K
JUNE 1. 1939
' $796,000
"Boon-doggle" Becomes Boonic
| rang. Says Cohn, as Result
Are Calculated From WPf
Activities in Watauga Counts
Comprehensive Review of Ac
complisliments o f Federa
Work-ltelief Organization i
in This Territory
1 By FRED .1. COHN
I Director WI'A Information
Service >
Boone-doogle" has become
f x>merang in Boone and VVataug
county. Remember "boondoggle?
The catch-phrase coining WPA wor
program enemies could not resist th
pun.
They thickly laid the jest on WT\
in Watauga's capital. W.FA worker
have been made the butt of man
jokes.
A report just issued bv G. C. Mx
Ginnis. state WPA administrator
gives the jok esters something I
laugh off. The comprehensive rot;
line report shows WPA activities an
accomplishments in Watauga count
since the inception of the program L
August. 1035 to March 22, 1939.
At the iafcter date. 466 men an
women in the county were workin
lor WPA at tlie only jobs availabl
for them. The impressive total c
one million two hundred tliousan
work hours have been provided th
needy unemployed there, entailing a
expenditure of $796,119 in feder?
and sponsors' funds.
The endeavors disclosed by the rc
port display a wide variety, froi
bringing books to rural homes to th
massive native stone high schoc
building with a gymnasium and an
ditorium in Boone Thus building i
one of the 49 completed or now pro
grossing projects in the county.
Bass over the humor and the higl
school building and look at some o
the other \\**PA projects.
A school lias been mentioned
There is another one in Boone fo
that municipality's few negro chil
dren. A school bus transports othe
colored students from surroundinj
rural areas. There is another nativ
stone stdiool building at Mabel* st.il
another -it Valle Crucu and still \in
ofher at BcUwS am: a six-room scho<
addition at blowing Hock.
Here arc excerpts from a lot.te
written some time ago by \V. H
Walker, superintendent of Wataug.
coiuity schools: "Our new schoc
uuiiuuigs o: native stone ace almos
completed and T wain to take thi
opportunity, on beha.lt of the Wat an
ga county board of education am
patrons of these schools, to exprcs
my Sincere appreciation for th
splendid co-operation extended hi
WSPA officials Oiihr time can csti
mate the value of these modern struc
tttres.
"Our new 20-c hiss room high sehoo
building: at Boone < sponsored by Ap
palachian State Teachers College)
12-cl ass room building at Bethel. 8
classroom building at Mabel, G-closr.
rooan elementary building at Vail
Crucis and Uvo-room elemental*:
building for colored children ii
Boone will replace fourteen anti
quated frame buildings and will giv
about 1.300 pupiis use of schoo
plants equal to the best in Nort)
Carolina, in dollars and cents thes<
schools are worth more than th
money spent. about half of which wa;
furnished by sponsors." . .
Approximately three miles o
streets and sidewalks have been fin
ished in Boone. \V. II. Gmgg\ th
town's mayor until last month, ha
commented on the street work: 4\W<
decided to start a project to improve
the streets in the residential section
which were in very bad condition
Many of them could not be travellec
in the wintertime and all very dusty
The project included surfacing on*,
and one-fourth miles, building cul
verts, grading and building othei
streets. The work was done speedi
ly and we really have a good jol
and good streets, which would nol
have been built had it not been foi
WPA. After mature thought anc
talking with a large number of peo
pie here, we are highly pleased wit!
the project. WPA officials have beer
very co-operative in helping a towi
that needed help."
Water lines have been extended t(
B^vnuiuj ?"?vu ava xvuuvnj
possessed of such facilities essentia
to comfort and health. Water proj
ect was included in the "Boone-dog
gie" which distorted the facts t(
show the costs much greater thai
they actually were.
Also a* Boone: The courthousi
has been painted, a craft Industrie:
shop constructed. X oar by, helping t<
preserve our natural resources, th<
fish hatcheiy has come in for mucl
development. Relief workers havi
also repaired the county home ant
improved the public park.
With county functions becoming
greater, Watauga found itself witl
insufficient space in whicli to housi
the public health officer, count;
agent, the home demonstration ager,'.
the public welfare department, schoo
superintendent and other govern
mental agencies. The new county na
tive stone structure now provide
adequate offices. A street-level base
ment in the rear, besides contaiiun
the heating plant, is so arranged t
serve as a school bus garage. Thi
needed facility was built by 100 pe
w
> Expended
^ = ==J"
j cent labor.
