Evening star., 1936-08-05
RELIEF LABOR RULE
BY HITS
P.W.A.'SPR0CRAM ?.
Requirement All Workers Be
From Rolls Gives ICkeS
Worry.
elimination OF MANY
STATES is ANTICIPATED
Protests Coming From Congress
men and Governors, but Change
in Regulation Doubted.
Ry NELSON M. SHEPARD.

Administrator Harold L. Ickes is
worrying much these days over the
fate of his OO,0O0,000 P. w. A. pro-
gram, which apparently was not pre-
pared to meet in full the requirements
of President Roosevelt that project
workers be taken 100 per cent from
relief rolls.
He admitted reluctantly yesterday
that he hoped the President would re-
woke the labor rule, fearing that rigid
adherence to such a policy would
eliminate a good many States from
the p. w. A. program"
When Congress, after long and
arduous fight, earmarked $500, ,o00, 900
of the work-relief funds for Ickes'
sole use, it was announced that no
strings" were tied to the appropria-
ton other than the necessary ap-
proval of projects by President Roose-
velt. That had always been the case
in the past and the future looked
bright for the Public Works Admins
tration, despite the small size of the
allotment. For one thing, p. w. A.
officials thought, the Works Progress
Administration would have to keep
hands of. Last year, w. P. A. Ad-
ministrator Harry L. Hopkins made
deep inroads on P. w. A. funds.
Presidents List Disappointment.
The first disappointment came
about two weeks ago, when the Presi-
dent approved list of P. w. A. funds
under the new program from which
IL States and the District of Colum-
bia were omitted from the nearly
SIS 100000 authorized expenditures.
The Presidents rule that only those
projects be undertaken on which 100
per cent OF the labor can be met from
local relief rolls was responsible for
the omissions. To make matters
more difficult, the Works Progress
administrator must certify the workers.
Protests began to come into Ickes'
Offices from many quarters, includ-
ing Congressman and a few Govern
ors, 1t was said yesterday. There Is
no indication, however, that the Pres
ident will relent and modify the labor
rule.
On his recent inspection of P. w. A.
projects in New England, MIR. Roose-
welt was quoted as being informed that
no more than Is or 80 per cent Of
the skilled labor engaged on them
came from relief rolls. Mr.. Roosevelt
was reported as saying he would have
to be a little more hard boiled" in
the matter. which did not help to
relieve the tension at P. W. A. head
quarters.
Ickes said yesterday at press con-
ference that it is "very problematicaF
whether he can carry out his $780,
100000 program under existing con-
ditions unless the President modified
his labor policy.
Study List of Projects.
p. w. A. officials are "combing" the
list Of projects, which embrace all
States, in the hope that they will
find enough to meet the full require
ments regarding the labor supply.
Admissions that there are number OF
States, where skilled labor is plenti-
fully employed, indicate that numerous
local communities that have agreed to
put up 55 per cent of the cost of
W. P. A. projects out of their own
funds, are doomed to disappointment.
State directors for the P. ". A.
are checking up on the supply of
State and local labor, and from re-
ports received in Washington it was
indicated that their figures do not
always tally with those of Hopkins
Office.
The list of p. w. A. projects for the
new program was made up some time
ago without regard to requirements
that all the workers employed on prof.
ects be supplied by the Works Prog
ress Administration. In the past
Ickes has taken the greater proper
tion OF his workers from labor unions,
due chiefly to the character of prof.
scts, which called for skilled labor.
The controversial labor policy,
which now threatens to hamstring
major portion of the p. w. A. pro-
gram, no doubt will be the subject Of
a RooSevelt-Ickes conference when
the President returns from his vaca-
tion trip. According to Ickes, he has
not discussed it heretofore with the
President.