Announcement of the Organization of the Works Allotment Division of the National Emergency Council

On Tuesday, the President announced the organization of a Division of Applications and Information to act as a general clearing house for projects under the four-billion-dollar Works Relief bill.

On Wednesday the President announced that by far the greater part of the administration of the actual work to be undertaken would be under the forty or fifty existing Government agencies which now and for many years have been conducting similar work. A careful study of the several hundred different types of work shows that it will be necessary to set up only three new agencies, one in charge of grade crossings, one in charge of rural electrification and one to consolidate various kinds of work relating to rural resettlement.

Today the President announces the organization of a third step—the appointment of a Works Allotment Division. This Division will receive the lists of projects sent to it from the Division of Applications and Information after the various projects have been studied and reported on by the agencies under which they fall. The Works Allotment Division will, therefore, receive projects large and small in final shape.

In other words, the estimates of cost will have been checked; the length of time necessary for completion will have been passed on; the number of persons from the relief rolls who can be employed in each vicinity or, to put it another way, the percentage of direct labor will have been certified; the proportion of self-liquidating projects to the whole number will have been studied; and the economic justification determined. With all this information in its possession the Works Allotment Division will be able to recommend the projects to the President by districts, for his approval.

In order that all points of view in making the allotment recommendation may be obtained, the Works Allotment Division will meet in round-table conference at least once a week for the next few months and will be composed of a large number of persons.

The following, subject to later additions, will constitute its membership:

The Secretary of the Interior
The Secretary of Agriculture
The Secretary of Labor
The Director of the National Emergency Council
The Director of the Progress Division
The Director of Procurement
The Director of the Bureau of the Budget
The Chief of Engineers, U.S.A.
The Commissioner of Reclamation
The Director of Soil Erosion
The Chief of the Forest Service
The Director of Emergency Conservation Work
The Chief of the Bureau of Public Roads

The Director of Rural Resettlement
The Director of Rural Electrification
The Chief of the Division of Grade Crossing Elimination
The Director of Relief
The Chief of the Urban Housing Division
A representative of the Business Advisory Council
A representative of organized labor
A representative of farm organizations
A representative of the American Bankers Association
A representative of the Mayors' Conference
The Vice-Chairman of the National Resources Board
The Secretary of the Interior will act as Chairman of this Works Allotment Division.

Under the law, the actual allocation of amounts to be expended under the Works Relief bill must be made by the President. The President will, therefore, receive the recommendations from the Works Allotment Division before allocations are made by him. After such allocations have been made they will be transmitted to the many Government agencies already referred to, which will be charged with the prosecution of the work.