S As a further contribution to pub- ;
% | lie health, a thoroughly modem hos- ;
| pital. started under prior federal\
' work, has beer, finished by "VVPA.
In the same trend, many health
il hazards have been eliminated by
n placing 310 sanitary pit privies
j throughout rural areas not possessed
j of sewerage systems. Thus. dangers
1 to water-well pollution have been
erased.
The famed resort. Blowing Rock.
a has obtained from WPA workers, besides
the school addition, a well -1
planned playground and over two!
miles of streets surf aced. The stone I
k
e , is quarried near the town; hauled to
the street being repaired, crushed
^ and spread on the job.
s WPA critics will not derive much
y humor from another section of work
, done in the town which lent itself so
j readily to the satire. The report
r j lists the accomplishments on the
0 I campus of state-owned Appalachian
j. State Teachers College,
cl ; There have been landscaping, sidev
| walks and road improvements, enn
J hancing the beauty and usefulness of
j this splendid educational institution,
d Tlie college's athletic teams, dubg'
bed the "Mountaineers." have a class
e one field on which to display their
?f j prowess. Naturally, the main item
d is a 2.500-seat steel and concrete
ic i stadium. No. the college Ls not an
n j adjunct to its football team. The
il I sport Ls just a normal college activity
here.
-1 On a hill immediately back of the
u stadium Ls the nearly completed 65e
room boys' dormitory. Well design>1
cd rooms, latest type heating, plumbi
ing will place the brick building at
s par with the best student, housing,
i- Unque is the manner in which Dr.
B. B. Dougherty, Appalachian's presih
dent, has taken advantage of WPA
f workers in the faculty's interest. Always
ar. acute dwelling shortage
I. there, fifteen up-to-date brick or
r native stone homes for faculty use
- comprises the project. Nine houses
r are completed. Work soon, com^
menccs on Uie other six.
e President Dougherty, evaluating >
I WPA in Watauga, deluding the
- schools said, ''These buildings were
ii splendidly designed and haVe tieeiij
built in the most sulxStanUal way,
r , attraotuig nitenlion ami commenda1.
tion of all those who see them. The
\ money that has been nent fob tliese
l buildings will have a value for those
t. yet unborn. Our people are greatly
s pleased.
' It i? better, vastly better, to have.
\ a work program than to have a dole
s system. Many of our people have ;
e 'learned to be good rock masons and
; carpenters and will be able to stay on
- their feet in the future. These people
will be better citizens ami more <
independent than the men who re1
ceive something for nothing. <
We are planning for oven better 1
. things in Watauga and we would be
- greatly disappointed if the works
- program should be discontinued v
e The most money spent and the
e most employment given on any work
a type has been the construction of
- secondary or farni-to-market roads,
c The mountain country folk have
! never had enough all-weather roads. i
Tlie majority of WTPA workers are ;
c unskilled and live in the sections i
e where the roads are built. They have
s been lifting themselves and their
neighbors out of the mud. School i
- buses, mail carriers, produce hauling ]
- to market may now go forward un- <
- interrupted, all year around on the ]
s 102 miles of farm-to-market roads
i completed in Wlatauga. The roads ]
? are of crushed rock. Bridges and <
. culverts are placed where needed. ]
This en lei-prise, sponsored by the 1
i state highway and public works com- :
mission, has U3ed the best methods of
road building, grading and draining <
- included. j
r R C .Rivers, newspaper publisher,
observed last week: "I have heard '
i so much said about vv PA shovel leant
ing, I decided to find out about it for <
* myself. An excellent opportunity i
1 presented itself. Across the street
from my plant is a job being carried ;
i on by a private contractor. The 1
1 \YPa is constructing a sidewalk :
1 which runs in front of my door.
Watching both groups carefully, I 1
> would emphatically say that those
r receiving relief wages work as com- i
1 petently and as industriously as those :
on the private job." 1
The work in Watauga has not been d
> exclusively for men. Nor has all of t
1 it been construction. Worthwhile, j
socially useful work has been carried <
?! or by the professional and service ;
5 division, employing 86 women.
> That brings up the essential differ- ,
? ence between the ?WJPA work pro- :
1 gram and ordinary public work pro- 1
* grams. Tlie average work program <
1 does not take into consideration that ]
if women, who are economic heads of
f needy families are not given work,
1 the families become just as hungry as
: if a male were the household head.
/ In return for economic security,
, the women have worked and done
1 the following- for Watauga: In a
- sewing room, women mostly trained
- through WPA instruction, have been
s making garments with efficiency and .
