Evening star., 1939-08-17
Officials
Protest P. ". A.
Personnel Cut
SO Per Cent Slash
In Stuff Ordered
By January

Employe representatives were pre-
pared today to protest the ordered so
per cent slash in the 2,472 local and
7,945 field personnel of the Public
Works Administration which is
scheduled to start September / as
the result of enforced economy
measures.
The protest against the layoff of
approximately $500 employees by
next January will be placed before
Federal Works Administrator John
M. Carmody by officers of Local 167
OF the United Federal Workers of
America, c. I. o. affiliate.
1t was foredoomed that such pro.
tests would be futile since the re-
ductlon is due to two conditions
over which the P. w. A. has no con-
troll. With the huge construction
program practically so per cent
completed, it is necessary to begin
tapering off, and the refusal of Con-
gress to provide additional funds for
an extension of the construction
program makes it impossible to plan
ahead OF the next session in Janu-
ary.
AK to Hit Coal Division.
Secretary 1ckes disclosed today he
plans further administrative econo-
mics In the Bituminous Coal Divi-
sion, successor to the old Coal Com.
mission transferred under the reor-
ganization plan.
To date, S250.0OO has been saved
In annual salaries, he said, by ad-
Justments and changes in admins
tratlon. Included in this amount
were the s15O,O0O in salaries of the
43 technical employees, mostly in
the upper brackets, who were dis
missed yesterday. I'VE will con.
tlnue to go along and administer
the Guffey Coal Act as economically
as possible" he added.
AS former P. w. A. administrator,
Mr.. Ickes joined today in blaming
the need for liquidating the huge
agency on the defeat of the Presi-
dents spending-lending program.
"A great many more men will be
thrown out of employment" he
warned. unless there is a very sharp
and immediate pickup in private in
dustry"
Because of the June 30, 1910. dead
line for completion of construction
in the P. w. A. and the refusal
OF Congress to provide for an ex-
tension OF the program, he said it
| was necessary to make a sharper
liquidation of the agency than for
merly. Even in the event a new
program is authorized after Con-
gress meets next January, Mr.. Ickes
pointed out, it would take at least
six months before industry would
realize any appreciable effect from it.
Other Dismissals Protested.
Dismissal of IS technical employees
of the Public Buildings Administra-
ton, another affiliate with the new
Federal Works Agency, also is being
protested by the Public Buildings
Local of the Federation of Archi-
tects, Engineers, Chemists and Tech
nicians.
Keeping pace with these moves IN
the direction of retrenchment, the
Works Projects Administration also
proposed to reduce its rolls from a
current total of about 100000 relief
workers to approximately 100000
by next spring. At least 100000 of
these furloughs will be due to the
new wage schedule which increases
the national average wage by $3.50 a
month.
Mr.. Carmody announced that the
reductions in the P. w. A. beginning
September / would be gradual, with
some being dropped on pay DAYS
each succeeding two weeks until the
so per cent goal has been attained.
No Other Course Seen.
In a prepared statement, Mr.. Car
mody said he had no other course.
Congress-" he said, has author
lied no new P. w. A. program. P.
w. A. simply has no funds to ad-
minister any program beyond next
June 30"
Officials estimated that P. w. A.
had only about S10O,0OOOOO remain
ing of the 1866, 100000 appropriated
for the 1888 program. At least half
the 6,l00 projects authorized under
that program have been completed.
Mr.. Carmody said that to effect
additional savings he proposed to
drop all backward projects unless
sponsors showed ability and willing
ness to complete them by the June
80. 1910, deadline set by Congress.
Work projects officials said that,
under the new wage schedule which
would go into effect September
and raise the national average of
w. P. A. pay, it would be necessary
to drop an additional 100000 en-
rollees between now and the spring
of 1910.
Alliance Objects.
Meanwhile, the Workers Alliance,
organization of unemployed and
w. P. A. employees, announced Ma
tion-wide Labor Day protest meet
lngS against reductions of SO to 50
a month which the w. P. A. had
ordered in the wages of its unskilled
workers in the North, East and
West
While expressing satisfaction with
increases ordered by w. P. A. in
wages of its enrollees in the South,
David LASER, president of the al
lance, said he believed the cuts in
wages in other sections were "a
great mistake and a grave injus-
tice."
l.80O W. P. A. Workers