PROVIDING WORK FOR THE UNEMPLOYED ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS

FISCAL YEAR 1933

During the winter of 1930-31 local needs for the employment of men out of work were brought forcibly home to field officers of the Forest Service, who were in touch with the situation in their immediate neighborhoods, and some relief was afforded by hastening forward construction programs already financed. It was realized that this would exhaust the available funds before the close of the fiscal year. In many communities, however, unemployment conditions were so critical that to peovide relief during the winter was held a primary consideration. The opportunities for providing employment were greatly increased by the passage of the act of December 20, 1930, appropriating $3,000,000 for the construction of roads and trails for national forest protection and utilization. The money was made available to the Forest Service on December 29, 1930. The act of February 6, 1931, added $354,800 for insect-control work and administrative and range improvements on the national forests.

As soon as it became apparent, in December, 1930, that an emergency construcrion appropriation probably would be available, preparation was made to expedite the work which would thus be financed. Bids for furnishing a part of the equipment that would be required to carry on the work were circulated before the emergency construction act was passed, awards were made within a few days after the appropriation was made available, and in some cases equipment was on the ground within 10 days. Final touches were given to the plans for the expenditure of the $3,000,000 fund; and in January work was actually started in practically every State in which national forests are located, and on many projects.

By the end of January, 3.083 men had been given employment from the emergency construction appropriation. Preference was usually given to men with families, and to spread the relief more widely alternating crews were often employed. Local forest officers worked in cooperation with the Red Cross and similar organizations. In some cases the Red Cross selected the men. In February, 4,311 were given employment, and in March, 5,449-not all of them continuously of course. April employments from this appropriation dropped to 4,754, and those in May to 4,558.

Prompt utilization of the unemployment relief appropriation was made possible by two facts. Plans were in existence calling for a large amount of construction work over a wide range of territory, and the Forest Service's decentralized form of organization provided instantly available local leadership and the necessary machinery for starting and conducting the work. Competent executives entirely familiar with local conditions and needs were on the ground and ready with carefully matured plans for a large variety of construction projects known to be required for efficient protection and management of the national forests.

The following table shows the number of employees other than those on record with the Civil Service Commission, employed for varying periods between January 1 and June 30, 1931, from the various appropriations of the Forest Service: Number of temporary employees, by months, January-June, 1931, and appropriations from which they were paid

The large increase after March from "all other Forest Service appropriations was due principally to the employment of fire fighters in the eastern and lake States and in the Pacific Northwest, where an extraordinarily acute fire danger prevailed during April, May, and the first half of June. Employments in May and June also reflected the normal opening up of seasonal activities.

Because of the thousands of individual construction projects involved, their diversified nature, and the intermingling of emergency construction with that paid for from regular appropriations, it is not practicable to make an itemized statement showing separately the projects commenced or completed from emergency funds. Since it was the desire of Congress that the $3,000,000 appropriated by the act of December 20, 1930, should be expended on roads and trails, by far the greater part of the expenditures for unemployment relief went into this form of construction. Other types of permanent improvements the construction of which was speeded up include telephone lines, permanent firebreaks, lookout cabins and towers, dwellings, barns, simple office structures, pasture and range fences, water improvements, camp-ground improvements, and the like.

FISCAL YEAR 1932

No special appropriations for unemployment relief were provided for Forest Service during the fiscal year 1932. However, forest officers, because of their close contact with local unemployment situations, utilized every available resource to aid civic and charitable organizations in their efforts to afford relief to the unemployed. The practice of rotating crews on construction work was generally followed. The secretary's regulations covering the free use of timber by local residents and settlers were interpreted liberally on all national forests, with the result that thousands of individuals were able to supply themselves with fuel wood throughout the winter months.

In California the Forest Service cooperated with the State unemployment commission in the establishment of camps where transient homeless men were given food and shelter in return for work on projects beneficial to the State. Nine of these camps were established on the national forests, and work was performed on national forest projects. The camps were financed by communities and the State, the Forest Service supplying equipment and supervision. These camps averaged in the neighborhood of 100 men per camp. The men were given food, shelter, clothing, and tobacco by the State in exchange for a maximum of six hours' work per day. These camps were very benficial to all concerned.

During the late winter the city of Denver established camps on the Pike National Forest, where wood was cut for the use of residents of the city who were unable to purchase fuel. The laborers employed at the camps were heads of families dependent upon the city or one of the charitable organizations there. These men received no compensation, but were furnished clothes and tobacco, and their families in the cities were supported. The Forest Service furnished much of the equipment used in these camps. The management of the camps is handled by the city, but local forest officers cooperate and assist in every way in their management. The timber is cut under the direction of forest officers, following approved silvicultural practices, with the result that the stand is materially improved and the fire hazard reduced. These camps have been continued through the summer of 1932, with the result that a large amount of fuel is available to the unemployed in the city of Denver and a considerable area of national forest land has been placed in excellent silvicultural condition.

In this connection it might be stated that practically every city and town in the vicinity of the national forests is taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by the presence of the national forests to obtain fuel wood. In many instances the removal of fuel wood is handled by the communities and charitable organizations through the establishment of camps. In other cases individuals or groups, remove and transport fuel to their homes.

The records indicate that during the calendar year 1931, the equivalent of 167,680,000 board feet of timber were removed from the national forests under free use permits and from free use areas. The estimated number of persons and agencies who removed timber from the national forests under the free use regulation during the calendar year is 81,600. These figures represent increases in the neighborhood of 50 per cent over the calendar year 1930. The calendar year 1932 will undoubtedly witness further increases in the amount of timber removed and the number of persons participating in its removal.

