Work Relief Administration Press Conferences
Index  |  Publishing Information

Press Conference
Howard 0. Hunter
August 22, 1940
3:00 P.M.

Mr. Hunter:	I thought you might possibly be interested in the national defense work of the WPA as it stands today, and we have had prepared a list, by states, and by defense agencies, of the amount of money spent on direct national defense projects for the entire period of the WPA, so that the total can be shown, as well as the new projects certified by the War and Navy Departments as of today. Of course, it is true that WPA was not originally set up as a defense agency, but $420,000,000 has been spent on facilities for the Army, Navy and Coast Guard, directly related to national defense. Rigid priority is going to be given to WPA projects which may have military value, and probably will in some places go to the extent of closing down other projects that are not directly related to national defense. The main types of those will be airports, and in addition to civilian airports that the Army has certified as important to national defense, we will build some new airports for the Army, and Navy direct. For instance, in Maine, there are six new airports and six more probably in the State of Maine alone—one important one at Bangor will get under way as soon as the city secures certain property. Then there is Lowry Field near Denver, Colorado.
Query:	What are you going to do—build a newer field?
Mr. Hunter:	No. We are extending that. We are extending existing runways and building several new ones. About nine miles away is another field we are connecting. That is the one we will probably extend now about sixteen hundred acres.
Query:	Are you certifying whatever the Army and Navy says?
Mr. Hunter:	Yes. We get these lists from the Army. The next step is drawing exact plane for the airports. The certification by the Army and Navy is important only in those projects which require additional WPA funds over and above the legal limitation on other projects. They will not certify to us all projects necessary to national defense, only those where they need additional WPA funds. We have two limitations in the Act—one requiring a twenty-five per cent contribution from the sponsor, the other limiting non-labor costs. The main airports that are new are those in Maine and those on the west coast, and certain ones in Florida. We have just reached an agreement with the Bureau of Public Roads and the War Department wherein important military highways are to be worked on by the WPA and Bureau of Public Roads. The two main classifications in the group of roads are, first, a network system which the War Department thinks is necessary for military transportation purposes. Those are nearly all known as Federal aid roads. In the majority of cases they need shoulder widening and bridge strengthening, necessary for civilian and Army transport. We will be called upon to do this work on those roads. The second group is roads into military reservations. The extent of that work depends on how much and how rapidly the Army increases its personnel in regard to new camps.
Query:	In view of those facts and in view of the money you are no making available for national defense, do you have any idea as to whether your appropriation will last more than the eight months you are permitted to spend it in?
Mr. Hunter:	That depends on unemployment and relief, rather than on projects. We will probably have from six to seven hundred thousand workers on direct national defense projects. They could be kept on the projects for eight or twelve months.
Query:	Mr. Hunter, in another section of this general military picture, we have been advised by the Chief of Staff, in connection with this proposed conscription legislature and bill to increase the National Guard, that some work has been done on housing. Could you break that picture down?
Mr. Hunter:	As far as the WPA goes. The WPA Research Project has just finished a study of some twelve communities which was requested from us by the National Defense Council. It was a confidential study, but they may release it. The only thing I can say is that in the majority of those cases they indicate an acute housing need. We will do that any time we are asked to do it, but we won't go into the building of those houses. The WPA probably would be willing to build stores, sidewalks, sewers, etc.
Query:	Are you spending any of that $29,000,000 from the President's blanket fund?
Mr. Hunter:	No. The training courses that are going on—training of people for specific war industries—are financed by WPA and the Office of Education under the supervision of the National Defense Council. We expect to have fifty thousand people from the WPA in those schools by the first of October. There are about twenty-five thousand people in them now, and approximately an equal number of unemployed people more on WPA. We intend to continue that through the spring. I can't say how many people are needed in each occupation. You can get that from Mr. Felt.
Query:	You mean those are WPA schools where they train people who are on WPA?
Mr. Hunter:	They are not WPA schools. They are state vocational schools. There is an agreement that one-half of the people in those schools will be from WPA rolls and we pay them during the training.
Query:	In your remarks about the network of roads—do you happen to recall if that calls for any extensive work on the highway from Washington to New York City?
Mr. Hunter:	No. The list of specific roads has not been released by Mr. McDonald yet. We have an over-all statement that it involves from seventy to seventy-five thousand miles of main highways. There is some talk going on involving parallel highways for troop and truck movements.
Query:	Anything specific about Washington and Baltimore?
Mr. Hunter:	No. McDonald may have that now.
Query:	How much do you expect to spend this year on roads?
Mr. Hunter:	I don't know. Normally about forty percent of our projects have on roads. I doubt if it will be that much this year, because of the expansion of airports. I would think road work would be limited to the next several months at least to national defense.
Query:	Those twelve airports in Maine—won't that be the biggest state in operation?
Mr. Hunter:	At the moment, as far as airports go.
Query:	How big are those airports to be?
Mr. Hunter:	The one at Bangor will be at least a mile square.
Query:	Did you say there was to be twelve new airports?
Mr. Hunter:	Yes. The places in Maine designated for these airports are—Lewiston, Auburn, Augusta, Bangor, Biddeford—
Query:	Is Biddeford new?
