Evening star., 1936-05-17
BY JOHN l. COONTZ.
w. A. has been preparing te
strike its tents.

~ w. A. mas Deen preparing W
- strike its tents.
Failure of its proponents
4 to earmark any of the Hop
kins relief money for its use threatened
to spell finis to the activities of this
recovery unit Of the administration,
but this storm cloud has been abated
by President Roosevelt's promise OF
continuance Of its activities in large
measure. As q matter Of fact as the
result of recent developments p. w. A.
may 20 on to even broader activities
There was no outcry on the part of
P. w. A. when its life was threatened.
Its officials faced the situation serenely.
spoke proudly of their achievements
and announced themselves ready to
take their medicine" or carry on as
the case might be. Their attitude has
been one Of a task well performed" ="
. faith well kept"
This record Of p W. A. is astound-
ing. Stripped OF its ballyhoo. it stacks
up, perhaps, better than that of any
other Of the emergency agencies. 1t
really represents a monument to &C
complishment, to Federal efilciency
and to the handling of Government
funds without favoritism or graft
entering in. What more could be
said? What greater tribute be paid
o Government agency, especially in
these times of "easy millions and
billions?
MI < NM
mile trip throughout the Middle West
and down far into the Southland. 1t
seemed that at every turn of the
wheel, at every corner rounded in
village, hamlet or city, he saw evil
dence Of the handiwork of P. w. A.
Here was q court house, there a
school, yonder a waterworks system,
under our wheels new pavement, over
there a hospital. Everywhere the
eye swept on this journey that
reached as far as the inland borders
of Kansas and the upper reaches of
Georgia there passed before its vision
some project. some undertaking. some
civic enterprise tAat had for its in
ception grants from P. w. "A. There
are 3,073 counties in the United States
and in SOTO Of them, had our
journey been so extended, We would
have found the same Federal activity.
Began Program in 1888.
The P. w. A.. program began in
1898. That was the year that the
effects of the depression descended
upon the Nation with full force.
President Roosevelt had been inaug-
urated in March. There had been
a clearly defined attitude to do some
thing, in q Federal way, with respect
to conditions. And then came the
program. Three billion three hum
dred million dollars were to be set
aside to combat the depression with.
It should consist of a fund placed in
the hands of an administrator Of
public works for the stimulation Of
industry throughout the Nation
through the purchase of materials
to 60 into the vast works program.
There should be an increase in the
employment of labor, now sitting Idly
by the wells Of discomfort. The job
Of administering this staggering sum
Of public money fell to the lot OF
Secretary Ickes Of the Interior De-
.7artment. -'''
A year later there was added to this
Croesus fortune the sum of 1896, ,500,-
900 by Congress This through the
deficiency channel. And still later. in
1885, there was added another huge
sum. SAT ZOO, 900, popularity known as
the z. r. A. fund. All in all. the
So, 800, 600, 900 grew to become, in two
years time, over $4,000 ,00o, 900.
However, it must not be gathered
from the above summation that
1000, ,0o0, 900 -odd dollars represents p.
w. AS expenditures Throughout the
country. On the contrary, 1t only
represents the sums Of money made
over to p. w. A. for use in stimulating
recovery. Part of this sum p. w. A.
allocated to other purposes than that
Of building court houses, schools, In
firmaries, hospitals, roads and what
not throughout the Nation. Some OF
ii went TO the War Department, some