FISCAL YEAR 1933

The $5,000,000 appropriation for forest improvements provided by the emergency relief and construction act of 1932 will make it possible for the Forest Service to aid very materially in the relief of unemployment during the winter of 1932-33. The adherence to the 30-hour week plan of employment, or where this is impracticable, to the rotation of crews, will make it possible to provide employment to an extremely large number of individuals. It is estimated that in the neighborhood of 20,000 individuals will be given employment on projects financed from this appropriation.

In some regions the relief of unemployment is of such paramount importance that the regional foresters have decided to concentrate on winter employment and to establish camps in the national forests which are comparable to those operated by the State in California. The men will be given a nominal wage and will be required to work either five or six hours a day. By this means a maximum number of individuals will be given some sort of employment during the winter months.

In California the Forest Service will again cooperate with the State authorities in the management of the unemployment camps, and tentative arrangements have already been made for the establishment of 16 camps on national forest land which will employ in the neighborhood of 2,500 men during the winter months.

In the Rocky Mountain region a number of communities besides the city of Denver will establish community fuel work camps during the coming winter. Applications have been received from a number of communities and it is expected that the fuel requirements of destitute families will be very largely taken care of in this region by wood from the national forests.

The job relief work outlined by the Forest Service will greatly relieve local political and other welfare agencies of a part of their burdens in meeting the unemployment problem. Close cooperation with these agencies is contemplated. The following paragraphs summarize the policies which will be followed in the Lake States national forest region in administering the work which is being financed from the emergency forest improvement appropriation:

The paramount principle underlying the present relief program within the national forests in the Lake States is to ameliorate the distressful conditions among the unemployed through the initiation of a job relief program on needed and planned improvements. The work will be carried on, so far as practicable, during the winter months or period of greatest suffering and distress.

It is felt that the maximum relief may be rendered through the establishment of emergency construction camps, wherein the men may be housed and fed in relatively close proximity to the work. A small monthly wage, sufficient to meet the current individual needs of the employee, is also favored.

The job relief work outlined under this program should greatly relieve the local political units and other welfare agencies of some of their burdens in meeting this problem. Close cooperation with these agencies in the furtherance of this work is contemplated. As a general policy, all common laborers employed on winter relief work by the Forest Service will be selected from the county poor commission lists. This will relieve the county organizations from furnishing aid to the men so employed during the period of operations. The poor commission, or other outdoor agencies, will be called upon to supply these men with suitable clothing for winter work until such time as they have earned sufficient money to supply their own needs. The terms of hire may possibly eliminate family men or men having other dependents. This means that the crews will be made up in large part of the less orderly, homeless, or floating type of worker, similar in every respect to the class of men found in the logging camps and to some extent in the mining camps.

County road commissions will also be called upon to furnish trucks for the transportation of men to and from work, and possibly in hauling supplies; keeping all roads used in connection with this work open for travel, in so far as it is reasonably practicable to do so; furnishing stoves, mess equipment and any other camp equipment or hand tools which they may have on hand; free medical attention by local county physicians, together with any other assistance they may render that would further spread the Government funds for expenditure on purely relief measures.

Employment will be limited to 30 hours per week in conformity with section 307 of the relief act. Five hours on the job, exclusive of time going to and from work, will constitute a day's work.

The emergency construction camps will be carefully managed on a relief basis. It will be the policy to feed the men well but to confine the provision list to purely camp type foods, of a quality similar to that furnished by the outdoor relief departments. Every effort will be made to keep purchases for equipment at a minimum. Plans will be made to use all available equipment now on hand and that which may be furnished by cooperating agencies before placing any orders for new purchases of equipment. This statement applies equally to mess, camp, and construction equipment.

Mr. MacDonald, did you have any statement you wanted to make on forest roads and trails?

Mr. MACDONALD. Not unless the committee would like to have a statement of what took place this year. Did you put that in? Major STUART. Just what I gave in my statement.

Mr. BUCHANAN. Well, we must have a statement of what you have done this year.

Major STUART. I shall be very glad to submit such a statement.

Forest highways and forest road development

Mr. MACDONALD. Here is a statement of the situation as of November 1, 1932, of work under the supervision of the Bureau of Public Roads.

During the fiscal year 1932 a total of 602.9 miles of major roads in the national forests were built under supervision of the Bureau of Public Roads, bringing the total of such work to June 30, 1932, to

149139-32-67

5,242.2 miles. By November 1, 1932, this total had been increased to 5,484.6 miles and construction work was in progress on 680.8 miles of major roads.

APPORTIONMENT OF EMERGENCY CONSTRUCTION APPROPRIATION

Mr. BUCHANAN. Will you give some account of this $5,000,000 for emergency construction in national forests-will you put something about that in that statement?

Major STUART. Yes, sir.

Mr. BUCHANAN. How much balance is there in that appropriation? Major STUART. There will be no balance on that, Mr. Buchanan. This provides for its expenditure in 1934.

Mr. BUCHANAN. It provides for the year 1934?

Major STUART. Yes. It does not provide that it may be continued until it is expended, but that it is available throughout the fiscal year 1934.

Mr. BUCHANAN. You say it is all obligated?

Major STUART. No, sir. Mr. MacDonald, do you recall how much of the $5,000,000 forest highway emergency money is obligated? Mr. BUCHANAN. About what is the carry-over to next year? Major STUART. About a million and a half dollars will be carried over for expenditure in the fiscal year 1934.

Mr. BUCHANAN. Under this provision?

Major STUART. Yes, sir.

Mr. BUCHANAN. That is all. You put those statements in there. Major STUART. Yes, sir.

Apportionment of emergency forest highways fiscal year 1933