Show The Paradox of the W. W P. P A. A Depression Born it Repairs the Ravages of Prosperity and Nobody Profits Except the American People People- I Hinterland Made lade More l Modern l 1 t by Federal Works Yorks Projects Project s i By BJ DEAN R. R BRIMHALL Have you a friend who says Why Vh dont don't the unemployed do something useful If he wont won't shut up show him some Bom of the following figures and then tell him to look around around in in his own community Mr Mr Brimhall an n official official official cial in the employment division of the W. W P. P A. A points out that the popular conception of the W. W P P. A. A as an agency devoted to correctIng correctIng correcting correct- correct Ing the ravages of the depression is inaccurate On the contrary the unemployed are now actu actually making up for the ravages of prosperity The United States is a better place to look at since the federal works program started to to clean it up It is not only better looking than it was In 1932 it 1932 it is better better- looking than it was in 1929 It wasn't just the depression that left the country looking like a heap dump heap dump it was the old system of not doing anything no matter how much it needed to be done until some private individual could make mahe money out of it And that system dates a long way back into prosperity days Disintegration Began Early It is customary for us to think of the New Deals Deal's recovery program program program pro pro- gram as an attempt whether successful or unsuccessful according according according accord accord- ing to the point of view to repair the ra ravages of the depression This is only partly true A large part of the recovery program consists consists consists con con- of an attempt to stop the slide into ch chaos os that was blithely going on in the crazy days of so- so called prosperity The looks of America its America its visible visible visible vis vis- vis- vis ible apparatus of community welfare welfare welfare wel wel- fare its roads parks schools and so on are on-are are only part of the whole process of civilization And I wish to Lo indicate briefly that the he neglect and consequent disintegration of the whole process of civilization in America did not date from 1929 but began far earlier and was going going going go go- ing from bad to worse under cover covel of our so-called so prosperity Before the New Deal Dealt In 1935 we had about sixth one-sixth of the population of the country on relief How many of them got there because of the depression We Vie have now set up a social security security se Be- se- se program which provides so far inadequately for for people whose economic helplessness would not be cure cured by the return of the prosperity of 1928 These Include first of all the needy blind the needy crippled the needy aged and the needy mothers with dependent children requiring their care at home The he depression did not first create helpless and indigent old age age age- pros prosperity rity saw that tragic group growing into its vast proportions and looked away muttering its business incantations and did nothing There was no profit for anybody in providing for old age so it wasn't done So that large group can be chalked up to the debit side of prosperity Industries Deserted Our present workmen's compensation compensation compensation legislation dates roughly from World war days Many of our large numbers of blind and crippled men were blinded and crippled back in their youthful prime when private industry was still unhampered by any responsibility responsibility responsibility for its frightful accident rate They are the relics of those glad mad prosperity days when we just didn't bother about such things l All i over the country there are stranded towns and nd regions regions regions-in- in industrially dus dead because their industries in industries industries in- in have moved away leavIng leaving leaving leav leav- ing there a population with no work too poor even to move Now they are on relief But when were these towns deserted by business and left eft to die in lingering misery misery misery mis mis- ery 7 Back In the roaring rip-roaring days of Prosperity Prosperity Greed In some recent years a large proportion of our farm families families- more than a million of them them them- were on relief The great middle western drought came during the depression but it was not caused by the depression it it was caused by prosperity carelessness prosperity prosperity prosperity pros pros- greed prosperity neglect of our natural resources Altogether about half of the people taken care of by relief to today today today to- to day are How did i they get to be unemployable Chronic malnutrition and the diseases diseases diseases dis dis- dis- dis eases of poverty account for avast a 0 a avast vast amount of and these scourges were not first unloosed by the depression they depression they were already rampa rampanT nC r in prosperity prosperity prosperity pros pros- days It paid us to put our money into Wall street but it wouldn't have paid us to protest protest protest pro pro- test the nations nation's health so we let things slide The W. W P. P AH As Record to Date That is the background Coming Coming Coming Com Com- ing into the foreground let us ask aska a a. question about certain