Evening star., 1936-05-17

Department of Agriculture and so on.
The best method of approaching an
understanding of how p. w. A. used
the great public fund intrusted to 1t
Is to divide its application into two
categories-Federal and non-Federal
projects. Such projects as those in
itiated by the various Government de-
partments and bureaus to which funds
were allocated by P. w. A. are known
as Federal projects. An experiment
station building by the Department of
Agriculture, ships by the Navy, houses
by the Army. These are all Federal
projects and, ordinarily, would be
financed by funds allocated to these
departments by Congress. But in this
instance. first to P. w. A. and then
by P. w. A. to the particular de-
partment.
On the other hand, the City of
Washington. New York or Chicago de-
sires public building or public i'm
provement. The grant of P. w. A. to
cover the cost of labor and material
for this project represents a nom
Federal project. Here P. w. A. super
vises the project with its own engineers
and inspectors.
Another project Is that staged by
p w. A. direct. Such a project is its
own lost-cost housing project-hnanced
and staged by P. w. A.
Thus, out of moneys made available
to P. w. A. by Congress to break the
~ obi oF fHn lorrnSSinn a1lnfnnPntE
have been made, during its lifetime,
for 1858 Federal projects at cost
of $l,567, 7,036,75l; 500 non-Federal
projects at a cost of $2.120,55s,453 and
so low-cost housing projects at a cost
of s12s.725, 100.
All told, P. w. A. has backed 1888
individual projects costing total OF
s3,S16, 1921, ,3O4. of which sum more
than $4,000 900, 600 was spent by its
own organization.
What Is Present Status?
How do p. w. A. affairs stand
today? Just what is the status ol
projects under It's direction today?
How many are incompleted? How
many are under contract? How many
are in initial stages of construction OF
plans? What is its money situation?
Figures at best are dry. But 1t Is
only through figures. black and white
marks before the eyes, that we can
visualize the status of many things.
And one of those things is the number
of houses under. construction, the
number Of hospitals half-built, the
number of waterworks plants with
pipes not yet laid, the number OF
streets torn up not yet paved.
So begin the figures again. Under
the nom Federal program of P. w. A
SOLO projects have been allowed, OF
which 1927 were financed out of the
1888 and 1884 grants by Congress
The status of these original projects
is as follows: 2,626 are completed, l..
062 are under construction, 96 are
under contract and bids on 48 adver-
tised. And there are 95 in what 4
called the EARLIER state" The larger
part Of these are held up by suits
Many Of them are power projects. But
they can be finished and there Is
money for their financing.
Under the 1885 congressional grant
Of money to P. w. A., by way Of E
r. A., there are 4,065 projects. Oi
these only 13 are completed, 2,209 are
under construction and 1880 are under
contract. Bids are being advertised
for 226 and there are 287 in the
earlier state" category. Money fol
these, as in the case of the "95" in tht
paragraph above, is allotted and au'
thorities are assured that it can bt
had.
Therefore, P. w. A. has to complet'
the work under way and push through
to completion the -287 and 95 "earliei
state" projects total of 382 projects
The money involved is $144,000, 900
Also there Is the completion of its 81
low-cost housing projects.
Two Financial Aspects.
On the financial side there are two
aspects to r. w. A. There is thu
Santa Claus" aspect and the hard
boiled banker aspect. ~
Under the original grants-the 1913;