- at a productivity rate of which a
g private employer might be proud nie :
o 30.000 articles made during nearly
s four years operation have been dis- ,
r tributed to underprivileged families.
ATAUGA DEMOCRAT?EVEE
i in Wat
who have never had sufficient clothing*.
School offcials have said the
has been the means of keeping ir
school many formerly inadequately
clothed children. Besides stretching
lean family incomes, so morale ant
responsibility have been maintained
ScwEg room by-products are equally
important. The women have beer
taught how to seiv for their own families.
how to budget small incomes
the rudiments of sanitation ami personal
hygiene^
Eight teachers on the aduit education
project have taught scores tc
read and write. Conserving humar
resources, these .teachers now have s
class enrollment of -127 adults taking
advantage of en opportunity which
for various reasons was not had b>
them in their youth.
Also, among the so-called "white
collar" group, eleven especially trained
women are conducting various library
service units. Four school mid
public libraries have WPA assistants
In the book mending unit, discarded
volumes are repaired and returned tc
circulation. A WPA "Bookmobile'
is making county rounds this month,
bringing books to rural homes and
demonstrating the value of such service.
In another important social welfare
branch u\. cec?:?-a.tion leaders direct
leisuretime- activities with a
3,228 monthly Httondciicc, teaching
youjjfg and bid the art of living together.
In a craft center, weaving
iuuI other handicraft is taught sc
that many may while away spare
time interestingly, profitably.
Still in humane practical trend
WPA women workers prepare ant
serve hot school lunches to children
who otherwise would remain in (oj
more than likely, away from) sehoo
with empty stomachs. The food i>
donated by civic organizations am!
local Governmental bodies Manx
certified as eligible for work i-eliei
know how to farm but have no land
to till. They have been assigned tc
the gardening" and canning project
which raises and preserves foodstuffs
to supplant school lunches.
Clerical workers have improves
county records, .and janitorial service
was furnished.
The most recently inaugurated
woman's activity has been matron
service in girls' high school rest
rooms.
Other women have been assigned to
jobs at the only "trade" they know,
Carefully selected, they are called
housekeepers' aides. When illness
strikes the housewife in an under
privileged home, there is no money
with which to hire help to do the
household duties during the wife's incapacities
The aides are sent tc
help "bridge over" the distressed
family, do the cooking-^ washing, and
ill chores.
Several noteworthy statistics art
contained in Administrator McGinnis'
schedules. Watauga has contributed
16 per cent of the total project costs
The sponsors have so well considered
the work, which they selected to bt
done, that they have contributed tc
it substantially.
Nearly So per cent federal money
spent has gone into the pockets o1
workers, the balance for supplies anc
materials.
This money has been immediately
turned loose into trade channels. The
material, supply and equipment
money went to private industries
making other jobs. The money paid
tVPA workers has been termed the
fastest spending dollar in the coun
yir All mlict rw>
>?,T. 1U1 XUWI, ICilk, VIVUI"
ing and the like, helping- local merchants
and farmers for produce, anc
property owners.
The vast majority of needy employees,
about 74 per cent, are unskilled.
Fitting the project to the labor
types in Watauga is the reason
why nearly one-third of the monej
has gone on farm-to-market roads
It also accounts for higher sponsrs
funds on construction projects.
The county is in 'WPA area ten
headquarters in North Wilkes bo ro
with C. M. Crutchfield, area chie:
engineer, in command. Mr. Crutch
field examined the McGinn is repor
and commented, "Watauga has re
ceived its money's worth," but h<
continued, ''All of the accomplish
ments listed are the direct result o:
supplying jobs to the needy unem
ployed there. The workers hav<
shown their appreciation by giving
(Continued on page six)
tY THURSDAY?BOONE, N. C.
auga County
^ jr ??
.y? ,-"T , _ . .. ^ ; . ....
?? gss^afeg
sesbss
(Top to bottom) 1 .Athletic field,
stadium and hoys' dormitory in
background at Appalachian College.
2. A few yards of the 102 miles of
WTA farm-to-markot roads. 3.
County office building. t. Faculty HhBE|
homes at Appalachian College. 5. &3M
Mabel grade school building. 6.
Bethel high school. 7. Boone high
school.. SaKpE^
rara?HWnHH
Hk
? * .
i " '" - - / '.^Ivi;?*'' ' -*
> " V ' ' " - ? - -- - .... ...
f |
JSl
1 * LI-I1
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PAGE THREE
\\ PA Program
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