The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-07-27
HOPKINS-ICKES
TIFF BLOCKING
! WORKS DRIVE
4,000,0 900, 900 Program Is
HamStrung by Chiefs
Varying Ideas.
Continued From Page Onel

House. at Warm Springs and aboard
the Nourmahal.
Each OF the two executives had
his period Of apparent ascendancy.
In the end. after Congress had
Voted the money and the President
issued a series OF executive orders,
each had a part Of the works pro-
gram to carry out. The only change
in the old Setup rested in the Presi-
dents introduction of a new face,
that of Mr.. Walker. whose assign
ment was to keep Mr. Hopkins and
Secretary Ickes separated long
enough to get something done.
Such a Tangle,
Mr.. Hopkins was made Works
Program Administrator, and charged
with overseeing all expenditures. 1t
was he who was to see that prefer
ence was given persons on relief.
Further, if Secretary Ickes' PWA
and the other Federal divisions
could not supply sufficient projects
to employ 100000 persons quick
~. Mr. Hopkins had authority to
start work programs of his own.
But in starting these work pro-
grams, he had to carry them
through the advisory committee on
allotments, of which Secretary Ickes
was named chairman.
Over both of these executives and
their projects sat Mr.. Walker as
head of the Division of Applications
and Information, slightly bewil-
dered, but ready to do the bidding
of his friend the President.
Thus the program got under way
and is still operating, but another
menace to progress arose in the
availability OF the work relief money
TO other governmental agencies.
A Slight Oversight
Mr.. Hopkins and Secretary Ickes,
duringtheir prolonged argument for
what each considered the right way
to spend Uncle Sans dollars. had
apparently overlooked the necessity
of having projects ready for imme-
date execution.
The division of applications and
information found itself in business
with no business. The committee
of allotments had nobody to whom
funds could be allOcated. A hurried
call went to the War Department, the
Agriculture Department, the Coast
Guard and other agencies.
Almost overnight these depart
mentS Shoveled together a program,
including in the main projects from
their regular construction schedules,
of the sort for which Congress
usually makes direct appropriations
They flooded the DAI and the allot-
ment committee. Approvals were
forthcoming quickly.
Just Simple Mathematics
So fast was the money allocated
at the beginning that some I'M
named mathematical expert, in Jot-
ting down totals. suddenly awakened
to the fact that the plan OF pro-
viding 3500,OOO jobs for a year was
being jeopardized.
It was then that, by simple math-
ematics. the belated discovery was
made that the four billion dollar
fund. when divided by three and
one-half million persons, gave as a
uuotient S1140 This was all that
the government could spend on the
average person employed, both for
labor and materials.
Much of the damage already had
been done. The remnant of the four
billion dollar fund was not sufficient
10 permit the use of even s1l40 as
an average. Cheaper projects had
to be selected-and are still being
sought.
No Estimate of Jobs
AS of July "a. the President has
approved ALLEGATIONS totaling S2.129,-
1880. There is no estimate of the
number of jobs thB portion OF the
fund will produce. So far less than
IS 900 have been employed.
The consequences of the lack OF
early organization and foresight are
now causing concern in AdminiStra-
ton circles. The Presidents ad
visers appraiSe the practices in
volved with much chagrin, but they
have not given up hope for the first
principles which prompted the idea
of quitting this business of relief"
Today an effort is being made to
realign the works program so that
it will work.
MOnday-HOw work relief prof.
ects originate and how they are
routed through the works admin
istration.