Evening star., 1935-05-21
Declines to Enter Contro.
versy as Green AssaiIs
Roosevelt Wages.
STRIKES ARE F0RESEEN
BY A. F. L. PRESIDENT
McCarran Also Hits Works Sched-
ule of $19 to $94, as Ordered
by President.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated PreSs.
Declining to enter any controversy
over reduction of payments to labor
and other phases of the $4,000 900, 900
work program. Secretary Ickes said
today the p w. A. hourly wage rate
would be maintained on p. w. A.
projects.
Every man has a right to a per-
sonal opinion" was Ickes' only COM
ment on attacks at the new wage
schedule by William Green, president
of the American Federation of Labor.
and Senator McCarran, Democrat,
Of Nevada.
The wage scale for the $4,000, ,000.-
900 program. announced last night,
ranges from s19 to s94 month.
Ickes indicated there might be a
change in hours worked on P. w. A.
projects.
"I think the p. w. A. wage will
certainly be maintained on permanent
structures such as buildings and
bridges" he said. but hours will de-
pend upon whether we have to work
on double shifts"
May Change Hours.
He added the existing 30-hour week
on P. W. A. projects might be con-
tinued, or I'VE might have to go to
40 hours (the basic number of hours
fixed in the schedule announced yes
terday by President Roosevelt"
Ickes indicated he would favor in
creaSing the amounts donated by the
71l1 - EnI
eral P. w. A. projects as demanded
by the United States Conference of
Mayors.
Il expect to prepare recommenda-
ton which will be general in char
acter and submit 1t to the President
today" he said.
Paul Bettors. executive secretary of
the Mayors Conference, asserted yes
terday that the present P. w. A basis
of 80 per cent donations and 70 per
cent loans was holding up applica-
tions
Ickes was -committsl on Bet
tors assertion, declaring he had not
received a report from p w. A. engi-
neers on the number of applications.
He explained it would be possible for
the Allotment Committee to go
ahead" with other projects at its next
meeting Thursday and for agencies to
stat getting 1,0Oo.000,0Oo started
soon after they are formally ap-
proved by the President.
P. w. A. wages, on q 30-hour week,
range from low of 40 cents an hour
for unskilled labor to a high of S12G
for skilled, varying among thres
principal regions. A 40-hour week
was prescribed for the $4,000, 100000
scale.
McCarran Pledges Fight.
Meanwhile, Senator McCarran saisl
the schedule of wages to be paid wa.
complete abandonment" of Presi
dent Roosevelt's promises. He an
nounced he would do every thing II
my power" to fight the proposal an
nounced by the Chief Executive.
1T looks to me-" McCarran saita
like a complete breakdown in the
wage structure. The Government
the biggest employer and when tha
Government strikes at the wage struc|
ture private industry will follow. When
private industry starts to cut wages
you can't tell where it will 60"
Asserting that he feared great So
cial unrest" would spring from the
work-relief wage rates Green said he
had called federation leaders to a
session today to decide on q course
of action.
"Inequitable" and "unsound" were
some of the adjectlves Green flung
at the wages which will apply on much
of the $4,000, 100000 works program.
II am very much afraid" Green
said, that great social unrest will
result from these widely varying rates.
There is certain to be discomfort and
I would not be surprised if it led even
to widespread strikes among relief
workers
Earlier, Senator McCarran had di-
rected hotly worded criticism at the
schedule. McCarran. leader of the
defeated drive to force the payment
of wages prevailing in private indus
try. asserted that President RooSe-
velt's executive order would COM
pletely wreck the country's wage
scale" He indicated that he was pre-
pairing to attack the wages on the
floor of the Senate.
Administration officials denied the
new rates. representing slash as COM
pared with the P. w. A. scales, would
wreck" the pay structure. Although
issuing no immediate formal state
ment over their signatures. they con.
tended the schedule is higher than
it may seem at first glance because
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