Evening star., 1939-12-30
P. WA. Delays
for
Hundreds
Late Reports Bring
2-Week Reprieves
Here and in Field

Public Works Administration ofd-
cials said today two-week reprieye
has been given 400 to $50 employees
in the Washington Offices and con-
siderably more than that number
in the regional offices who were to
have received notices of payless
furloughs in their pay envelopes
next Tuesday.
The reprieve was not so much as
good will gesture in view of the
approaching new year as it was a
matter Of necessity Reports from
many of the division chiefs in
Washington and in the field had
simply failed to reach headquarters
in time to take appropriate action.
For this reason. officials said, it is
only possible to estimate the num-
ber of employees who are to be let
out now on February /. instead of
January 15 A notice of two weeks
is the regular order.
Announcement yesterday that the
Forth Worth. Tex, and Omaha,
Nebr., regional Offices had been
ordered merged with the Chicago
Office on February was only
prelude of what is expected to come
during the remainder of the fiscal
year. Officials who discount hope
of new public works program
hnitnr oI1tbnri1nl hr,
that only skeleton staff will be
left.
4,748 Furloughed Since August.
From 10,400 employees in August,
when the first announcement of re.
trenchment was made, the P. w. A.
staff has now been reduced to 5,652.
To date, therefore, a total of 4,743
employees have been furloughed,
which is the official substitute for
fired"
The first big reduction came Sep
tember 2, when 2,l75 employees were
let out. OF that number. 416 were
employed in the Washington Offices.
An official report today fixed the
number of remaining Washington
employees at 1907, with 3,745 in the
field Offices.
To expedite matters every division
chief has been required to make up
new efficiency ratings to be used as
a basis for furloughing. If an en-
ploye is dissatisfied with his rating
officials said he has the right TO
take his case before the Board of
Appeals. Few changes are made,
however. when employees resort to
this measure.
With considerably less than 81 000,-
600 month to run the P. w. A.
administrative staff until the end
of the fiscal year. June &c. next.
it is expected additional furloughs
will be made each month. The
budget situation was complicated
during the fall when $4,000, 900 in
administrative funds were ordered
impounded
S4,000,000 Limit Foreseen.
After June 30. next, 1t is probable
that peak employment in the
agency will not exceed 1000 or more
employees at any time. Reports in
dicate that the Budget Bureau will
allow only $4,000 900 for administra-
tive expenses during the coming
fiscal year. For staff of 10.400
employees, Congress had allowed
100000 fund. That amount was
depleted at once by s4,000,000 to pay
obligations incurred during the pre-
vious fiscal year.
The June 30, 1910. deadline on
P. w. A. construction will find
nearly all of the 5000 or more prof.
ects completed There is talk Of
the P. w. A. being used to build
the hospitals which President Roose-
welt is to ask Congress to provide
for communities now lacking ade-
quate hospital facilities. But there
is also talk of the w. P. A. being
called in to do the job.
With chances of another public
works program regarded as very
slim. officials looking ahead to the
next fiscal year see nothing left but
a general dismantling Of the whole
| organization.