Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-03-07
GIGANTIC. SCOPE OF
FERA IN STATE is
REVEALED TO PRESS
Voluminous Report Presents
Vivid Picture of FERA
Set-Up And Work

The tremendous scope Of actual
physical accomplishments in Mon
ana under the Civil Works Admin
istration and the Federal Emergency
Relief Administration was made
public for the first time this week in
a comprehensive report released by
DR.. W. j. Butler, State Relief Ad-
ministrator.
The voluminous report compiled
under direction Of the FERA Engin-
eering Division presents a vivid pic
ture of the scope and the vast ac-
complishments achieved under the
CWA and FERA programs from Nov
ember Is, 1888, to January l, 1885.
Combined cost of the two under
takings, less administrative expense,
totaled 1886, 1898 for the 1914
months period. In that time 1885,
635 man hours of employment was
created on 2,3SS projects.
OF this, the CWA aided 21,512 I'M
employed persons at the peak load of
the program, during the second week
in January. These persons worked
6,442,421 mar hours on $50 projects
during the AZ months of the pro-
grams existence.
The FERA work relief program,
although of a different nature, pro-
vided more hours of work-6,816,21 pa,
on more projects-17S9, and furnish
ing employment for an average of ap-
proximately II, 900 persons per
month or $4,000 individuals during
the 8 months prosecution Of the pro-
gram up to January l, 1885, at a
cost of $2,SS6,371.49. This, however,
was strictly a work program for
those persons on relief, who were
able or willing to work out the cost
of their minimum living needs each
month. The FERA program was
simplified and broadened because OF
a wide range of projects. However,
the Work Division was only a part
of the whole Federal Emergency Re-
lief program, a large part of the eff
forts Of which concerned administer
ing of direct relief to Montana's av-
erage monthly load of about $4,000
persons exclusive of those on work
projects and their d~ependents.)
Under both programs about IS per
cent Of the total cost was expended
on wages, the remainder on mater
ials supplies and i~ncidentals.
A picture of the average project
may be obtained from the fact that
it cost $4,335 and employed 72 per-
sons. Average cost per project un-
der the CWA, which was a reemploy-
ment program, was 1856. The
FDRA program, a relief program car
ing only for relief clients and not
all unemployed, achieved consider
| ably more for the amount expended
because of this fact, the average
project costing only $1,054.
Because OF the difficulty Of COM
piling actual achievements under
the FBRA program while still in eff
feet, research workers devoted a
large part of the report to the &C.
complishments Of the CWA pro.
gram, which produced almost a like
number of man hours OF employment,
and offers a comparative picture
with certain restrictions, of the val
ue of the projects under the work
relief program.
IN a DrOdd manner, IlrSL llSteQ are
major CWA accomplishments as fol-
lows:
Expended $3.50, 222.34-S5 percent
of which went directly for labor, and
the remaining Is percent for mater
ials, and other costs.
Provided SAP, 421 man hours of
work.
Built, ~graveled, graded and repair
ed 2274.7 miles of highways and
feeder roads.
Repaired, improved and built SO
airports.
Grubbed, graded and leveled H.
225 acres of land in airport construc-
ton and landscaping. 75,774 feet of
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