Evening star., 1941-06-20
District Heads
Seek Solution
In ". P. A. Cut
Hunter Indicates
50 Pct. Reduction
Will Stand

District officials today struggled
with the problem of what to do with
the 1000 project workers scheduled
to be cut off the local w. P. A. rolls
July /, in the light of a declaration
by Federal w. P. A. Commissioner
Howard o. Hunter yesterday that
he felt the cut relatively fair, in
dicating he planned to make no
change in the Districts quota cut
In discussing the reduction ma
tionally from 1,415,000 to 1000, 900
IN the number of w. P. A. project
workers, at a press conference, Mr..
Hunter revealed that the so per
cent cut ordered for the District
and Connecticut would be the high
est in the country.
Commissioner John Russell Young
previously had protested that the
national average for the impending
reduction of w. P A. roofs would be
only % per cent, whereas the Dis
trict had been given so per cent
slash. Also. he had declared he
could not see how persons dismissed
here would be able to get jobs with
the Federal Government or with
private industry where employment
is on the increase due to the ma
tional defense program, He also
had made the point that direct
relief could not be given by the
District to employable persons be
cause of the limitation of relief
funds.
Foresees Some Suffering.
Asked about these points, Com
missioner Hunter said the w. P. A.
slashes were predicted on increasing
business and industry and that the
Federal w. P. A. could not consider
whether the State or local COM
munity provided relief.
Mr.. Hunter admitted that prob
ably many of the 1000 persons fac
ing dismissal would not be able
to find jobs, and he added there
probably will be some hardship and
suffering" On the point that the
District Government does not have
funds for relief of employable
persons. the Federal w. P. A. Com
missioner said that's too bad"
Earlier he had made clear that
responsibility for persons unable to
find work must rest with local au-
thOrltleS.
Mr. Hunter chided the District
Commissioners for apparently show
ing more concern-as he character
lied it-in their first public state
ments on the cut for the loss OF
w. P. A. services to District agencies,
such as cleaning work at Gallinger
Hospital" than they were about the
plight of the 1000 w. P. A. workers
to be dismissed.
Stressed Hardship.
In their first statement on the
quota cut, the Commissioners gave
out a tentative plan by District
w. P. A. Administrator Paul Ed
wards showing that of the remain
ing 1000 workers, some 5000 would
be used on projects certified under
the national defense program or on
projects closely related to national
defense. However, in their comments
to reporters at the District Building,
the city heads stressed several times
that they feared most of the 1000
dismissed workers would face hard
ships. being unable to get new jobs
on relief. Commissioner Young went
so far as to say he feared some
would face starvation.
Mr.. Hunter admitted in response
to questions, that the Districts so
per cent cut would be the highest
in the country, but added that he
believed 'fairer" comparison would
be with July l of last year. On that
basis, the District would rank
fourth highest in the country with
q 5e4 per cent cut, he said.
Commissioner Hunter told the
conference that the writers, art and
music projects would be continued
here and elsewhere, although Dis
trict w. P. A. Chieftain Edwards
had estimated these would have to
be dropped. Declaring he believed
these projects helped to maintain
national morale, Mr.. Hunter said
he had not seen Mr.. Edwards ten
tative list, but emphasized that the
projects in these brackets would be
retained here. He laid particular
emphasis on the writer's project,
which, he said, engaged in impor-
tant work that must be finished.
Cites Gravelly Point Work.
Asked why projects certified as
essential to national defense were
not financed directly by the Gov
ernment instead of by use of w. P.
A. workers, Mr.. Hunter said he
would be pleased if it could be done
that way, but that since it was not,
the w. P A. was being called upon
because it is the only available
a gency and has the necessary work
ers.
He added that the Army legally
could construct airports and access
roads only on Government reserva-
tions, and pointed out that great
majority of the w. P. A. defense
projects dealt with that type of
work.
He also pointed out. in this con-
nection, that the biggest w. P. A.
defense project at present is at the
new airport at Gravelly Point, and
that he expects this work to be fin
Ished within the next two or three