Evening star., 1935-09-14
W.P.A. SPENDING
!. PACE IS FEARED
Job.Passing Spree May End
by Asking Congress for
More Cash.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

loan OF 81 ,Z0U,UUU,UUU were 10 De SpeHI
In employing labor and buying raw
materials, the people who loaned the
money would promptly protest and
possibly the lenders wouldn't make
the loan at all.
But at Hyde Park this past week,
four men sat down to spend $780,
100000 of taxpayers money for
"made-work" and not one of them
hal ever had any actual responsibility
for an industrial pay roll or the en-
ployment of labor on large scale.
The representatives of the people
the members of the Senate and House
were not present because, early this
year, they abdicated their function by
granting to the Executive, to be spent
at his discretion, about $4,000, 100000.
Debate Is Secret.
The President himself announced
that the fund had been allocated with
the exception of 81 ,250,00O,0 900. but
the debate at the Summer White
House on what is to be done with the
remainder is, of course, a secret. No
body knows what views were expressed,
what policies were suggested or re-
5ected and wha the administrations
reasons we're for deciding on the plans
that were finally given in rather vague
form to the press.
1t is incredible that taxpayers
money can be disbursed that way, but
it is apparently a political and not
a business problem. The American
people will hold the Roosevelt ad-
miniStration accountable at the polls
for the success or failure of the large
sums spent.
The objectives are to put men back
to work-at least 35O0,0O0 of them.
The latest figures from the National
Industrial Conference Board and the
American Federation of Labor agree
that, despite all the billions already
spent, the unemployed still number
in excess of 100000 persons.
Radio Statement Cited.
Mr.. Roosevelt, in a public state
ment to the American people over the
radio, September 80, 1884, promised
that he would not stand for a per-
manent army of unemployed. Let the
Hyde Park dispatches this week, en-
bodying the result of a press con-
ference there with the President, re-
port that Mr.. Roosevelt is reconciled
now to an army of unemployed OF
20 per cent Of those gainfully en-
ployed in 1929, aside from Agricul-
tural workers. The total figure OF
non-Agricultural employees in 1929,
was about 100000. so the President
comedies that about 100000 are to
remain unemployed. notwithstanding
the many billions already spent and
to be spent.
Secretary Ickes and Relief Admin
istrator Hopkins had conflicting ideas
OF how to spend the $l,25o,000,c00
which remains, but they were apart
only on which plan to pursue-they
both had ideas that the President
liked The essential difference, of
course. is that, on the Public WORKS
Administration projects, which Mt
Ickes heads up and naturally favorS,
the Government gets back about As
per cent and the projects have fairly
permanent value.
Hopkins Stresses Jobs.
The objection to the P. w. A. idea,
however, is that most of the money
goes for raw materials or goods and
q small percentage for labor, while
Harry Hopkins, social worker and
formerly at the head of the Civil
Works Administration known as the
c. w. A, knows that, to get men to !
work promptly. jobs have to be made !
for millions, even though they do moi
leave anything permanent. The work |
extends from leaf-raking to white |
collar tasks of a research variety.
Now the truth is Mr.. Roosevelt Is
up against a political situation He
wants to get as many men on the |
Government pay roll or on some pay |
roll as quickly as possible. The p.
w. A, headed by Mr.. Ickes, means |
blue prints and red tape and takes
lots Of time. The Works Progress
Administration, which is the new
name for what used to be the c. w.
A., can get busy quickly.
So the compromise arrived at by
the President is that the w. P. A. Is
to 90 ahead till the P. w. A. is ready
to absorb the unemployed up to
3,500,O00
What probably will happen is that
the w. P. A., like the C. w. A., will eat
up the money rapidly. and the P w.
A. will not be ready to furnish Jobs. |
Then the New Deal will be faced with
the same question it had when the C.
w. A. petered out. 1t will have to get
more money from Congress or take the
political consequences of offending a
large group whose jobs proved only
temporary.
Business Must Absorb Labor.
Upon business as whole is the re-
sponSibllity for absorbing the unem-
ployed not given jobs by the Govern
ment. But while business and indus
try are recovering slowly and are glad
to have the breathing Spell' prom
ised. the truth is the restrictions al
ready placed upon business and
finance and the promises Of resump-
ton Of reform measures when the
breathing spell" is over, presumably
when Congress meets again, make it
difficult for new capital to come out Of
Its tax-exempt and safe hiding places.
With one hand, the administration
spends billions trying to find jobs that
cannot possibly be permanent, and,
with the other hand, the administra-
tion's laws seek a decentralization of
business, dissolution of important
industrial corporations and a general
surgical operation that would be diff
cult to achieve without bringing about
unemployment even in a prosperous
year like 1929. Thus do political OBJ
jective and practical economics come
into conflict, and the answer prob
ably will come when Mr.. Roosevelt
finds he has to ask Congress for an
other IS ,0o0, 10000 next January to
carry on the experimentation, not