Evening star., 1939-09-19
State or agency cooperating with
the p. w. A.

Tor rVe successive +. w. A. programs.
The latest of these programs, started
in june 1888, is now drawing to a
close. A new appropriation was
not passed by the last Congress.
Many P. w. A. projects are Fed
eral projects-that is, the P. w. A.
grants funds to other Federal agen-
cies to build works needed now but
which otherwise would have had to
wait, perhaps years, for regular
appropriations.
The majority of P. w. A. projects
are non-Federal. The P. w. A..
makes a sizable grant to some
branch of local government for the
project-as much as As per cent. The
local government puts up the rest
of the money. It may get a loan
from the P. w. A. in addition to the
grant.
have already spoken of the roads
and bridges constructed with the aid
of P. w. A. funds. In the same
way it has helped to construct the
great tubes carrying traffic in and
out Manhattan. With P. w. A. help
earthquakeproof schools have been
built in California. Fine, new con-
solidated schools have been built
in rural areas all over the Nation.
You may have danced or drilled in
an armory built by the P. w. A.
1t has helped to build the largest
sewage disposal plant in the world
for the city of Chicago. 1t has
helped to build many smaller dis
posal plants, sewer systems, water
supply systems, power plants, hos
pitals, courthouses, traffic tunnels
and other public improvements for
hundreds of cities.
Earthquake Brought Problem.
Suppose we take a closer look at
those California schools which the
p w. A. helped to build. This was
the situation. During the night of
March 10, 1888, an earthquake
rumbled through Southern Cali
fornia. Schools were among the
buildings damaged or destroyed.
Fortunately, there were no children
in them. But with nearly 240 900
children going to school in the Los
Angeles area, parents wanted some
thing done, and done promptly, SO
that schools would be safe if an
other quake should come. The State
Legislature passed a law requiring
all school buildings-neW and old
to meet certain construction stand
ards that few schools could then
meet. Los Angeles was on the spot.
Schools had to be either rehabili-
tated or rebuilt before they could
be used, and the tax structure
couldn't stand the strain.
The P. w. A. came to the rescue.
The school authorities applied for
P. w. A. loan of more than s5,000,-
600 and put up bonds as security.
incidentally, this loan-as well as
practically every other P. w. A.
loan-is now being paid back with
lnterestD They also asked for a
P. w. A. grant of more than S13,-
100000. The city and county were
able to furnish the balance of the
S34,000000 that was needed.
When the President approved the
application, things began to happen.
On the basis Of the credit estab-
liShed with the p w. A., the Los
Angeles officials began to let con-
tracts. Contractors began calling
for labor. Hundreds of men went
to work building new schools and
undermining old ones. They worked
for more than three years before the
job was done. For every two men
at work on the school buildings
themselves, about five men were
at work in factories supplying ma
terials.
These materials came from II
States. This one project in Cali
fornia had a national effect on en-
ployment and business activity. And
Los Angeles was able to build 536
strong, safe schools.
$500 New Schools Built.
Here again we can observe other
agencies at work in the same field.
The Works Projects Administration
was also on the job in Los Angeles,
for example. The w. P. A. built
some new schools in Los Angeles
with the labor of workers taken
from the relief rolls, and rebuilt
many others SO as to be safe from
earthquake shock. And all over the
country the w. P. A. has built over
$500 new schools, repaired over
$4,000 and erected over 900 addi-
tions to existing schools. Here
again we see the reasonableness of
co-ordinating the different agencies
that are doing work in the same
fields.
In talking of public works, one
naturally thinks of construction
of building up. There is one unit
OF the Federal Works Agency, how
ever, that is charged with tearing
down as we'll as building up. That
unit is the United States Housing
Authority. For every new dwelling
unit that the United States Housing
Authority builds for families in the
low income groups, one old dwelling
in "a slum must be eliminated.
How does the United States Hous-
ing Administration go about it's
business of providing low-cost hous-
ing? Under the Housing Act of
1887, the U. S. H. A. is able to make
loans to local housing authorities.
1t also makes annual contributions
to these local authorities in order
to keep rents down. The families
for whom this housing is provided
have very slim purses.
Under this procedure, the local
housing authorities are really the
prime movers. The U. S. H. A.
merely helps them to function by
making loans and grants -in-aid. A
local authority makes a survey of
loW-cost housing needs. Then it
applies to the U. S. H. A. for a
loan up to 80 per cent of the cost
of the project Ten per cent of the
cost must be raised locally.
How Rents Are Kept Down.
All such loans must be repaid,