Evening star., 1934-02-19
Planning Committee Studies
Reductions Ordered by
Hopkins.
CONTRACTION PLANNED
ALL ALONG THE LINE
Job Quota to Be Cut Friday to
$4,000 Under New
Schedule.

Drastic curtailment of many of the
civil works projects in the District
will have to be effected this week as
a result of limitations placed on the
amount of money which can be spent
for materials, District officials said
today.
The entire matter was under sur
vey today at meeting of the Plan
ming Committee Of the District C. W.
A, headed by Capt Howard F. Clark
Assistant Engineer Commissioner.
The District Commissioners re-
ceived instructions from Harry L.
Hopkins, administrator of the Federal
c. w. A.. placing an absolute limit
OF S250,000 on expenditures by the
District for materials and all other
disbursements outside of the pay rolls
themselves from now until the pro-
gram here is ended.
May Abandon Projects.
District officials declared this would
mean some projects would have to be
abandoned and declared there would
have to be contraction of expenses
all along the line
41OHhiilo llOtlliCu the COMMISSIONERS
You are instructed that. total new
commitments after February Is and
through the end of civil works pro-
gram for all purposes other than pay
rolls in the District of Columbia shall
not exceed S250000. Obligations in
CURED in excess of this amount will
not be honored"
The planning committee was to
make arrangements for reduction of
the Districts job quota TO 14000, to
be effective Friday. The District, not
including Federal c. w. A. workers,
now has a quota of $4,000, but this
is being swelled by / 1,400 jobs trans
ferred to the District from the Ma
tional Parks Office This means there
must be a-reduction by Friday OF 240O
jobs. Actually, however. 1.10O per-
sons having job assignments have not
reported for work during the past
week and this turnover" reduces to
that extent the number of men and
women to be dismissed. Capt. Clark
estimated that approximately 1000
would have to be dismissed before
Friday
otHeT heuuCtlOnS seen.
This estimate did not include a CAL
culation, however. of what result
might come of necessary reduction in
personnel as a result of the definite
limit on funds available for materials.
truck hire and other operating ex-
penses.
Capt. Clark has informed school
officials the District C. w. A. will not
construct benches. tables, cots and
other equipment needed for operation
of the 10 nursery school centers. This
development raised the question of
whether the centers may be placed in
operation. There were reports that
an effort may be made to have Fed
eral authorities. or Congress, authorize
operation of the centers.
Under an allotment to the public
school system of $1,000, for educa-
tional projects, 80 teachers and other
workers now are being trained for the
nursery schools and locations of the
centers have been selected.
Says Fund Was Cut Off.
Capt. Clark took the position Con-
gress more than year ago cut off
appropriations for nursery schools
and. therefore, he said he would not
spend money for this purpose unless
special authority is given.
He said it was likely the cut in the
materials fund would mean the C.
W. A. could not proceed with expan-
sion of the bird house at the Zoo and
added it raised a question also of
whether the District could complete
construction of the swimming pools at
the Takoma Recreation Center and at
the Banneker Play Center, started by
the National Parks Office. The pools
are more than so per cent finished.