Evening star., 1937-04-04
RELIEF WORKERS
F|ND[|TTLE WORK
Prejudice Hampering Order
Iy Adjustment in Indus
trial Field.
epseiaf Dispatch to The Star.

Ne The belle1 OF many CleVeldLu
em6loyers that persons on relief or
WI. A. are members of a lost gen.
Grafton" which it will be difficult to
1T again into the industrial world is
by no means shared by Clevelanders
who are on relief or W. P. A.
Moreover. not all relief clients or
W. P A. workers are anxious to re-
main charges of the Government.
This was revealed in survey Of
the opinions and experiences Of re-
lief clients, w. P. A. workers, social
workers, c. c. c. and w. P. A. officials
a survey conducted before and
after a similar survey Of employer
opinion.
Here is the other side of the story:
A w. P. A. supervisor-Thep person.
mel of the project consists of approx
imatelv $50 pe5ple, who before the
depression, held positions ranging
from school teachers and technical
workers to general managers and
chief engineers of large concerns
These people are doing all in their
power to return to private industry
industry, will do their utmost to gain
advancement, carry out orders and
adhere to all disciplinary regulations
set up by any organization.
Strict Regulation.
The people employed are under a
strict disciplinary regulation as to ar
irving at their work on time, absence
and other regulations. If the division
supervisor finds these people guilty OF
any misdemeanor he has the right to
and does discipline them in accord
ance with w. P. A. regulations,
Mayor Burton is going to attempt
TO put persons who are on w. P. A.
and relief rolls back to work in private
industry He is going to be con-
fronted by stone wall which consists
Of the employment agencies and pri-
vate industry, who will not hire these
people because of their temporary
relief employment on w. P. A. and
p. W. A. projects.
As to the business man who states
that II have seen too many of them
with my own eyes leaning on shovels
to be interested in giving them job"
has he ever shoveled all day long
without once leaning on his shovel
to rest?
A relief client said: II have wife
and two children, both Of high school
age. Before the depression some
times earned as much as $3.50
month as a mill hand When I lost
my job, in 1882, 1 lived for 13 months
on my savings and then, for a few
more months, on credit.
Finally, my landlord evicted me,
and, when it became certain I could
not find another job, finally went on
relief. BY that time I had piled up
SITS in debts. We have been getting
about S55 month in relief. worked
for a while on w. P A., but my prof.
ect was completed and I was laid of
and had to 60 back on relief again.
have been answering many ads for
jobs, but, when I tell them I have
been on relief, they won't take me-"
A girl on relief said: "An employ
nnent agency sent me to woman who
offered 81 a week for a maid. When
got there and she found had been
on relief she said that, of course, in
that case, I couldn't expect to earn
more than I was getting on relief, so
she offered me s4 Then she threat
ened to report me to the relief people
If didn't take the job. told her to
60 ahead and report me. that she had
got me to come out there under false
pretenses."
Camp Work Training.
A G. c. c. camp official: I'VE feel
that the disciplinary and work train
Ing given by C. C. c. camps to its
enrollees is conducive to better work
IN future civilian employment. It is
extremely unfortunate that the term
Eek. G. C. c. youth may be applied to
any youth who has been in c. c. C.
camp from one day to four years; it
Is also unfortunate that few isolated
cases Of the nature reported can give
any type of organization bad name
A w. P. A. painter: Il probably
could get off W. P. A. if could afford
to join the union. I used to belong, but
that doesn't count. I would have to
pay the initiation fee all over again,
and am not making enough for that.
In this town a non-union painter can't
get private job. I am afraid that all
Of us non-union painters will have
to learn factory work of some kind if
We ever hope to have private jobs
again."
An unemployed press feeder: II
have been all over the city and every
where 1t is the same remark, I'VE do
not need help am not on relief or
W. P. A. I am willing to work at any,
thing or learn"
A social worker: Certainly. there
are some lazy persons on relief, but
they were lazy before they got there
and relief didn't make them lazy If
people who criticize relief clients could
go into the kind of houses they have
to live in, could find themselves with
out few cents even to buy news
paper. had to beg for a pair of shoes
for their children and then maybe not
get them, such people might not be so
ready to condemn"
If there were enough money properly
to clothe these people, a good many
of them could get jobs, but neither
their morale nor their appearances
are kept up by the kind of relief now
given in Cleveland and, so long as this
kind OF relief is given. we can expect
to pay for it by having these people
stay on relief.
(Copyright. 1887, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, IncD