By 1933, Civil Works Administration (CWA) funds were being misused by spreading the money more thinly and enabling more people to work. This was contrary to the president’s original plan to provide a 30-hour work week for the same employees and on a permanent basis.

It was thought the CWA should make a direct attack on unemployment and not the consequences of it. The National Industrial Recovery Act, from which the CWA derived work opportunities at steady wages, had been created for large numbers of the unemployed.

Several counties had broken up their payrolls in order to accommodate twice as many people as their county manpower quotas called for. Some counties worked the men in shifts of three days of five hours each; in others, different groups of workers were put on the payroll each week.

It was believed if the staggering of employment wasn’t stopped, it would turn the CWA into a dole. At that time, there were 89,000 men and 6,000 women on the CWA payrolls. They also stated although the unemployment rate was mounting, they couldn’t provide jobs for everyone.

— written, researched and presented by Wilbur Bush, Gallatin, MO