Evening star., 1935-04-01
The Works Bill Joker.

FTtSlUeut ftOOSeVelJS WOIk TelleI OIL
has pursued a difficult and tortuous
course since it entered the halls of
Congress. When the conferees of the
Senate and House had reached a COM
plete agreement on the bill and the
amendments adopted by the Senate, 1t
seemed that the end of discussion,
beyond a protest in the Senate against
the dropping Of the silver imitation
amendment, was at hand. Not at all
The conferees had inserted "joker,"
a provision that one-third of the sums
expended for public works should go
for labor on the spot. Secretary
Ickes, who has been head of the p.
w. A. and knows what he is talking
about, insists that it will be impossible
to carry on public works projects of
real value to the community and the
Nation with any such provision in the
law, that the proportion of expendi-
ture for labor Immediately on the
project proposed is too high. The
cost of sites, material and transporta-
ton requires greater percentage than
could possibly be allowed under the
language of the bill as it comes from
conference. Mr.. Ickes is backed up
in his position by others who are
familiar with the costs of construction.
Much of the money that goes for labor
is used in the manufacture and trans
portation of the materials.
If the conferees have written into
the bill a provision that was in
neither the House bill nor the Senate
bill, they have exceeded their authority
and the conference report would be
subject to point Of order. Some Of
the Senators claim this to be the case.
The fact that the Senate placed IN
the bill the so-called Russell amend
ment, fixing certain limitations on the
wages to be paid out of the funds car
ried in the bill, is argued by others
as giving the conferees a right to open
up the whole question Of what shall
be paid for labor. However, the effort
of the conferees to see that one-third
of the total allotted for project shall
20 to labor on the spot seems to 60
far beyond the immediate question Of
wage scales.
President Roosevelt has been ap-
pealed to and the House leaders have
indicated that they will abide by his
decision in the matter. The passage
of the relief bill has been delayed so
long that every effort should be made
to have the measure in proper and
workable form when IL finally goes
to the President for his approval.
A day or two more, added to the
weeks and months, will make little
material difference.
Work relief Is a costly manner OF
granting succor and costly manner
of constructing public works. Robert
Moses, park commissioner Of New
York City, in a statement made yes
terday, has indicated just how costly
work relief is. He said that it costs
just twice as much as private con-
struction. With four billions of dol
lars of public funds to be used in
work-relief projects, the public will get
just one-half as much work done as
if the money was expended in the
usual way for construction projects,
If MIR. Moses states the case correctly.
That is something for the public to
think over. However, in the nature of
work relief, it is proposed to give as
much employment to as many per-
sons as possible, rather than to get
the maximum amount of work done.
It would be grave mistake, how
ever, to place limitation on the ex-
penditure Of hundreds of millions of
dollars Of this work relief appropria-
ton, which would make it impossible
to construct projects that are really
needed and of great value. If such
provision remains in the law it may
mean the use of a vast amount of
money for the kind Of work that was
done under the c. w. A.-made work,
the sweeping up of twigs and the
clearing Of land.