Query: |
How many men are working?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I can't answer that specifically. I suppose there are about—a week ago there were about 388,000 C.C.C.'s altogether and I suppose about 15,000 paid out of the four billion on the 8th and 9th of July.
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Query: |
Are these your work relief people?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No. These are paid out of the four billion from all sources.
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Query: |
Is this 15,000 mostly administrative?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No. These are in addition to any administrative. This is the figure, 300,000 there on July 1st, 88,000 recruited since then and on the 9th of July, about 15,000 not administrative people on all projects, including Army and Navy, who are at work.
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Query: |
Isn't it true that the states are kicking a lot, saying that the Treasury Department and the Comptroller General's office are holding up these things two or three weeks?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No, I don't think it is two or three weeks. It takes some time to get the thing in, the money actually allotted and out again. I don't think it has been a very long time.
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Query: |
How about this list? I was wondering if this fell into your classification of useful projects. (United Press correspondent read list of projects for New York City printed in yesterday's New York Times.)
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Mr. Hopkins: |
You are talking about the Works Progress Administration. There are no money limits on what we can do on certain types of projects. There is money for recreation buildings, parks, etc., in New York City costing millions of dollars.
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Query: |
Does that appeal to you as useful?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
You have to know the details of these things. Yes, surely they are useful.
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Query: |
What is a sidewalk vault?
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Answer: |
As years go by, private individuals get possession of space and build vaults under the sidewalk and start to collect for them.
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Mr. Hopkins: |
This New York City project is very important. It is an important study in terms of building.
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Query: |
How do you determine the apportionments of aid given to the cities?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
Well, that is a research problem.
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Query: |
Do you consider these projects, like those in New York City useful, in the terms of the President's remarks about being self-liquidating?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
They are useful in the sense that they give the technical person a job in the kind of thing he can do, and they are useful in the terms of being something for the public interest.
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Query: |
Would you build a private recreation park with these funds?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No.
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Query: |
You build them for communities.
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Mr. Hopkins: |
Yes, we will build hundreds of playgrounds, parks, swimming pools, all publicly owned.
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Query: |
Did you stay you were going to build a new eight million dollar park in New York?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
We are going to build a great many parks, and provide other recreational facilities.
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Query: |
Is that in addition to the allocation already made for parks
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Mr. Hopkins: |
There is a substantial allocation in New York City for parks.
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Query: |
Have you any idea where this park will be?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
Yes, I know, but I don't want to say now.
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Query: |
Do your applications for parks and the like come direct to you?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
Yes. They come here first. Our people get them out in the States but they come to us.
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Query: |
Are these projects similar to this for other states, bringing up back records, etc.?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
Some of that, research projects for records. But that is very incidental to the whole picture.
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Query: |
What can you do with the material after you have it?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
All that kind of material of records is very important. It may be important to real estate. It may be important over 101 fronts, law suits, and so forth. No project of this kind will be done unless the local people officially submit the project as sponsors. The project is financed by us but we would not do a project of any kind anywhere unless the local public officials asked us to do it.
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Query: |
Would you say that was better than putting the money into a building?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No, I wouldn't say so. There are different types of skills. There are all kinds of people unemployed other than those capable of doing construction work. It is impossible to put all the unemployed on construction projects, so you have to have another kind of job, one which these other people can be employed at and have been employed at before.
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Query: |
From the standpoint of Buffalo, why five million to New York City and none to the up-state cities?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
Simply that up to date they have not come in here. The fact, however, that any city's projects are not in will not mean that they will not get their projects done because this money is being set up and allocated cities depending on their relief needs. They will get just as much money as if they got them in today. New York City has a certain mount of money they are going to get out of the four billion whether now or a month from now.
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Query: |
Then there is no excuse for the charge made in certain quarters that some cities are getting the cream?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No, there is nothing to that. New York City will get a certain amount whether it is now or a month from now.