Mr. Hunter:	I don't know which are the new ones. Brunswick, Caribou, Houlton, Millinocket, Princeton, Rumford, Sanford, Waterville and Portland—I know that is an extension.
Query:	Are these civilian or military?
Mr. Hunter:	Probably be technically sponsored and owned by the locality. Some of them will be actually run by the Army.
Press:	That is thirteen.
Mr. Hunter:	Yes. Portland was Just added as an extension project.
Query:	Could you say this involves new relations with Canada?
Mr. Hunter:	No.
Press:	That wouldn't be a bad guess.
Query:	Were they suggested by the Army?
Mr. Hunter:	Yes.
Query:	Can we get a list of those airports?
Mr. Hunter:	Yes. I will be very glad to give it to you, but we will have to check with Major Wilson of the War Department. Everything on this list is not a project in operation. Some of them are brand new ideas.
Query:	On this road question—will they be the same type of straight bee-line roads?
Mr. Hunter:	I would think they would need a great deal of curve straightening. Those plans will be in the hands of the Bureau of Public Roads.
Query:	Don't the Army engineers cooperate with the Bureau of Public Roads on housing?
Mr. Hunter:	Yes.
Query:	Do you know how much this Maine proposition will run in money?
Mr. Hunter:	No, but you can get the figures on the six we have approved.
Query:	In the list you gave us it says airports and other airways $1,418. It must run into more money than that. (Laughter)
Mr. Hunter:	The Maine figures are $472,000. That is not the total of those six. Some of them were just approved yesterday. The second sheet gives the projects we have approved since August 1—$472,000.
Mr. Felt:	We can get you the over-all. That covers only one two-week period.
Query:	Hasn't there been fussing back and forth about what is a military airports? Have you got that straightened out?
Mr. Hunter:	We don't straighten that out. The Army does. That Seattle airport is important we are working on in Snohomish County—about a $2,500,000 airport project. They use this county airport for a take-off to Canada and Alaska.
Query:	That is an Extension project in Seattle for the Army?
Mr. Hunter:	That is right.
Query:	As you review the recent airport designations in your mind, does it seem a majority have been sprinkled along the Canadian border?
Mr. Hunter:	No, but a majority along the east and west coast, the majority of new ones.
Query:	Not so many in central states?
Mr. Hunter:	Scott Field is one. The Texas border has a number of airports we have worked on in the past and will work on. San Antonio is one of the largest. One of the largest for the Army direct is in Florida.
Query:	Airport?
Mr. Hunter:	No, air base.
Query:	What are those on the west coast?
Mr. Hunter:	Seattle. McChord Field, Which is the Army's own training field, in the same county.
Query:	How much money have you spent on this?
Mr. Hunter:	$2,500,000 in Snohomish County.
Query:	You mean $2,500,000 spent or allocated?
Mr. Hunter:	No, spent.
Query:	—and you are going to put an additional million in there?
Mr. Hunter:	Yes.
Query:	Where are some others on the west coast?
Mr. Hunter:	Los Angeles. There are three in California being used for flying schools—Ontario, Hemet. One at San Diego, Glendale, Santa Maria. I don't think the Los Angeles airport has been designated.
Press:	Yes, it has been designated.
Query:	You mean there is one at Long Beach, one at Los Angeles and one at Sacramento? Are these new or extensions?
Mr. Hunter:	Extensions. There are not many brand new airports we are starting at the moment—those in Maine and one in Florida are the only virgin airports.
Query:	Are you doing any underground work? (Laughter) Any underground hangars?
Mr. Hunter:	Not yet. We haven't been asked to. The WPA position is that we will build projects for the defense agencies rather than initiate them ourselves. We are pretty nearly able to do any construction work we are asked to do.
Query:	The six or seven dollar a day limitation on is out?
Mr. Hunter:	Yes.
Query:	You wrote a letter to a member of Congress in which you said there would be an investigation and report. Is that going to materialize?
Mr. Hunter:	Guarantee it by Saturday. The Regional Director from San Francisco is in the office, if you want to talk to him. The investigation has been completed .
Query:	Has the finger been put on anybody?
Mr. Hunter:	No. I can tell you what the report will show. It will show first whether this business should have been destroyed and administrative procedure used in destroying. I think the State Administration was correct in saying it should be destroyed. We are wrong in things like this. Regulations say if you destroy a galvanized can you must mash it and beat it out of shape and they have knocked holes in it.
Query:	You agree it was wrong?
Mr. Hunter:	Yes. There was only one thing to come in on the report—the final agreement as to the exact valuation of this material.
Query:	You are not trying to find out it they destroyed stuff that was useable?
Mr. Hunter:	They did not follow regulations.
Query:	You are satisfied the material should have been destroyed?
Mr. Hunter:	Yes.
Query:	How many WPA workers are there now?
Mr. Hunter:	1,706,000.
Query:	How many are waiting for jobs? This number are working now?
Mr. Hunter:	Yes, according to last week's report the September authorization for WPA is 1,700,000. About 1,000,000 waiting. At this point the conference adjourned. Reported by: Mrs. Bishop Mrs. Lennon