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CWA WORK
IS REDUCED 50 PER CENT
—1-19-34
15-Hour Week Is Ordered In Place of 30-Hour Week
STARTS AT ONCE
National Program of Reduction Ordered by Washington
Cowley county was faced with a drastic restriction in its civil works program Friday as an emergency order cutting all employes from a 30-hour working week to a 15-hour week was received this morning by L. L. Petti-cord, county CWA administrator.
The telegram, cancelling all previous instructions, left the sit-
uation here in something of a muddle as an announcement from Washington a short time before had prescribed a 24-hour week for cities of 2,500 and over and a 15-hour week in the smaller communities. It was signed by John G. Stutz, state civil works administrator, and was effective today.
Faced with a shortage of funds, the national CWA administration issued its reduction order in an effort to continue the program until Feb. 15, the date set for its expiration. President Roosevelt is sponsoring a bill to extend the life of the CWA until May 1 with a new appropriation by congress.
Heavy Payroll Cut
The reduction in hours will affect 1,236 workers in the county and will mean a cut of about $8,-000 in the weekly payroll, or approximately $4,500 a week for the Arkansas City district.
The program was continued on its former basis Saturday, with employes working the usual six-hour day. If the 15-hour week order is not changed, they will work only nine hours during the remainder of the week. CWA working weeks start on Fridays.
The restrictions are expected to bring a flood of protests into Washington adding speed to ac-tion on ike new appropriation.
Job-Giving Halted
All civil works job-giving throughout the country, where many applications for work still were being filled, was called to a halt. The only exception made was for replacing workers who had quit and been paid off. About 4,000,000 CWA employes in the country are affected by the cut.
In issuing his latest order, Harry L. Hopkins, federal relief administrator, cancelled directions issued last Monday whereby 500,-000 jobs would have been added
through cutting in half all 30-hour weeks in smaller communities and rural sections and hiring an equal number of men on 15-hour weeks. This would have been effective in communities of less than 2,500.
CWA WORK CUT
BY 50 PER CENT
Continued from Page 1, Col. 1
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Although Mr. Stutz’ telegram specifically prohibited any rotation on CWA projects, local civil works officials predicted that a general plan for staggering em-ployment would result from the present policy when the new appropriation was granted. Rotation hitherto has been prohibited and an attempt by the county re-employment committee to intro- duce the plan here was quickly
halted.
Most of the local CWA authorities have favored a staggering plan that would permit their working twice as many men, each group being employed on alternate weeks. The number of unemployed registered in the county is more than double the county CWA quota.
Clerical, supervisory and professional workers who heretofore have been working 30-hour weeks | will have their pay-time cut to 30 hours under the new schedule. The halt called by Mr. Hopkins Thursday to further purchases of material for CWA projects has no effect here.
Miss Brady’s Offer to Quit Is Not Accepted
Miss Martha Brady, county case supervisor, offered her resignation at a closed meeting of the case workers and county commissioners Thursday afternoon, but it was not accepted by Commissioners R. B. Hanna and James Grant. Miss Brady’s offer to resign came as a result of accusations of W. F. Walker, county commissioner. and a group of persons on the relief list. Word from state authorities indicated that if Miss Brady resigned, all relief work in the county would be stopped until a qualified person could be found to take her place.
CWA QUOTA
IS CUT AGAIN
150 More Will Be Taken Off Rolls After This Week 2-27-34
The quota of CWA workers in the county will be reduced this week to 903, a cut of approximately 150, County Administrator Petticord announced Tuesday.
Members of the county CWA committee met at Winfield Tuesday morning and heard such appeal cases as had not been on CWA work. Workers eliminated from CWA projects, the administrator announced, are passed upon by the case worker and administrator. The board decided to recommend either of the two assistant case workers to take the place of Miss Brady, who has resigned effective Mar. 15. The board adjourned to meet again Wednesday, Mar. 7.
PETITIONS demanding the removal from office of Ed L. Hep-ler, chairman of the county reemployment committee; Miss Ani-ta Hepler, manager of the Winfield reemployment office; and Miss Martha Brady, county case
supervisor, are being circulated by CWA workers and unemployed in Arkansas City and Winfield. They are addressed to Harry L. Hopkins, federal relief administrator, in Washington. 1-17-34
CWA Employes Will Be Placed
In Two Shifts
____
Civil works employes in the county will be divided into two shifts, each working two days a week, under the new restricted program, it was announced Tuesday morning at a meeting of foremen and administrative employes in Winfield with L. L. Petticord, county CWA administrator. One group will work on Fridays and Saturdays and the other on Mondays and Tuesdays.
While the total number of CWA employes will not be affected by the change, six foremen will be required. It is believed that work on the various projects can be conducted more efficiently under this system than by working the entire force two and one-half days a week.
Twenty men and eight teams will be used for resurfacing work on highway 166 about two miles east of the city.