1940: Work-Relief In The United States

The outstanding development in the Work Projects Administration program during 1940 was the provision made for more extensive use of its organization and personnel in strengthening the defenses of the Nation. Legislation passed by Congress facilitated the cooperation of the WPA in the defense program and at the same time provided for continuance of its operation of the principal program of supplying jobs for unemployed persons in need. Concentration on defense work was encouraged by exempting projects that are certified by the Secretary of War or the Secretary of the Navy as important for military or naval purposes from many of the restrictions that usually apply to WPA projects, as follows:

(1) Certified defense projects may be exempted from the limitation on WPA expenditures for non-labor purposes to a state average of $6 per man per month, and the WPA is permitted to spend as much as $25,000,000 to supplement its usual non-labor expenditures.

(2) Certified defense projects may be exempted from the requirement that Federal expenditures for any public building in the construction of which the WPA participates must not exceed $100,000.

(3) Certified defense projects may be exempted from the requirement that sponsors pay 25 percent of the total cost of projects approved after Jan. 1, 1940, in any state.

(4) Certified defense projects may be exempted from the usual regulations concerning hours of work and wages of workers.

In addition, the WPA was authorized to undertake projects for the training of workers for nursing and for manual occupations in industries engaged in production for national defense purposes. A nation-wide vocational training project, sponsored by the Advisory Commission to the Council of National Defense and cosponsored by the United States Office of Education, was initiated in July and by the end of November was employing about 29,000 persons.

Recent legislation differs slightly in some other respects from the previous act governing the operation of the WPA program. The 1941 ERA act raised to $100,000 the limitation on the amount of Federal funds that may be used for any public building in the construction of which the WPA participates. (The previous act restricted expenditures to $50,000 and $52,000, respectively, for Federal and non-Federal buildings.) The recent act extended to wives of unemployable veterans and to veterans' widows who had not subsequently remarried, two provisions that previously applied only to veterans — preference in project employment and exemption from the requirement that all relief workers who have been continuously employed on WPA projects for 18 months must be dismissed. It also extended the previous act's prohibition of the employment of aliens to apply to members of any Nazi bund organization, to Communists, and to any persons who advocate, or belong to an organization which advocates, the overthrow of the United States Government.

Except for the legislative changes and the emphasis which the WPA itself has placed on defense work, operations during 1940 have been conducted in about the same manner as in previous years. Most WPA projects are sponsored by units of state and local governments — highway and park commissions, boards of education, and other municipal, township, county, or state agencies that are authorized to do the kinds of work for which they ask WPA assistance. Some projects, however, are sponsored by Federal agencies, such as the War and Navy Departments.

The community sponsors that cooperate with the WPA in undertaking project work also pay a considerable share of the project costs. During the fiscal year ending on June 30, 1940, the sponsors spent $494,000,000 for WPA projects, a sum which represented 26 per cent of the total project cost, and during the four months from July through October their contributions were made at a somewhat higher rate. The greater part of the sponsors' funds are used for materials, supplies, equipment, and other non-labor expenses. Nearly nine-tenths of the Federal WPA funds, on the other hand, are spent for the wages of project workers.

Workers on WPA projects are referred to the WPA by local public relief agencies. So far as is possible, they are assigned to jobs for which their training and experience fit them. They are paid monthly wages that vary according to relative costs of living in the three wage rate regions into which the country has been divided. Differentiation is also made in accordance with four community size groups (based on the population of the largest city in the county) and with five grades of skill required for the jobs (unskilled B, unskilled A, intermediate, skilled, and professional and technical.) These wages range from $31.20 a month for the least skilled workers in rural counties of the South to $94.90 for the most highly skilled workers in the largest cities of the northern and western parts of the country, where the cost of living is relatively highest. Nearly two-thirds of the WPA workers are in the unskilled wage classes. About 16 per cent are intermediate or semi-skilled, and 13 per cent are skilled workers such as carpenters and machinists. The rest of them are either highly trained professional and technical workers or supervisory employees not paid according to the project wage schedule.

The number of persons working on WPA projects in 1940 ranged between 1,650,000 and 2,310,000 per month on the average. Most of them were working on projects operated by the WPA, but relatively small numbers, varying from 45,000 to 85,000 during the year, were employed on WPA projects operated by other agencies of the Federal Government with funds allocated to them by the WPA.

The kinds of work undertaken during 1940 have been much the same as in previous years, except for the greater emphasis on activities that fit into national defense plans. Highway, road, and street work continues to provide about two-fifths of all WPA jobs. Most of this work is on farm-to-market roads. An increasing share of WPA road work, however, is being done on strategic highways and on roads giving access to airports, military reservations, and training centers. Much road work is also being carried on in areas where new defense industrial establishments are being located. About a tenth of the WPA jobs are on projects for the construction or renovating of public buildings, and another tenth are on projects for the installation and improvement of sewer systems, water supply and distribution systems, and other public utilities. Smaller percentages of the workers are employed on projects for the development of outdoor recreational facilities, the construction of airports, the conservation of soil, water, and other natural resources, and for sanitation.

