Evening star., 1937-10-10
MOST OF P. ". A.
EMPLOYEES IN D. c.
LOSE Jobs NOV. |
Personnel to Be Greatly
Reduced as New Set-Up
Takes Effect.
MANY OF $500 HERE
WILL BE HIT BY CUT
Headquarters Staff of Housing
Division Likely to Be Spared,
However.
BY NELSON M. SHEPARD.

A greatly reduced personnel, both
In Washington and in the field, was
forecast yesterday for public works
employees after November /, when the
new regional set-up goes into effect.
Lacking authoritative figures, off,
cials could only estimate "a very large
proportion" of the 1890 employees in
Washington would be let out. Some
estimated reduction in the force by
one-half, or perhaps little less.
The reasons are simple enough.
With all available funds allotted, the
headquarters personnel must be cut,
as the work for the legal, financial
and engineer staffs grows less and
less.
In the past 18 months, approxi-
mately 400 employees in the entire
organization of P. w. A. have passed
out of the picture or been transferred
to other emergency agencies. From
peak of 10,938 persons in April,
1886, the force has been reduced TO
6,822. the latest available figure, by
a systematic. process of job slashing.
Force to Be Skeleton.
In another six months, this force
Of $500 will be a mere skeleton or
ganization.
Officials estimated approximately
one-third of the 1000 employees in
the field would be laid off on and
after November /.
I Reductions in personnel, both in
Washington and in the States, will be
on gradual basis, however, fitting
into the P. w. A. program as projects
are completed. Areas where most
of the work has been completed nat
urally will be affected first, for aside
from small sum- in the revolving
fund for contingencies, Administrator
1ckes has no more money at his dis
posal for new projects.
The situation in Washington Is
| hopeful for approximately 400 en-
ployes who comprise the headquar-
ters staff of the Housing Division.
These are included in the total OF
$500 P. w. A. employees here.
To Be Absorbed.
| Oficials explained that it is com.
paratively certain that these 400 will
be absorbed by the United States
Housing Authority, the newly created
agency for slum clearance under the
Wagner housing act.
President Roosevelt is authorized to
transfer existing housing projects as
70
after it gets going. The P. w. A.
housing division, under Howard A.
Gray, is rapidly completing a pro-
| gram of 81 low-rent housing projects.
With the exception of the very small
unit of the District of Columbia Alley
Dwelling Authority, it is the only Fed
eral agency that has had actual ex-
perience in this comparatively new
phase OF governmental housing.
For that reason, officials said, It is
more or less certain that the 400 hous-
ing employees of P. w. A. in Washing
ton can feel secure in their jobs. The
new housing authority will be on a
loan and grant basis and for that
reason it is just as probable that the
/ Soo iAOuoiiie ciupioycS III llle llelQ Ike
wise will be absorbed by the new
agency. OF those, $50 are in tempo
rary jobs.
p. w. A. May Get More Cash.
The Public Works Administration,
with a program involving construc-
ton estimated to cost sl,986, ,592, ,702,
is nowhere near the folding-up stage
yet. Come another session of Con-
gress and more funds are likely to be
appropriated for it.
The program embraces 1880 prof.
ects, either under construction, under
contract or for which allotments have
been made. approximately 1900 are
not yet started or only small per-
centage have started. The allotments
for these were made within the last
two months.
| Some Of the largest of the old P.
w. A. projects, such as the Chicago
sewage system, largest in the world,
are still in process of completion.
There is still some work to be done
on the great Triborough Bridge in
New York and the Chicago Outer Link
Bridge, which President Roosevelt
dedicated a week ago.