The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1938-08-05
WPASTUDY SHOWS CONDITIONS
OF RURAL NEGRO ON RELIEF

WASHINGTON, d. c., Aug ST.
The rural Negro on relief, although
better off than his urban brothers, Is
faced with greater difficulties than
his white neighbors who need aid.
TIE fact, and other disclosures
related to the rural Negro on relief,
was made public in recent study
by the Works Progress Administra
ton and assembled in a monograph
entitled Effects Of the Works Pro-
gram on Rural Relief"
The investigation on which this
report IS based was made by the
WPA Division Of Social Research.
The major study was conducted in
sample counties in Montana, South
Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, West Vir-
ginia, North Carolina and Georgia.
Only in North Carolina and Georgia
was any attempt made to break
down the finding as between Me-
groes and whites.
.sIn private industry the report
observes, Negroes earning aver
aged considerably less than those OF
whites, but on the Works Program
the difference between their earn
ings and those of whites was not
81 great. White heads of house
holds employed on the Works Pro
cram reported smaller average
earnings than did whites employed m
private industry, but Negroes en-
Moved on the Works Program re-
ported average earnings Greater
than those received by Negroes en-
ployed in private industry
Before the survey was started,
social service research workers of
the WPA had discovered that an
examination of the family and per-
sonal traits of the Negroes on relife
rolls disclosed striking differences
from those Of whites. For one thing,
thev found that the hardships OF
Negroes arose, in part, from family
and marital difficulties, with broken
families and the resultant social
and economic handicaps more gen
oral among the colored group. Wild
owed Negroes were found TO De
relatively more numerous in the
relief and non relief populations.
This was especially true among
widowed Negro women.
A rather striking fact brought out
bv relief census of October, 1888,
was that Of all Negroes on relief
under the age of As, the majority
were females. Moreover, bare SIX
percent of the male Negro worker :
on relief rolls in 1888 were ineI-
perienced workers-this is, those
seeking employment who had per-
formed NO gainful work during the
mast ten years. This census also
revealed that about one fifth OF the
female workers in urban areas, ano
one third in rural areas were mex
perienced.
Formal education Of the Negroe
on relief was quite limited, the CEN
sus also showed. LII urban commu-
mites one sixth Of the Negro work
ere on the rolls in March, 1888, had
not completed as much as one yea
Of schooling. Relatively half
MANY Negroes as whites had obtain
ed eight or more years Of education
in school.
With little or no education o.
training, and with restricted econ
omic opportunity as compared with
the white persons Of relief, the Ne
gro had to turn to unskilled labo
to earn living. Thus, two thirds
az the male and nine tenths of The
female Negro workers were reported
unskilled occupations.
"A partial explanation,'s the pub
lished study states, twas found il
the type Of work to which womer
heads Of households were usually
assigned on the Works Program
Some Of the sewing work, in which
the majority were employed, wa
classified as semi skilled, wherea
the women engaged in this work ha'
usually been employed in domestic
service or farm labor, classed as un-
skilled"
At he time of the survey, Nortl
Carolina and Georgia were in Re
gion Nv where the security wag
rates for rural areas were from 81
to $40 month. On July /, 1896
all states in this region were trans
ferred to WPA Wage Scale Regio
III, where the security wage fo
rural counties was from $21 to Sd
a month. Workers, the survey re
veals, received an average of $21 j
Georgia and $22 in North Cadolins
Negroes received $40 and S19 in th
two states, as compared with So
and $24 for whites. AS the securit
wage rates were the same for white
and Negroes for the same grade {
work, these differences in earnin
are related to the greater proper
tions of white employed at skille
occupations which command highs