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Query: |
Are you ready to tell us how the Farm and Market Road program is going along?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
There is nothing mysterious about it. We are going to have a person here and people throughout the country who will determine the need and desirability of those projects. We are going to build roads and see that those roads are built in the right places. I would say it is going to be one of the most important projects that will be carried out.
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Query: |
Will there be a separate road authority?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No. The Works Progress organization will handle it under the State Administrators.
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Query: |
Have you decided how much you will allot for this?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No, but it will be a very substantial sum.
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Query: |
When will these projects be approved?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
We will approve individual projects as they come in.
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Query: |
In addition to the 400 million?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
Yes.
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Query: |
Will the Bureau of Public Roads have anything to do with this?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
We will consult with them.
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Query: |
Is there any controversy on that subject? They don't care about having control of that?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No.
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Query: |
What information did you and President Roosevelt exchange on this?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
We discussed this and he is very much interested.
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Query: |
He gave indication that you were willing to allocate about 1/3 of your funds to this project? I thought I saw an announcement that the wages paid were to be State Highway Department wages.
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No. The wages will be fixed entirely by us. On all projects our wages are fixed.
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Query: |
You don't say who, here, is to be in charge of that?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No, I don't.
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Query: |
How are you going to meet this labor problem which has come up in two or three cities, where private contractors have gotten these contracts for work under the Works Program and have said they had to employ people on relief and have notified their employees some of whom have been with them for years that they can no longer use their services because they are not on relief?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
That will be handled, and it is not usual.
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Query: |
What about the Nebraska problem brought to your attention today?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
That is a tough one, but there are very few like it in the country. We will have to make some adjustment.
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Query: |
On this "Premium on relief business," I read something to the effect that this business was starting up a lot of new applicants for relief, and that there was evidence of that throughout the country.
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Mr. Hopkins: |
That is entirely contrary to the facts. The number of applications for relief is declining very sharply. There are one or two cities where that is not the case, but throughout the nation it is.
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Query: |
As a matter of fact that would not do so much good to get on the rolls now anyway, because the people on in May would get the first call. Isn't that true?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
These people are going to be taken from relief rolls, it is true, but not all the jobs can be filled that way
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Query: |
Secretary Ickes said today he had about 465 million dollars worth of applications. In view of that fact, are you going to have to keep the materials cost on projects down?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
It depends on where the money comes from. There are obvious limits of course.
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Query: |
Are you quitting relief November 1st?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I think about that time.
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Query: |
What will happen to the relief organizations?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
It will be a state and local organization by that time.
|
Query: |
What will happen to the State Relief Administrators?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
They are State employees and will stay right where they are.
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Query: |
What will happen when the State Relief Administrator is tied in with your Federal Relief, as in Michigan?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
He will probably be kept on. They are going to have to continue to have some relief work in Michigan.
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Query: |
Does that mean an end to Federal contribution on November 1st?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
Yes, about that time.
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Query: |
Hadn't you planned it would end by August 1st?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No.
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Query: |
Could you explain what various processes the project has to go through before the money is turned loose.
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Mr. Hopkins: |
When it comes down here from a state it comes to our office and stays here about 24 hours and we go over it to see whether anything not according to Hoyle is there. Then we send it to the Allotment Board. It goes before them and they approve it and then it goes to Budget Director Bell, who puts it on the President's desk. The President approves it, it goes back to Bell's desk and then goes to McCarl. McCarl signs the warrant and then the money can be withdrawn from the Treasury after, of course, the President signs it.
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Query: |
Doesn't McCarl get it first?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No. After the President signs it.
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Query: |
When are the first New York City projects going to start?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I hope right away. I know 40 million is available and the General can start any time he wants to.
|
Query: |
How much in project applications for the WPA in the States have you down here?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I should have that actual figure for you, but I would say, not counting the stuff that has gone through, probably 350 million dollars.
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Query: |
Do you know why the Allotment Board only meets once a week?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
There is no particular reason why they should meet oftener than that.
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Query: |
In Pennsylvania, we think we have quite a state. Have you heard anything from up there?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I think we are going to have very good program up there.
