Evening star., 1934-07-08
ICKES TO SPEAK
IN RADIO FORUM.
Will Tell Story Of New
P. W. A. Program in
Wednesday Broadcast.
Secretary Of the Interior ICkes, who

Secretary Of the Interior ICkeS, who
has had control over the spending of
more billions than any other man in
the Roosevelt administration, will
take the Nation into his confidence
Wednesday night In the National Ra-
dio Forum and tell the inside story
of the new public works program he
is now engaged in launching.
His speech, sponsored by The Wash
ington Evening Star, will be broad
cast at 1890 pm. over q coast-to-
coast network Of the National Broad
casting Co.
w. A. campaign to provide employ
ment, Secretary Ickes allotted more
than 100000, 900 in non-Federal
projects in every State and in some
of the Territories, with a dispatch
breathtaking only to those who are
unfamiliar with the ways Of the ad-
ministrations champion "spender."
When he speaks Wednesday in the
National Radio Forum he will be just
one year and three days old as pub
Lie works administrator. During that
brief period he will have supervised
the expenditure of more than $3,-
500. .ooo, 900 in authorized work prof.
ectS.
S4OO 10000 Available.
The new program he is now tack
ling is bound to be fraught with dis
appointments to hundreds, even
thousands of communities, for Sec
retary Ickes has only $400, ZOO, 900
in new funds to spend against appli-
cations for projects Of all kinds in
volving nearly $4,000, 100000. The
President may give him another
$lOO,OO0,000 and he may be able to
sell $25o,0O0, 900 in municipal bonds
through the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation, but these additional
funds would only be a stop-gap IN
meeting demands.
Probably no man in history has
handled more public funds during
such a short period as this Chicago
lawyer, whose outstanding quality is
the ability to say no" even to the
President, when he feels he is right
in doing SO. He has frequently said
that mo" is the most important
word in the English language and
he has had plenty of chances to
prove it.
Equally important to Secretary
Ickes is the word graft" and 1t is
to the credit of his eternal vigilance,
that out of the billions he has spent,
the Government hasn't lost a dollar
through unlawful or a crooked con-
tract.
Checks Made Quickly.
The answer is simple one. public
works officials say. 1t is because the
pay-off is the last step he takes in
any negotiation. At the first sus-
picion of grating in some pending
negotiation, he sends personal agent
10 investigate. In most cases they
travel by air, so as to lose no time.
In safeguarding the public inter-
ests, Secretary Ickes has rescinded
millions of dollars in allotmentS when
the other party involved either fails
to live up to the agreement or tar
ries too long in carrying 1t out. Re-
Gently he served notice on hundreds
of communities that he would reScind
$153, ,oO0, 900 in previously made aIot-
ments unless the contracting parties
put up or shut up"
Is Popular Here.
Ickes' duties as public works ad-
ministrator and also as oil admins
traitor have overshadowed the less
publicized field he covers as Secretary
Of the Interior. His is three-port-
folio Job that keeps him at his daily
tasks from early morning to late at
night. For all his bluntness of ac-
ton and sharp bargaining, he is
personally one of the best liked men,
bers of the administration. Politically
because of his ability to say mo-" his
stock in popularity is diminishing
rapidly.
Secretary Ickes will explain why
he has to turn down so many appli-
cations for P. w. A. projects, in his
forthcoming speech, and it is not
always because he lacks the money.
Oficials say that every conceivable
scheme, some hoary with age, are
submitted by politicians who seem
to think that IckeS is holding the
"grab-bag" for the administration.