Evening star., 1938-12-29
..P.A. Appointment
OF Relief Boards
Advocated
Senator BorkIey Urges
Plan in Investigation
Of Complaints
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
IN Majority Leader Barkley said to-
Iday that If non-partisan county
boards were named to investigate
compaints of disgruntled relief ap-
plicants he would be in favor of
having w. P. A. select the boards.
emphasizing that no legislation
would be needed to set up such ap-
peal boards, Senator Barkley said
he believed any such action probably
would invoke change in the meth
DDS OF final determination of those
eligible for relief jobs.
He said the eligibility lists from
which relief workers now are
hlred by the w. P. A. usually were
compiled by a certifying agent ap.
pointed by the county judge or some
other local official.
When relief applicants complain
that they have been denied a place
on the rolls their complaints even
tually must be referred to the same
certifying official.
Favors w. P. A. Appointment.
I have always doubted the wis
dom OF the w. P. AS attempting to
avoid the responsibility of deciding
who should be given relief" Senator
Barkley said expressing a prefer
ence for appointment of the boards
by w. P. A.
Asked If this did not point to even
greater control of relief expendi-
tures by the Federal government,
the Senator emphasized that the
ooards would operate only in the
case OF individual complaints. He
SAID ne believed the county boards
might also take up the complaints,
however, of persons who had been
certified on the relief rolls. but who
protested that they subsequently
had been denied w. P. A. Jobs.
New legislation would not be nee
essary to create the boards, Senator
Barkley said because the present
oertlflcatlon set-up is not covered by
law. but was evolved by the w. P. A.
as part of its administrative pro-
cedure.
Continue to Draft Report.
Ihe Senate Campaign Expendi- |
Nlres Committee, meanwhile, contin-
we'd to draft its report on com1Haints
that w. P. A. workers were coerced |
70 vote Tor Administrations favored |
candidates in 1888 primaries and
elections. Chairman Sheppard has
said special section would be de.
voted to what was found during ex-
tenslve investigation in Tennessee
and in Senator Barkleys home
state, Kentucky. He defeated Gov.
A. B. Chandler for the Senate NOM
nation.
Senator Barkley, who returned to
washington today to make final |
preparations for Democratic sena-
torial caucus Saturday morning, said
he had had no information which
would cause him to change his pre-
v1ous estimate that not more than
$600000,000 would be needed to give
the w. P. A. sufficient funds to
complete this fiscal year. ending next |
June 30. The present appropriation |
will be exhausted February 7, w. p.
A. officials have said.
Discussing proposals that w. P. A.
be gradually abandoned in favor of |
a longtime public works program,
Senator Barkley said the matter
was worthy of serious considera-
ton by Congress. The administra-
ton always had regarded w. P. A.
as an emergency setup, he added.
Other persons had forecast con-
gressional demand for gradual
abandonment of the w. P. A. in dis
cussing proposal to make w. P. A.
a permanent agency.
Must Decide Relief Program.
Although they expected little op-
position to an emergency appropri-
.ation to carry w. P. A. until July
], several Senators said they be-
lieved the next Congress must de-
eide whether there is to be long
time planning for relief needs.
In this connection there have
been proposals that Congress draft |
P. w. A. construction program at
least year in advance, tentatively
set aside the money to carry it out |
and permit the P. w. A. to take ap-
plications for projects.
Then, whenever private industry
slackened, the President could set
the P. w. A. machinery into action
Immediately. Sponsors of the plan
argued that it would supplant some
emergency w. P. A. work and that
eventually w. P. A. might be aban-
doned.
Wage scales generally are higher
on P. w. A. projects than for the
lighter work attempted under the
w. P. A. program. Senator Nc
Carran, Democrat, of Nevada said
he believed this was point which
Congress should consider.
mot only for the good of the
country, but for the good of the re-
lief workers themselves, w. P. A.
must come to an end," Senator Nc
Carran declared.
I'm the first place, w. P. A. work
ers are paid starvation wages. In
the second place, they are afraid to
leave their w. P. A. jobs to take
private employment that may not
6be permanent"
Senator Schwartz, Democrat, of
wyoming, agreed that this was one
OF the chief objections to the present
w. P. A. Set-up. He also supported
Senator McCarran in saying that
Congress should study the possibility
of establishing P. w. A. as a semi
permanent relief agency.
Sayinq Brinqs Probe