WPA nonconstruction activities are also extensive. Education and recreation projects, welfare work (including sewing rooms), research and surveys, and work on public records provide jobs for white-collar workers and unskilled women workers: together they provide about a fourth of all WPA jobs, including most of those for women. (See also MUSIC.)

Some idea of the extent and variety of project accomplishments may be had from an inventory of the measurable items of work completed during the five years ending with June 1940. During this period, WPA workers constructed or rebuilt 517,000 miles of road. Most of this mileage (455,000 miles) was on farm-to-market and other roads in rural areas. The remainder was on streets in urban centers and on roads in parks or other public areas, such as military reservations. In connection with the highway improvements, 64,000 new bridges and viaducts were built, and 40,000 other bridges were reconditioned. Many of these thousands of miles of roads are among those designated as of strategic importance in the defense of the Nation.

WPA accomplishments in the form of new or improved airports are of importance to the national defense as well as to the expansion of air transportation services. By the end of June 1940, about 200 new landing fields had been developed, among them the large international air terminal in New York City, and a considerably larger number had been extended and improved. Nearly 2,000,000 feet of new runways had been built, and large numbers of airport buildings — hangars, administrative and terminal buildings, repair shops, and the like — had been erected or renovated. (See also AVIATION.)

Work completed through project operations during the five years ending in June 1940 included the construction of nearly 26,000 new public buildings and the renovation or enlargement of 71,000 others. Among the 97,000 buildings were 36,000 schools and other educational buildings; 12,000 auditoriums, gymnasiums, bathhouses, and other recreational buildings; and large numbers of hospitals, armories, town halls, firehouses, barracks, mess halls, and many other kinds of buildings. To improve and extend water supply and sewage disposal facilities in many sections of the country, some 11,000 miles of water mains and distribution lines and nearly 18,000 miles of storm and sanitary sewers were installed and 800 new water treatment and sewage treatment plants were built. Important contributions have also been made in the form of recreational facilities, such as parks, playgrounds, swimming and wading pools, tennis courts, and facilities for almost every kind of sport. In addition, much has been accomplished in the conservation of soil, water, and wild life, and in many other fields of construction activity.

Project accomplishments in the various nonconstruction fields are difficult to measure; unquestionably, however, they have resulted in considerable expansion of the public services available in many communities. Educational opportunities and leadership in practically every form of recreational activity have been provided through project operations. Workers on writers' projects have produced hundreds of books and pamphlets, and art project workers have completed thousands of easel paintings, fine prints, and works of sculpture. Millions of garments and other articles have been made in WPA sewing rooms for distribution to needy families and to public institutions, large quantities of food have been preserved, and millions of hot lunches have been served to undernourished school children. WPA nurses, laboratory technicians, and other health workers have assisted in medical and dental clinics and in giving tests and immunizations to school children. Other WPA workers have conducted research and statistical studies in many subjects, have assisted in the operation of libraries, have worked on public records, and have engaged in many other kinds of professional and clerical activities. See also ARCHAEOLOGY; SOCIAL SERVICE, PUBLIC: Current Volume of Public Relief.

1939: Work-Relief In The United States

The Work Projects Administration (Prior to its consolidation under the Federal Works Agency on July 1, 1939, known as the Works Progress Administration.) is now in its fifth year of operation. As a result of legislation passed by Congress in making work-relief appropriations for the present fiscal year, a number of changes have been made in the WPA program. Briefly stated, the chief changes are as follows:

(1) WPA project workers are now required to work 130 hours a month in earning their monthly security wages. Previously WPA workers were paid at the hourly rates of pay prevailing in the locality for work of a similar nature. They worked the necessary number of hours to earn their monthly security wage.

(2) Regional differences in the monthly WPA earnings schedule have been readjusted so as not to exceed regional differences in the cost of living. The readjustment was made primarily by raising WPA earnings in the South. As a result of the change the average WPA wage has been raised from approximately $53.00 a month to $55.00 a month.

(3) Sponsors' expenditures for WPA projects approved after Jan. 1, 1940, must average 25 per cent on projects in each State, but not necessarily on each individual project. In the last quarter of the fiscal year ending in June 1939 sponsors' contributions averaged approximately 21 per cent on a country-wide basis.

(4) WPA project expenditures of Federal funds for other than payroll purposes must not exceed $6.00 per month per worker in any state. Only in case of increases in the costs of materials can this limitation be raised and then only to a maximum of $7.00 per month per worker, the limitation that had previously been in effect.

(5) Newly proposed projects for the construction of buildings are not now undertaken if the cost is in excess of $50,000 in the case of a Federal building or if the Federal share of the cost of a state or locally sponsored building is in excess of $52,000.

(6) The Federal Theatre project was discontinued July 1, 1939.

(7) Sponsorship of projects through the WPA itself was discontinued as of Aug. 31, 1939. Local sponsorship has been secured for many of the music, art, writers and historical records project activities which previously were sponsored by the WPA as Federal projects and often operated with local cosponsorship.

