Full text of Press Releases of the Works Progress Administration : Williams Reports Approximately $145,000,000 of WPA Funds Being Expended for Public Utility Projects : July 8, 1936, 4-1213

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--Works

Progress

Administrat i on-

f)For

Release in Afternoon
newspapers, July 8, 1936

Williams Reports Approximately $145,000,000 of WPA Funds Being Expended for
Public Utility Projects.

Public utility projects of the Works Progress Administration representing an investment of approximately $145,000,000 have been selected for development and practically all of them are either under construction or completed,
according to progress reports on the Work Program made public today by Aubrey
Williams, Deputy Administrator of WPA.
More than two-thirds of the estimated expenditures on these projects,
or $101,027,000, will be devoted to sewer systems, the survey reveals.

The

next largest portion, $34,483,000, goe s to water puri fication and supply.
Electrification proj e cts account for $2,203,000 of the r emainder.
A total of 8,413 public utility projects had been selected for ope ra-

~

tion by the Works Progress Administration up to Ap ril 15.

The se projects call

for a total of $110,498 ,480 of WPA funds, the r emaining $34,243,655, or ne arly
one-fourth the total cost, is pledge d by local sponsors.
By May 15 the public utility improveme nt program of the Works Progress
Administration had p rovided a total of 165, 006,733 man-hours of employment and
e arnings aggregating $73,809,493.

The maximum number of employes on WPA public

utility projects at any one time was 273,725 as of March 15.

By May 15 this

number had declined to 239,193.

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Of the Works Progra ss Administration fTLl'lJs used in this type of work,
it is estimat ed that 75 per cent will be paid to workers in wages and 25 per
cent will be spent for materials, supplies and equirmant.

The sponsors' pledges

will be devot ed largely to materials and equipment, only 13 per cent going to
labor,
Although some sewerage projects have been initiated in every Stat e ,
approximately 70 per cent of the projects, on a cost basis, were in 10 Stat e s.
New York ( exclusive of New York City) devoted the larges t amount to this type
of project and N3w York City was s e cond, these two areas accounting for approximately on0-fourth the expenditure for sewerage improvements.

The cost of

sewers increases rapidly with the ir capacity, it was explained, and sewerage
systems are , in ge ne ral, necess a ry only in cent e rs of p opulation.
New York, excluding New York City; has se l e cted for operation sewe r
proj e cts in-:olving an e:qiend.ituro of $14,017,000,

Expenditures on se~erage
Ohio is third with

projects in New York City will amount to $11,867, 000 .
$8,498,000.

Othe r l eading states in this r espe ct are :

California, $7,892, 000 ;

Pennsylvania, $7,050,000; Illinois, $5,948,000 ; Michi gan, $5,086,0GO ;
Massachusetts, $4,902,000; Geo rgi .'.1, $3,226,000; Wisconsin, $2,852,000; New Jers ey ,
$2,839,000; Missouri, $2,299,000; Conne cticut, $2,033,000,
The bulk of wat e r purification and supply systems also is found in a
r elatively small number of states, "probably for the same reasons,
explains.

11

the report

Ten leading Sta t es account for approximat ely 64 per cent of the cost

of such proj e cts.

Now York, excluding New York City, again leads, with $4,377.000 .

Ohio is second with $2,586,000.

Othe rs in the top bra cket are: California,

$2,501,000; Michigan, $2,337,000; NeTT York City, $2,316,000; Massachusetts,

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$2,109,000 ; Neu Jersey, $2,052,000; Pennsylvania, $1,940,000 ; Texas, $860,000 ;

~ Connecticut, $758,000.
Maryland has the larges t share of electrification projects, involving
a.n expenditure of $435,000.

third uith $216,000.

Indiana is next uith $270,000 and Wisconsin is

These p rojacts are largely for the extension of e l ect rical

service to rural areas from plruits under public mmership.

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