Evening star., 1934-01-19
Administration Speeds Con-
greSSionaI Program as
Money DWindIes.
THOUSAND OF DISTRICT
WORKERS HIT BY CUT
Clerical Employees Here Will Re-
ceive Economy Act Is Per Cent
Pay Slash.

On the heels of the announcement
yesterday that thousands of civil works
emf 'oyes will receive smaller pay checks
as the result of drastic retrenchment
orders to make available funds last
until February IS, the administration
put under way today plan to expedite
the Presidents recommendation to
Congress for over a billion dollars out
of which the Civil Works Administra-
ton would be financed until the Spring
months.
The situation nationally was that all
Job giving under an extension program
designed to provide 500 900 more rural
Jobs under the c. w. A. came to halt
today, weekly work period was cut from
80 to "a hours in cities and to Is hours
in small towns and rural sections and
all expenditures for further purchase OF
supplies were banned.
Locally, in addition to the hundreds
OF field workers to get less money under
the curtailment of hours, scores OF
others assigned to clerical and other
work similar to that of the classified
service will receive the economy act pay
cut of Is per cent.
Hopkins Orders Retrenchment.
The sudden retrenchment moves by
Harry L. Hopkins, c. w. A. admins
traitor, came late yesterday when a
study of c. w. A. finances revealed
barely enough money left to carry the
national program through another week.
Protests against dlmlnutlon OF this
job-making activity deluged Hopkins
1;o; iv, hat
his Office and the White House, it was
on Capitol Hill intended to hasten the
funds to be asked soon by Mr.. Roose-
velt
The order, Hopkins said. was the re-
suit of IAN original bad guess" as to
the size Of pay rolls and average pay.
I'VE estimated at the outset that the
$500 900 900 of Federal funds would
last until February 15," he said.
II estimated the average weekly pay
rolls on the basis of an average of S12
a week per person. 1t ran that way for
a while. Projects calling for unskilled
workers got started first. Then the
projects that called for skilled labor
came in and the average wage last
week was s1437.
This indicated We were running be-
hind from 100000 to s9,ooo,ooo a
week."
Hopkins Sees New Method.
After present funds run out and
when Congress provides the money
which the President plans to ask,
Hopkins said there probably will be a
new method Of handling materials.
Control of this phase may be kept in
Washington.
AS soon as new funds are available,
employment will be returned to the
30-hour "a week basis. It is planned,
however. he said. to reduce the civil
works force 100000 men every two
weeks after February IS.
The whole civil works project. Hop
kins said. is costing about S75,000,000
a week, of which the Federal Govern
ment has been paying s60,000,000.
The reduction Of civil works labor
brought immediate reaction on Copitol
Hill, Senator Dill, Democrat, of WASH
ington telling newspaper men the pro-
gram would not only have to be con-
tinued but enlarged, with greater in
heritance taxes to pay the bill. He
added the project should be made more
or less permanent.
Only a few days ago Hopkins
~NSeSA OAoNAo S2liibOAiS bllC SulPlOy-
ment OF half million additional C..
w. A. workers in small towns and rural
areas. but this plan Immediately was
abandoned on disclosure of the f1nan-
cial crisis. The extra employment was
to have been provided by reducing
weekly hours of present workers as
much as SO per cent, thus spreading
available money for employment
First, HOPKINS notified all State
directors of the c. W., A. movement to
discontinue at once the purchase of
materials needed to carry on existing
or new projects. This order not only
brought an immediate suspension Of
many projects already begun and for
which supplies are needed, but had the
effect of stopping proposed projects
which have been approved and were
awaiting purchase of materials to start
Next. the c. w. A. head ordered c.
Continued on Page 4. Column 10