(8) Project workers (not including veterans) who have been employed continuously on WPA projects for 18 months must be dismissed; such workers cannot be reassigned to WPA projects until 30 days after dismissal and then only if their eligibility for WPA employment is recertified and if jobs are available.

(9) Periodic investigation of the need-status of relief employees on WPA projects with the purpose of removing workers not in actual need are now made at least once in each six months.

Subject to these and additional minor changes, the WPA has continued operations along the same lines as in previous years. It has cooperated with communities in undertaking various public works and in providing different kinds of public services by putting unemployed workers from the relief rolls to work. WPA funds have been expended chiefly in paying the wages of the project workers; other project costs — for materials, equipment, and skilled and supervisory non-relief labor — have been borne chiefly by sponsors.

The sponsor of a WPA project must be a governmental agency, authorized to perform the kind of public work for which WPA assistance is asked. Project proposals are submitted to the WPA by such sponsors. After favorable review by the State WPA Administration, a project application is sent to the WPA in Washington for further consideration and if acceptable forwarded to the President who has final authority in approving WPA project applications. Local public relief agencies refer needy employable workers to WPA offices for certification of need and assignment to WPA projects. The needy unemployed are given project jobs according to their skills and within the limits of the funds allotted to the locality from the total WPA funds provided by Congress.

WPA wages vary according to comparative costs of living in the three WPA wage rate regions (Northern, Western, Southern); within each region, wages vary in four classes of counties (according to the 1930 population of the largest city); within each county, wages vary in five wage classifications (professional and technical, skilled, intermediate, unskilled A, unskilled B). WPA wages for the whole country now average approximately $55.00 a month. Of all Federal WPA funds expended during the past fiscal year, about 87½ per cent went to pay the wages of project workers; 9 per cent to provide materials and equipment; 3½ per cent to pay for administrative costs.

In net amount, Congress appropriated approximately $2,250,000,000 for WPA operations in the fiscal year of 1939 (July 1, 1938, to June 30, 1939). For WPA operations in the July 1939-June 1940 fiscal year. Congress has appropriated $1,477,000,000 together with balances of funds remaining from the prior act.

WPA accomplishment records, for projects completed during the fiscal year 1939, are available in the field of construction; but similar figures are not yet available in the non-construction field of WPA activities. These records show that on construction projects the WPA built or improved approximately 111,000 miles of roads and streets, most of this work being on rural roads of the 'farm-to-market' type. During the same period the WPA built or improved more than 26,000 bridges, laid over 4,000,000 lineal feet of drainage culverts, and performed a considerable amount of other work in improvement of the nation's streets and highways.

During the same period, WPA workers completed over 6,400 new public buildings (schools, hospitals, auditoriums, etc.), and made improvements on more than 17,700 others. In airport work, 52 new landing fields were constructed and 63 improved; over 460,000 feet of new runways were constructed. As public recreational facilities, over 600 new athletic fields, over 300 new parks (total acreage, 11,000), almost 500 playgrounds, over 250 new swimming and wading pools and nearly 1,800 new tennis courts were constructed, besides many others improved.

At the same time, WPA workers laid over 2,100 miles of new water mains, and constructed over 400 storage tanks, reservoirs and cisterns (total capacity over 237,000,000 gallons). Also 3,324 new storm and sanitary sewers were laid and 564 miles were improved. In flood and erosion control and conservation work, the WPA made over 350 miles of river bank improvements, over 1,000 miles of stream bed improvements, constructed almost 15,000 dams (other than storage or power), made nearly 800 miles of firebreaks, and almost 700 miles of fire and forest trails.

For non-construction activities there is available a record, published in 1939, of WPA accomplishment covering a three-year period, during which WPA workers in sewing rooms made over 180,000,000 garments and other articles for distribution to needy families; served over 238,000,000 school lunches to needy children; and in medical and dental clinics examined over 4,000,000 and treated over 3,500,000 persons.

Over 1,200 research and statistical studies were conducted, at the request chiefly of universities; and at the request chiefly of municipalities, over 750 planning surveys. Workers on WPA art projects produced over 96,000 paintings, sculptures and other art works. On the WPA writers project there were produced over 290 books and pamphlets, of which over 3,500,000 copies were distributed through regular book publishing firms. In one typical month, WPA orchestras and other musical units gave over 4,000 performances to audiences aggregating over 3,000,000 people. These activities are illustrative of WPA non-construction work in 1939, for which records of work done are not yet available. For Federal Theatre Project see DRAMA.

President Roosevelt, as a part of his Reorganization Plan No. 1, effective July 1, 1939, made the Work Projects Administration a branch of the newly established Federal Works Agency. With the WPA were grouped and coordinated the Public Works Administration, the Public Roads Administration, the Public Buildings Administration, and the United States Housing Authority, John M. Carmody was appointed Administrator of the Federal Works Agency. WPA work is now coordinated closely with all other Federal activities in the field of public work.

Under the same Reorganization Plan, the National Youth Administration, formerly a branch of the WPA, was transferred to the Federal Security Agency. See also LAW AND LEGISLATION; SOCIAL SERVICE, PUBLIC; UNITED STATES: Relief and Security.