White House Statement on Public Works and Unemployment Relief.

THE PRESS has requested a more detailed statement of the activities of the Federal Government in increasing employment and relief to agriculture during the new calendar year.

To arrive at such an estimate it is necessary to review the estimated expenditures of two fiscal years ending June 30, 1931, and June 30, 1932.

The volume of construction work direct and indirect is estimated as follows:

ESTIMATE OF CONSTRUCTION EXPENDITURES FOR FISCAL YEARS, JUNE 30TH

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1928 1931 1932

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$276, 567,000 $530,455,000 $625,661,000

To the above must be added the emergency appropriations for still further acceleration of public works already authorized by Congress, which moneys will be spent during the calendar year 1931, as follows:

Highways $90, 500, 000

Rivers and Harbors Public Works 25, 500, 000

$116, 000, 000

In addition thereto must also be added the acceleration of public buildings programs during the next 12 months by the application of accumulated and unexpended balances from previous appropriations which can now be applied through the expedition gained from the authority to employ outside architects, amounting to $30 million.

In order to reduce these expenditures for construction work to the calendar year 1931 we may take half the 1931 budget figures and half the 1932 budget figures and add the emergency appropriations and the acceleration of building programs as follows:

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Half 1931 Half 1932 Accelerated Est. Total

Estimate Estimate Programs 1931 Cal. Yr.

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This compares with the rate of about $275 million per annum prior to the depression.

The relief to agriculture of all sorts including Farm Board appropriations is estimated as follows: Fiscal year 1928: none; fiscal year 1931 and fiscal year 1932: $250, 000 000

If to reduce it to the calendar year 1931 we take half of each fiscal year 1931 and 1932 ($125 million) and add the $45 million for drought relief, we have a total for 1931 calendar year of $160 million.