Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1940-09-06
WORKMEN NOW
EMPLOYED in
DEFENSE PLANS

F. H. Dryden, State Administrator,
said today.
This number will soon be increased,
he added, as two additional projects
at Edgewood Arsenal and the Curtis
Bay Ordinance Depot have been ap-
proved and will soon be placed in
operation.
All WPA Projects at military and
naval reservations and National
Guard armories and camps are oper-
ated in cooperation with the Federal
military and naval establishments and
the Maryland National Guard. These
defense agencies sponsor and plan the
work and participate in the super
vision and direction of the WPA la
Dor.
The increase in WPA work on Ma
tional Defense projects is in line with
the national policy of this work agen-
cy, which is giving priority to all pro-
jects related to defense.
Maryland WPA. workers are now
engaged on Is active projects at mill
tary and naval reservations and Ma
tional Guard armories and camps
throughout the State.
Among the projects now in opera
ton is the rehabilitation, reconstruc-
ton and improvement of quarters, IA
cilities, utilities, roads and grounds
at Camp Holabird, and the rehabili-
tation of tools and equipment at this
post.
Replacement of worn out railroad
tracks and switches at the Curtis Bay
Ordinance Depot is another active pro-
ject which includes the removal of old
docks, drainage of the industrial area,
improvement of powder magazines and
similar work.
Workers are building post ex-
change at Fort George Meade and
undermining the water system, sewage
system and heating and electrical ia
cilities there. Other work at Fort
Meade includes the improvement of
roads, rehabilitation Of storage ia
cilities and similar improvements.
Buildings and facilities are being
renovated at Fort McHenry, and all
facilities at Camp Richie are being
improved and extended, including
rifle, machine-gun and field gun
ranges, the sanitary system, barracks
and other buildings.
The Pikesville Armory is the scene
of extensive WPA work including the
construction of motor maintenance
and equipment shops, the installation
of sprinkler system for fire pro-
lection and the development of a
motor maintenance area.
About 1000 WPA workers are en-
gagged in the development of the Bal
timore municipal airport, which was
recently designated by the Secretary
of War as important to National
Defense" Additional work is under
way at posts and reservations in var
ious parts of the State.
The WPA vocational training pro-
gram to teach workers trades in in
dustries vital to National Defense has
been in progress for several weeks,
Dryden said. This phase of the pre-
paredness program is in addition to
the construction work already men,
toned, Dryden pointed out.
Already a number of WPA workers
have advanced in their training cours-
es to the point that they are ready
for assignment to private jobs by the
Maryland State Employment Service.
This week, Dryden states, 25, or 80
trainees have recommended to the M.
s. e. s. as ready for placement.
The first group of classes still have
a couple of weeks to run, the State
WPA Administrator said, but some
workers completed their training
ahead of schedule. The latest ad-
dition to the WPA vocational classes
is that opened recently at Cumber-
land. Others are in operation at Bal
Clmore, HagerSCOWn, anu AHhdpollS
with an additional class scheduled
for opening at Salisbury in the neal
future.
Contraction of a hangar for the
10th Observation Squadron of the
Maryland National Guard is the lat
est defense project to get under way
Dryden said. Workers were assigned
to this project during the current weel
and the force will be increased al
need dictates. The hangar is being
built at the Baltimore municipal air
port.
"In considering current WPA worl
on defense projects" Dryden said
Mit must he remembered that here II