Digital Arkansas City

Arkansas City, Kansas

Red Cross Scrapbook 1934: page 13 - January/February

Title

Red Cross Scrapbook 1934: page 13 - January/February

Subject

Great Depression, 1929-1939

American Red Cross

Food relief--Kansas

Unemployment

Description

A page from the 1934 scrapbook of newspaper clippings from the Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler, dated from January 25th, 1934 to February 22nd, 1934. The scrapbooks were created by local Red Cross volunteers. Articles during the Depression years covered food and other relief efforts, and documented unemployment issues.

Creator

Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler

Source

Arkansas City Public Library, Arkansas City, Kansas

Publisher

Arkansas City Public Library, Arkansas City, Kansas

Date

1934-01-25

1934-02-22

Contributor

Red Cross volunteers

Rights

Used with permission of copyright holder. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.

In Copyright In Copyright

Format

application/pdf

Language

English

Type

Clippings

Identifier

RC34012

Coverage

Cowley County, Kansas



Citation
Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler, “Red Cross Scrapbook 1934: page 13 - January/February,” Digital Arkansas City, accessed March 29, 2024, https://arkcity.digitalsckls.info/item/72.
Text

LAY OFF CWA MEN
2-22-34
COUNTY’S QUOTA REDUCED FROM 1,236 TO 1,038.
Bill Walker Wants It Known He Didn’t Have Anything “To Do With It.”—-Those Least Needing Work Go.
“I want you to tell the people of Arkansas City that I didn’t have anything to do with this, it was all done at Winfield,” County Commissioner W. F. (Bill) Walker told a Tribune reporter who went to the CWA headquarters this morning to find out how many men here will be removed from the rolls under the new order which reduces the county quota from 1,236 to 1,038. “Some of these ‘smart’ people are going to have to figure out how to feed the men who will be laid off,” Commissioner Walker told the group of men who were gathered around him.
He charged that the CWA project will soon become an administration project with all the money being spent in the offices, and none of it being used to provide work for the unemployed.
One of the employees in the CWA office stated that the workers were notified of their discharge from headquarters at Winfield and that the local office didn’t have anything to do with it. At a desk nearby a typist was preparing a list of men who have been “cut off.” The list appeared to contain about 125 names.
L. L. Petticord, county CWA administrator, announced Tuesday that beginning tomorrow, 200 CWA workers will be removed from the rolls in Cowley county. Mr. Petticord received a telegram Tuesday from John G. Stutz, state CWA administrator, which reads as follows:
“Your quota is 1,038 for all local state and federal projects chargeable to your county, effective the week beginning February 23. Give 14 men to the rural sanitation pro-ject in your county.”
This order reduces the county quota from 1.236 to 1,038 workers. Mr. Petticord explained that the CWA workers to be taken from the rolls in the county will be those who are least in need of work. They will include farmers in the rural districts, and in homes where there are two men working on CWA projects one will be removed.
The order which came from the state CWA headquarters at Topeka followed a statement made Saturday by Harry L. Hopkins, CWA administrator at Washington. Information from Washington stated that the civil works administration plans to drop 572,500 persons Friday instead of 400,000. Mr. Hopkins’ instructions to state ad-ministrations were to the effect that to accomplish the necessary reductions they should lay off those needing employment least.
He also instructed the state administrators that the hours of work will be 24 per week in urban community and 15 in rural areas and the open country.
R. H. Rhoads, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, stated that he believes the men who will be laid off the CWA projects will be eligible for PWA work. He also said that an attempt will be made through the local re-employment office to provide jobs for the men discharged from the CWA and who have nothing else to do.
Machinery for Appeal On CWA Discharges
Machinery to provide a method of appeal for CWA employes who are discharged is being set up by the federal civil works administration.
Any employe who is discharged for any reason is now entitled to a hearing before the local civil
works committee. He may be represented before the board by a defender of his own choosing.
Claims should be filed with L. L. Petticord, county civil works administrator, who will arrange for meetings of the committee to hear the complaints.

Original Format

Newspaper clippings on scrapbook page