Evening star., 1934-06-17

struction; great dams and power
plants on rivers, including the Mis-
souri,, Columbia, Colorado and Ten
nessee; irrigation, reclamation, con-
servation work, and the like. P. w. A.
is pouring over a billion of dollars
into such construction, much of which
is not generally recognized as Public
Works activities.
1t is the other panel of the picture
that comes closer home to the aver
age citizen. This shows what build
ing is being done as a result of the
P. w. A. program in the way of roads,
streets, schools. libraries, hospitals,
power plants, waterworks, sewer sys-
TENS and other similar fundamentally
sound types OF public improvements
for the community use of the aver
age citizen. Allotments for this char
acter of work total more than ST.
3l7,000,000.
Had it not been for the Public
Works program it is safe to say that
construction of these badly needed
public improvements would have been
delayed indefinitely, for States. mu-
inequalities and other types Of politi-
cal subdivisions were unable to bor-
row money in the private investment
market for building purposes. No
matter how badly the Improvements
might be needed, the money could
not be obtained. The normal sources
of credit had dried up.
New York Needs Filled.
How P. W.. A. stepped into this
breach and filled this need is illus
trated by two allotments to New York
City. The city had built l3 grade
and four high school buildings which
could not be used because it could
not get the money to buy necessary
furniture and shop equipment. 1t
also had spent $4,000. 900 on a sec
tion OF its municipality owned and
operated subway system much of
which could not be utilized because
funds for equipment and trains were
lacking until P. w. A. allotments re-
plenished the money stream and re-
vitalized the work.
The s1,3l7, 900. 900 for non-Federal
purposes has been allotted under the
following general headings.
Highways-Approxim half a
billion dollars of P. w. A funds have
been going into highway, road and
trail improvements agreed upon at
the outset as ready means of re-
covery employment of unchallenge-
able utility. Over $500 road building
or road improvement projects were
included. totaling 10000 n1iles-more
than enough to girdle the globe Well
over thousand of these jobs already
are complete with traffic rolling over
them.
Public bodies allotments-states
municipalities and other public
bodies will use s537, ,892, 900 allotted to
them in loans and grants to build
practically every economically and So
cially desirable type of facility to
raise the standard Of living, promote
public health and safety and serve
public convenience and necessity
Approximately $74,000,OOO of these
allotments were made for school and
college buildings Of all descriptions;
ST. ,ooo, 900 for waterworks; s133, ,o0O.-
600 for sewers and sewage disposal
plants: $39,000,000 for streets: S20,-
100000 for hospitals; $154,00O, 900 for
bridges and similar structures; s25,-
100000 for light and power plants
and $2,500,000 for recreation facili-
ties. In many instances P w. A.
only made. grants of 80 per cent of
the cost Of labor and materials, while
the balance of the needed funds was
obtained from other sources. In such
instances P. w. A. was able to cause
a dollars worth of work-creating
construction for each 80 cents of
Federal funds expended
$500, 100000 for Railroads.
Railroad loans-P. w. A. has al
lotted 5000 100000 in round figures
to railroads for work-creating jobs.
This money is being used to put long
idle shop and track forces back to
work, to purchase new rails, cars and
engines and to complete electrifica-
ton of the Pennsylvania Railroads s
lines between Washington and Phila-
delphia. More new cars and engines
will be built this year as a result of
these loans than all the railroads in
the United States have purchased in
the last three years. Railroad allot-
ments are swift In causing employ
ment and effective in aiding the
heavy capital goods industries.
Housing for construc-
ton of modern housing for families
with low incomes total $171. Sol 900.
OF this, $23,130.000 covers loans to
privately owned but publicly regu-
lated corporations; $123,671 900 is an
allotment to the Emergency Housing
Corporation organized by the Federal
Government. and s25,000, 900 repre-
sents a grant for substance home
steads. Improved housing is one Of
the greatest social needs, besides be-
ing of benefit to the suffering build
ing trades, but because of restrictive
land and property laws it must nee
essarily be a slow and steady devel-
opment instead of one Of swift func-
ton. In the beginning P. w. A. en-
deavored to function effectively in the
low-cost housing field by making
loans to limited dividend corpora
tions only. 1t developed that most
of the projects that came before it
were conceived more for the specu-
lative benefit of their promoters than
for the advantage of the people who
need modern housing at low price.
Now the Government is solving the
problem by working directly through
its own agencies and is devoting its
major interest in this field to sium
clearance.
The future policy Of the United
States with respect to public works
will be determined by the proper
authorities. The record of the first
year of p. w. A. under its initial
authorization has been made. Con-
sidering the magnitude and variety
of the task and the lack Of expert
ence to serve as guide we are proud