W. W P P. P A. A Jobs of improvement and repair on public buildings The W. W P P. A A. A has done such work on over buildings in the last two years besides constructing over new public buildings The question Is Does this work make up meret mere mere- t ly for depression neglect or for prosperity neglect too 7 There are areno areno areno no general figures to quote But anybody who has read the descriptions descriptions descriptions of work relief projects will recall phrases like these A rural school built In in 1882 has been entirely rebuilt Inside and out from basement to flagstaff flagstaff flagstaff flag flag- staff and is entirely modern An abandoned school building has been steel-reinforced steel and thoroughly thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- reconditioned for use A two-story two brick high school was built replacing one condemned con conS as unfit by the board oi of education The old municipal hospital was wasa a potential trap death-trap due to fire hazards The library was a Revolutionary Revolution Revolution- ary landmark and had fallen into disrepair The bats said a a. circuit judge have taken this courthouse and the court will not sit here until something Is done about it it It has now been thoroughly repaired and the judge can preside In dignity and comfort Swamp Reclaimed this Long this Is a familiar familiar familiar fa fa- phrase in the description of road projects A smelly garbage dump the resort of the city's flies rats and buzzards has been replaced by a handsome tile roofed incinerator It will no longer be necessary to dump sewage into open creeks from which cattle drink Five acres of swamp were turned into a playground These examples they examples they are all actual work-relief work projects not imaginary ones ones could could be multiplied multiplied multiplied multi multi- plied indefinitely And these disreputable disreputable disreputable dis dis- dis- dis reputable conditions of neglect date from prosperity days Private Initiative and amI Contractors Private initiative which initiative which boasts that it is the source from which all our blessings flow seems flow seems to have overlooked a lot of opportunities opportunities opportunities to increase the public welfare welfare welfare wel wel- fare back in prosperity days Our contractors who contractors who are now so in indignantly indignantly indignantly in- in complaining about W. W P P. P A A. A competition where were they then 7 They had no W. W P. P A. A to take tale the bread and jam out of their mouths then and why didn't all that new construction and improvement get done by them 7 Why did it have to wait for forthe forthe forthe the C C. C W. W A. A and the E E. E R R. R A. A and the W. W P. P A. A The magic of private initiative seems not to have worked in a lot of cases all allover allover allover over the country The profit in incentive incentive incentive in- in didn't get done a vast amount of public work that desperately desperately desperately des des- needed doing Figures Quoted One moment more for the con con- tractors They are not being neglected neglected neglected neg neg- by Uncle Sam and our our states counties and localities though you would think so to hear their cries of anguish Take a look a at t the figures The volume of contract public works construction all public works federal state and local exclusive of W. W P P. P A A. work approximately maintained the pre- pre depression level during the two years 1936 and 1937 IDS when W. W P P. P A A. was In full operation The average for the two years is about as compared compared compared com com- pared with the pre-depression pre annual annual annual an an- nual average of The volume of contract public work this year Is running about the same as in 1936 and 1937 On the other hand private construction construction construction con con- work during 1936 and 1937 was running at the rate of only three-eights three of the pre de level of Need For Houses For Houses In brief the contractors get practically as much public work to do now as they did in prosperity prosperity prosperity pros pros- days daysH It isn't Uncle Sam or our stat states s or towns that are arc letting them down If they are arc getting no ice cream on their pie it is for the lack of private buildIng building build build- ing jobs We need millions of houses hOllies and private initiative is fighting desperately to keep the federal government from building those houses even on a contract basis It wants to build those houses itself And why doesn't it go ahead and build them 7 Because Because Because Be Be- cause the houses most needed are arc for the low-Income low population who cant can't pay enough rent to tomake tomake tomake make such housing a profitable venture for private initiative Private Private Private vate initiative cant can't build the millions millions mil mil- lions of houses we need and so far it has prevented the federal government from building many of them And that is why the poor contractor sits weeping into his ginger ale It is his own buddies who have let him down the private private pd- pd vate initiators who didn't initiate and and wont won't let the fed federal ral government government government gov gov- initiate inItiate housing housing for the masses I Funny Prosperity It was a