Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-07-02
District ". P. A.
To Boost Hours
OF Work
Number on Rolls
Must Be Reduced
From 9,7l4 to $500

District w. P "A. employees are
faced with longer working hours, it
was learned last night.
Under the Sl,755, 10000 relief act
signed Friday night by President
Roosevelt, District w. P. A. enrollees
will have to work 100 hours month,
In contrast to previous schedules
which ranged downward all the
way from 100 hours to only 81 hours
a month.
There were 9,914 w. P. A. workers
on the roll last month. This fig
ure must be reduced to about $500
during the month of July, according
to Ross Haworth, administrative as
sistant of the District w. P. A.
During the month, however, a Fed
eral roject-Gravelly Point Air
port-on the Virginia shore of the
Potomac will take 633 workers from
the District w. P. A. rolls, so it ap-
pears likely none of the w. P A.
men would lose their jobs here due
to the necessity of cut on the Dis
trict rolls. The airport project uses
both P. w. A. and w. P. A. workers
However, 285 w. P. A. workers on
Federal projects here will be able
to continue through the month of
July. but may have to be taken off
the rolls by August l, unless local
sponsors can be found for the pro-
gram. These workers, known as the
white collar" w. P A. group, are
divided in the District as follows;
20, music; 80, art: 176 historical rec
ords, and so writer's.
Prevailing Wage Cancelled.
The hours of labor for all local
w. P. A. workers will have to be ex-
tended to 100 month, beginning
Wednesday, when activity resumes,
because of a provision in the new
relief act conceling the prevailing
wage provision in the old relief bill
Under that provision. W. P. A. labor
was paid the hourly wage pre-
vailing' in community In doing
so the w. P A. employee usually
worked shorter hours, however, than
organized labor, because he could
be paid only certain maximum
each month.
The changes in hours of work,
and in wages under the new relief
act. as applied to District workers,
were developed yesterday by Mr..
Haworth, who conferred with Com
missioner George E. Allen, w. P. A..
administrator for the District.
Unskilled workers who formerly
were paid $48 a month. and labored
120 hours a month, now will be paid
S4810 a month, but will have to
work 100 hours.
Semi Skilled Labor.
Semi-skilled labor, which formerly
received SOL 20 for 80 hours work,
now will receive $61 10 for 100 hours.
Skilled labor, formerly paid &C
cording to their craft scales from
S72 up to SIS go month for about
70 hours work. now will get a fiat
rate of S74.10 for 100 hours.
Professional and technical work
ers, who formerly had to work only
Sd hours month for rates ranging
from s80.64 to S82 08, now will have
to almost triple their hours of
work. raising them to 100 hours,
and will receive a fiat payment of
$3.50.
Asked if this professional class
change might result in throwing
some of them out of work because
OF the much longer hours required,
and the consequent result of more
accomplishment, Mr.. Haworth ex-
planned there had always been a
shortage of this type of profess
sional worker, and he estimated
there would be no dismissals be-
cause of the longer hours and more
work accomplished
The quota for the District in
July it was explained, amounts to
1888, 900. including expenditures for
materials and other non labor items
of $500,