The Bismarck tribune., 1935-03-08
What Will It Cost?
(New York Tine6)

With the presidents employment
program being discussed by many
senators as II nothing but great de-
tached moral principles were involved,
the national industrial conference
board has done q useful service In
pointing out what various types Of
program would cost. The total cost
Of taking care Of $500. 900 men year
on direct relief. based on the average
cost Of such relief per case In the
last three months Of last year, would
be $9a9, 900 900. The total cost Of TAX
ing care Of these men on the type OF
work relief now existing, based on the
average cost Of such work relief in the
same period. would be @l,475 00o. 900.
The total cost Of employing these men
on public works, for Z thirty hour
week and . monthly wage Of $50,
would b $3.50, D ,000, ,000-or q, ,25o, ,000,-
600 more than the $4,000, ,000. 900 pro-
posed In the appropriation bill. The
total cost Of employing them for .
thirty-hour week for q year at "pre-
vailing wages would be $4,000. .000, 900.
Il u interesting to compare these
figures with those published by the
budget bureau on Feb. II. The bu-
reau gave 1900 ,00o, 900 as the cost Of
employing 3,5o0,o00 men . year for
thirty -hour week at security" wages,
and $3.50, 100000 at prevailing"
wages. The discrepancy between the
budget bureaus figures and the con-
ference boards figures Is all the more
remarkable when one notices that the
budget bureaus prevailing wage"
figure IS based on the assumption that
such . wage would be 30 cents an
hour. while the conference board, on
the basis Of the average hourly wage
on public works projects reported by
the bureau Of labor statistics for No
vember, assumes prevailing wage OF
only 50 cents an hour.
The major discrepancy between the
total figures compiled by these two
sources Is accounted for by differences
In the allowances for materials and
overhead. The budget bureau In ar
Siviug ct it, total Of $4,000, 900 900
allotted 62h per cent for wages and
l7h per cent for materials. The con-
ference board remarks that this al
lowance apparently takes no account
Of overhead, although the overhead
on work relief as It Is administered
at present Is over . per cent Of the
total cost.
The conference boards estimate, on
the other hand. Is itself based on the
assumption that the employment pro-
gram win consist almost entirely OF
public works" II It does, then the
board seems to b justified in its esti-
mate that materials and overhead
costs Ga this type Of relief will amount
70 about % per cent 1.-THE total, as the
British unemployment relief author.
tiles find that they have done on tt1eil
public works. The president lent sup.
part % this assumption by the board
moeoovoe, n his original statement o1
The type q protests which the worl
program would cover. There he mon.
TONED specifically alum clearance
rural housing and electrification
roads and highways, and grade cross
ings-a1 spublic works" He men
tone6 also howeter, reSoeestation
the provontion a soil sroeion, ane
other Sogms 6 "civl works. that mex
comparatively little allowance loe ma,
tefials. Dut the great dilfereuce Il
the COTS q various kinds q project
naah1s Il important that The publi
know more clearly than Il now de-
juDt what type e work pCogram
mainly contemplated