funny sort of prosperity prosperity pros pros- perl ty we had back in those pre- pre depression days It didn't mean much t to the three million unemployed unemployed unemployed in February 1929 when prosperity was at Its height It didn't mean much to the stranded communities left to perish while business went happily off to some someplace someplace someplace place where wages were lower It didn't mean much to a lot of towns that couldn't raise or borrow I 1 money to put up new school buildIngs buildings build- build in Ings s or lay a new now sewer But what pr private vate initiative was powerless to doin do in the heyday of prosperity the federal work program program program pro pro- gram began to do in the depth of the depression That work began under the C C. C W W. A A. A continued under the state E. E R. R As A.'s and is going on full tilt under the W. W P P. P A. A Roads Parks Schools Clothes In just the last two years under the W. W P. P A. A the unemployed rave nave built miles of new to market roads repaired miles mUes more Statistics such as these dont don't tell much What one needs is the imaginative power to conjure up the innumerable farming farming farming farm farm- ing communities to which a ten tenor tenor tenor or fifteen mile stretch of mud- mud holes has been the only way to get getto getto getto to town and multiply that all over forty-eight forty states Every road in the country has been in need of new bridges and culverts fo for safety The W. W P P. P A. A has built bridges and culverts and repaired more than you could shake a stick at at New roads look like a raw gash gashIn In the landscape The W W. W P. P A A. has landscaped beautified fixed up call It whatever you like nearly miles mUes of roadside so that now it is a pleasure to ride i along it Prosperity left us with a lot of old street car and railroad tracks scarring our streets The W. W P P. P A. A has torn up over miles of them and smoothed the places out In addition along our waterfront the W. W P P. P A A. A has built 81 new docks wharves and piers and improved others New W. W P. P A. A Structures How many new school buildings have been constructed by th the W. W P P. P A A. A Nearly sixteen hundred How many old school buildings repaired 7 Over sixteen n thousand New hospital b buildings constructed construct construct- ed ed 99 Reconditioned over New courthouses town halls and other administrative buildings 7 Over Old ones fixed up over 2000 Count Coun t in the firehouses I municipal l garages warehouses gymnasiums armories and other city county and state buildings and the grand national total comes to over improved repaired or constructed And over dangerous and unsightly old structures have been torn down often down often to make room for playgrounds or new municipal housing Sewer Projects Add in also over a thousand new playgrounds Hundreds of new swimming pools Fifteen hundred new wading pools for small chil chil- dren Three thousand new public tennis courts A hundred new public public public pub pub- lic golf courses Nearly new parks parIes with an acreage of acres Old parks everywhere made more fit for public use by toilet toilet facilities drinking fountains roads toads parking space picnic fireplaces drainage and landscaping These are some of the things that can be seen with the naked eye Underground there are nearly nearly near near- ly miles of new water mains and over miles of new storm and sanitary sewers Never mind the figures they figures they are are impressive enough enough on on landing landing landing land land- ing fields runways reservoirs and andI storage tanks municipal al utilities I of all kinds small dams levees drainage and rip-rap rip work on streams and rivers It has all been waiting to be done for a long time It took the unemployed to do it it Conserving the Land and People In prosperity days there never was enough time or private profit incentive to get around to conservation con con- work Now we are beginning beginning beginning be be- ginning to get around t to it Millions Millions Millions Mil Mil- lions of new trees have been planted on thousands of acres by bythe bythe bythe the W. W P. P A A. A Over a thousand miles of firebreaks have been cut cutin cutin cutin in our public forests Millions of acres of land have been cleared of noxious plants Insect pests lions of acres more Over eight hundred bird and game sanctuaries sanctuaries sanctuaries aries have been established People too pc poor or to t buy uy clothes for themselves and their children are arc found nowadays to a n great extent decently dressed in garments garments garments gar gar- ments made by W W. P P. P A A. sewing rooms The articles of clothing for men and women boys and girls and babies made in the thelast thelast thelast last two years have gone to people people peo peo- plo on relief people in public hospitals hospitals hospitals hos hos- orphanages es and other institutions Institutions institutions and to tg refugees from our great annual floods Feed Children To them too have gone the 24 pounds of food canned and preserved on W W. P. P A. A projects Also there are projects for teaching teaching teaching teach teach- ing housewives how to can and preserve for themselves W. W P P. A. A food also goes to W. W P P. A A. school lunches Education does not |