The Daily Alaska empire., 1937-07-20
Riots and Relief
(New York Times)

fNeW YOrK lmeS)
 Nothing could more forcbly illustrate some of the defects and dangers of Federal relief policy than the WPA riots Those riots have followed the begin- ming of attempt to reduce the number of persons the WPA rolls from about 100000 to slightly less than 100000 which MT. Hopkins estimates to be the total number that his administration can provide
 under the appropriation granted for the fiscal
 that has just begun The effort to start these reduc- tons in New York City has been followed by some astonishing demonstrations. Six hundred st-down strikers held the local administrative officer of the Federal Arts Project captive for fifteen hours until he agreed to yield to their demands. Five hundred pickets tried to battle their way through police lines to rescue 26 stand-up strikers who being taken to police station for booking charges of dsorderly conduct Thrty-seEen school teachers arrested after they had broken into the administrative offices of the WPA, according to the police and smasl1ed desks and typewrers9e Other discharged WPA workers have made assaults project offices and in attempted to seize and destroy the time cards employment records and other data all WPA employees.
 It instructive to contrast this record with the theory of the WPA. Its purpose to give work relief to those temporarily idle because of the de- lpression It was contended that, though this was admittedly much more expensive than direct relief it better for the morale of the persons concerned The expectation that the Federal jobs would be kept by those who held them only until private en- ployment became available. We found, instead that most of those who once get on the WPA rolls want to stay there This is only natural. The hours are commonly very short and the type and conditions of work often pleasant while the pay does not compare unfavorably with what many of those on the rolls would be paid in private employment
 Under these conditions the incentive to look for job in private industry becomes very slight Indeed, the average person relief work would probably mot be tempted by anything but unusually good private job with a strong prospect Of permanence. Comparative figures show that the theoretc "em- tployables' WPA work take private jobs at much slower rate than the theoretc "unemployables' direct relief Workers do not fall off the WPA rolls; they have to be dropped In practice the rolls have been effectively reduced only by series of purges. Many of the men and work relief look to be supported indefinitely by the Government. Being on relief has become with them sort of permanent career and any attempt to terminate shorten that is regarded with a sense of outrage. Because they regard their jobs a vested interest, they are hold them.
 Our relief system requires thorough overhauling. Adequate provision must be made for those in need, but we cannot continue indefinitely system that, in addition to putting enormous drain on the Treas ury, turns and women into mentally permanent reliefers Perhaps the first step toward effective form should be the appointment of a Government commission of experts to make impartial study of the problem and to draft the outlines of new program.