Evening star., 1940-11-04
Williams Denies =
Lawrence Version
0fApprentieeships
Commentator Refuses,
However, to Accept
N. Y. A. Explanation
Mr.. David Lawrence,
United States News,
washington, D. G..

Mr.. David Lawrence,
United States News,
washington, D. c.
Dea, MI Lawrence: xasM.
Several fragrant misstaternents of
facts were made in your column
which appeared in The Washington
Evening Star of Friday, November
/, 1910. I regret that you made no
inquiry of me before publishing
these misstatements, and I hope
you will be fair enough to retract
your allegations.
Your column says in part:
aubrey Williams and his asSo-
ciates in the National Youth Admin
iStration were given an excellent
plan for the training of youths as
apprentices in connection with
mechanical trades. The plan called
for an expenditure of $6,000,000 in
Government funds. The appren-
tiees were to be placed in private
plants, and boys from 18 years of
age up were to be selected. When
Mfr. Williams came back from-a- con-
ference at the White House, the
President had insisted that the ap-
prentices be started at the voting
age of 81 and over, that high
schools be used and that the appro-
priation be increased to $40,000,000
It Is reported that this money has
been allocated to States doubtful as
to electoral votes in the present
election. The principal expert in
the National Youth Administration
who had recommended the plan
became so disgusted with this ex-
hibition of politics that he resigned
and went back home"
Suggestion for Restriction Denied.
The widely known facts are:
!. The National Youth Admins
tration has nothing to do with ap-
prenticeships and is not authorized
by law to train youths as appren-
tices in the mechanical trades.
2. No suggestion was ever made
or entertained, to my knowledge, to
restrict N. Y. A. projects either in
school or out of school to youths of
21 and over. t.--
3. The National Defense Advisory
Commission and the Budget Bureau
recommended an appropriation of
$4,000, 900 to the NJ Y. A., to be used
to expand its work experience pro-
gram. in lines deemed vital to the
preparation of young people for
eventual national defense industries
and activities. The President rec
commended this to Congress and
Congress, after full hearings, appro-
priated S32 500, 900 to the N Y. A.
and S7,500,000 to the Office of Edu-
cation for the specific purpose of
giving theoretical mechanical train
ing to the National Youth Admins
tration workers.
ALLEGATION of Money.
4. The national defense money
appropriated to N. WA. in October
has been allocated among the States
in the ratio of the States youth
population to the Nations total
youth population. The same youth
population ratio was used in dis
tributing the regular fiscal year ap-
propriations for the current year.
This ratio was written into the N.
Y. A. Appropriation Act in 1910 by
Congress and We have no power to
vary allocations among the various
States.
5. No expert" in the N. Y. A.
recommended any such plan as you
suggest.
1t may interest you to know that
all apprenticeship problems are ham
died, so far as the Federal Govern
ment is concerned, by the APP
premiership Committee in the Labor
Department. The actual mechanics
of apprenticeship, of course, are de-
cided upon in agreements between
unions and employers.
am sending this to you by mes
senger and I suggest that in the
interests of fairness, you should print
a correction in the papers in which
your column appeared, before No
vember 5.
am sending copy of this letter
to The Washington Evening Star.
Sincerely yours.
AUBREY WILLIAMS,
Administrator.