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Query: |
Is Gravell the State Engineer?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I think so but am not sure.
|
Query: |
Then everything is in good shape to have a good time and leave everybody happy?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I think so.
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Query: |
How about Fred Wilke?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I don't know him
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Query: |
Does your desire to stop relief on November 1st coincide with this President's desire to reach the peak in employment at that time?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
It is all in terms of a time schedule. We don't want to start this thing in such a rush that we start things we wish we hadn't. There is no trick as you know to get this thing going rapidly. They got it going in the C.C.C. One of the great advantage this has over that is you are not forced to put these people to work as rapidly because they are getting relief and you can take more time to work at it. Re should have all we are going to put to work on or about November 1st.
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Query: |
How many on August 15th?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I can't tell that.
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Query: |
You told us the first of July you expected to have all these state programs ready by August.
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I think we will.
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Query: |
Do you think you can get Iowa in?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
We can get them all in.
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Query: |
What about Maine?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
Yes, we can get Maine in.
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Query: |
Can you give us any estimate as to the number of unemployables that will be thrown back on the State November 1st.
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I would think about 20 per cent of the whole, not over five million.
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Query: |
Is the State Relief Director a State officer? Don't you furnish the state with money to pay him?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
Not always. The money is paid out of state funds.
|
Query: |
Don't you chose them?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No.
|
Query: |
What about organization on these projects, organization of workers? Is interference to be put up with their organization?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
It is all right with me. They can organize. There will be no interference.
|
Query: |
What is going to happen in these states that can't take care of their unemployables?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I think all of them can.
|
Query: |
Will you explain about this Housing rule? We had always understood there was plenty of construction people on relief rolls and Housing is now excepted. Secretary Ickes indicated he expected that exemption to be extended to other PWA projects.
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Mr. Hopkins: |
It is not a part of the contract to get them from relief rolls. We are going to get 90 percent from relief rolls where they exist. If we find in a city that there are not enough steel workers, carpenters, etc., on relief rolls, we will obviously exempt them. We want to take them from the relief rolls if we have them on relief rolls. Both relief and non-relief people are on the reemployment service rolls. If relief people are not on the rolls we will take them from the non-relief workers.
|
Query: |
Did you see the Governor of Montana today?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
No.
|
Query: |
Do you expect to see him?
|
Mr. Hopkins: |
No.
|
Query: |
Referring to Housing, these court decisions will make it much slower to get plans through won't they?
|
Mr. Hopkins: |
I hope not. I think it will be a shame if anything holds up that Housing program. I think it will go right through.
|
Query: |
You spoke of contributions by sponsors. I understand no contribution is in the New York set-up.
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Mr. Hopkins: |
You are not quite right on that, because the work is probably going to borrow more money from government than any city in the United States. You have to see the whole picture. We know how much money New York will put into this whole program.
|
Query: |
How much is that?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I can't tell you now but it is a substantial sum.
|
Query: |
Approximately?
|
Mr. Hopkins: |
I am not going to tell you now.
|
Query: |
How about the ratio for New York City of Federal contributions and loans?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I can't tell you the exact figures.
|
Query: |
Can't you tell us approximately how much it will be, 50 million or more?
|
Mr. Hopkins: |
More than that. You will see projects going through all the time where there are no contributions, but you have to bear in mind the whole picture.
|
Query: |
Are you going to cut the interest rate for LaGuardia?
|
Mr. Hopkins: |
I can't tell you that.
|
Query: |
I understand Secretary Ickes is holding up the entire PWA project for Louisiana because one of Senator Long's laws makes approval by the State Board necessary for PWA projects, and that same Board is going to have to approve the Works Projects.
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Mr. Hopkins: |
I don't think it does. We have 35 or 40 thousand people working in Louisiana today. I am not worried about that.
|
Query: |
This money New York City will contribute, is that in addition to what they will have to spend to take care of unemployment?
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Mr. Hopkins: |
Yes.
The meeting adjourned at 4:30
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