thing"
Hopkins, hard driven to put over
one of the most rapid employment
programs in history, is not entire
~ satisfied with some of the kinds
of work men are being used for on
CWA. But in the necessity for speed,
he is not inclined to be so exacting
as he would be later on. In one
month he is trying to put to work
as many people as live in Chicago
and upwards of half million more.
I'm the long run we must do work
that will be generally approved by
the public as useful" Hopkins said.
lone of our biggest fields is in re-
creation.
I'VE will soon have to prepare for
the increased leisure. The shorter
work week is here to stay"
One of the advantages of flex-
ible setup like CWA, Hopkins be-
lieves, is that if heavy industries
were tagging, CWA could stimulate
them,or emphasis could be shifted
on a geographical basis to help one
section which was depressed. Hous-
ing development, Hopkins believes,
may prove one of the most useful
avenues of emergency work pro-
grams.