Evening star., 1939-07-21
Ruling Asked by W. p. A.
On Prevailing Wage
By the Associated Press.

The Justice Department has been
asked to decide whether the pre-
vailing hourly wage rate can be
paid on w. P. A. projects started
before the new Relief Act became
effective July l.
A committee from the United
States Conference of Mayors ad-
vanced the suggestion as COM
promise in the controversy which
has caused strikes on w. P. A.
projects in various parts of the
country.
Col. F. c. Harrington, w. P. A.
commissioner, disclosed Yesterday he
had asked for the ruling At the
same time he said the backbone"
of the strike had been broken with
the reopening Of projects in Min
neapolis.
Reports conficted on the number
of w. P. A. employees participating
yesterday in demonstrations against
provisions of the new law. The
Workers Alliance, union Of
w. P. A. employees which sponsored
them, said they we're not strike.
Figures at Variance.
Figures on the number partici-
pating as announced by the Workers
Alliance were at variance with those
of w. P. A. officials. The latter said
not more than 1000 took part in
New York, but the alliance declared
today the total was $4,000 1t said
the second largest number was 38 900
in Pennsylvania.
The alliance reported 800 900 per-
sons participated in demonstrations
in Is States and figures on other
States were still to come in. An
alliance statement said estimates
of participation based on absence
from work are entirely misleading" ."
Such temporary interruptions of
work as occurred we're incidental to
the workers getting to the place
where the demonstrations were to
take place" it said. Many thou
sands took part in demonstrations
In their off periods"
David LASER, alliance president,
made public a letter to Representa-
tive Woodrum, Democrat, of Vir-
ginla of the House committee which
investigated the w. P. A., asserting
the committees agents were trying
to learn the names Of those who
took part in the demonstration.
ut is peculiar and significant" Mr..
LASER said, that for two weeks
stoppages on w. P. A. involving more
than 100000 workers called by the
A. F. of l.. have been going on
throughout the Nation and your
committee has expressed no desire
to investigate that"
Arthur Garfield Hays, counsel of
the American Civil Liberties Union,
telegraphed Mr.. Woodrum protest.
ing Your request for a list" of w.
P. A. workers attending the protest
meetings.
Denies Making Request.
Mr.. Woodrum replied that he had
made no such request.
Il am very glad, however" Mr..
Woodrum telegraphed. that such a
list will be available, as 1 shall be
interested to have the names of
those American patriots and exem-
plars of the principle of civil lib
erty who met in Columbus Square
under the auspices of the Workers
Alliance to hang in effigy Mr.. Taber
and myself because of our efforts
to break up racketeering in the re-
lief program"
At the New York demonstration
an attempt had been made to hang
IN eff1gy Mr.. Woodrum and Repre-
sentative Taber, Republican, of New
York, another member of the in
vestlgating committee. Police pre-
vented it on the ground that it was
liable to cause trouble"
While the demonstrations were
going on Attornel General Murphy
spoke out against strikes against
the Government, saying in a press
conference yesterday that toleration
of such strikes would build up a
Fascist psychology and might be
"the beginning of the end"
Federal Intervention.
Mr.. Murphy and President Roose-
velt both have said w. P. A. strikes
1all Wlthln the category OF strikes
against the Government.
The Attorney General made the
comment when asked what should be
the Federal Government attitude
on disorders arising from such
strikes. His net reply was that the
Federal Government should step in
on request only-whenever Local
and State governments could no,
quell the disorders.
He made it clear however, that
there was no likelihood of the Fed.
eral Government acting to halt dis
orders so long as thev ""''ld be han
died by local authorities.
'1t would be bad" he said, fol
the Federal Government to need.
lessly step in unless there were com.
plete breakdown of local authority.