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workers the year around in our park system. They could be utilized on projects; such as, remodeling old park areas, new roads, bridle paths, bicycle trails, new camp areas, and picnic facilities and tables.

Also, I believe, any project should include funds for supervisory personnel and 20 percent should be appropriated for materials to be used on such a project. It would also be a great help if some trucks and tractors could be furnished by the project sponsor.

With best wishes for success on your proposed legislation, I am,

Very truly yours,

HERBERT J. OLSON, Superintendent of Parks.

CITY OF EVERETT,

PARK DEPARTMENT,

Everett, Wash., June 29, 1964.

Hon. GAYLORD NELSON,

U.S. Senator,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SIR: I think your bill is the solution to many of our problems; mainly, unemployment and delinquency. It would also allow us to provide some of the services the public is demanding.

If funds were available I could use at least 100 men for at least 5 years which would be 500 man-years. They would be used in the construction of new parks and park facilities, maintenance and improvement of existing facilities, and the development of beach facilities. We have the land and beaches available but have not the means to develop them.

I say again that a bill such as yours would solve more of our domestic problems with better results than any other piece of legislation.

Respectfully,

JOHN W. HALL, Superintendent.

CITY OF WALLA WALLA, Walla Walla, Wash., June 26, 1964.

Hon. GAYLORD NELSON,
U.S. Senator,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR MR. NELSON: The legislation which you are drafting to provide funds to enable various governmental subdivisions to utilize unemployed workers on conservation and park development projects certainly has great merit and could do much to simplify the problems of this group of unfortunate persons while, at the same time, creating something of value to the community.

We in the Walla Walla Park Department have been engaged in a somewhat similar program for the past three winters taking advantage of the Washington State "work relief" program, in which employable persons receiving public assistance may be required to work out his relief check on a project activated by a State, county, or municipal body. These projects are carefully screened to prevent this welfare work force from taking the place of labor which would normally be hired by the government agency.

During the 1963-64 project period beginning in November and terminating at the end of February 1964, 10,460 man-hours of welfare labor was utilized in park development work on a recently acquired 96-acre park property. These men do not operate power equipment of any kind and are allowed to do only that work which would be classed as "common labor." Crews are limited to 'as nearly 10 men as possible, with a park employee supervisor with each crew.

My personal opinion, from close contact with these men, has convinced me that they are unemployed, not because of a lack of desire for work, but rather by a lack of ability, mainly due to lack of training in any except the so-called pick-and-shovel trades. We might say that they are victims of mechanization. Walla Walla is an agricultural community with seasonal employment in the fields; unfortunately, the type of work which these seasonal workers followed during the off season has now been taken over by machinery and their lack of training makes it extremely difficult for them to find employment elsewhere.

A program which you contemplate would be of greatest value if it could be a training program, as well as a public works program, where men of potential would be taught to operate equipment, take over maintenance procedures, function as assistants to technicians, and the many other activities which would be

possible under such a program. Such a program would require an expanded supervisory and training staff which would be a field in which governmental funds could be used to great advantage. In our experience here, we have found that the time lost in regular maintenance of park areas due to using employees as welfare work force supervisors has hampered our maintenance program considerably.

We plan on continuing the several projects of development work with which we have been involved using welfare recipients during the winter months. We could do a much better job, both for the men as well as for the community, if a training program could be an important part of this activity.

In looking over this community, I would estimate that a work force such as you are suggesting could be utilized effectively on a seasonal basis for the 10 years stabilizing creek banks, forest-road construction, roadside improvements, etc.

If I can be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact me accordingly. Sincerely yours,

SAM S. MAXSON,

Director of Parks and Recreation.

CITY OF SEATTLE, DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, Seattle, Wash., June 8, 1964.

Hon. GAYLORD NELSON,

U.S. Senator,

Washington, D.O.

DEAR SENATOR NELSON: Thank you for your communication of May 15, 1964, indicating interest in the extent to which the Seattle Park Department might use unskilled and unemployed workers in conservation work.

We are very much interested in the possibility of utilizing labor, unskilled or otherwise, to properly improve various areas in the park system. During the winter and early portion of 1964, we had available to us a number of unemployed employables provided by the Washington State Department of Public Assistance. Some 13 separate work projects in various sections of the city were set up for these workers. The projects included general cleanup work, brushing out of trails, and such similar projects as are not covered in the financial structure of our budget.

While we were, at first, somewhat hesitant in the success of the program, the final result was very encouraging. The men who reported to work were interested enough, for the most part, to do a fair day's labor. Late in the spring, the projects were terminated because of the inability of the State to provide sufficient employables to warrant continuation of the projects.

If funds are available from Federal sources to underwrite a work program, this department could very well estimate that 200 man-years of work could be utilized. We would very much appreciate being informed as to the current status of the legislation and the possibility of its being enacted and the effect it would have in this area.

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DEAR SENATOR NELSON: Regarding your letter of July 1, 1964, the city of Tacoma could, indeed, utilize substantial numbers of workers on any number of conservation and recreation projects.

At the present time, the city is cooperating with the State of Washington in a program of using welfare workers on brush-cutting projects in which the male welfare recipients work off their benefits and the city provides transportation, working materials, etc. The program has worked successfully.

With your proposed legislation, we could increase our program, particularly in the metropolitan park district where workers would be used in such jobs as fence repair and construction, rock retaining wall construction, trail development, painting, signmaking, construction of picnic stoves and shelter, etc. These types of jobs do not qualify under our State welfare program, which is limited, primarily, to brush clearing.

It would be difficult at this time to estimate the number of man-years of work which could be undertaken because of our own problems of providing additional funds to implement the use of the men such as buying additional trucks and equipment and supplying supervisory personnel.

I am very interested in your proposed legislation and if there is any additional information I can provide to assist in the passage of the bill, please call on me. Your very truly, H. M. TOLLEFSON, Mayor.

WEST VIRGINIA RESPONSES

Hon. GAYLORD NELSON,
U.S. Senate,

STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA,
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR,
June 23, 1964.

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR NELSON: Thank you for your letter of June 3 asking my comments on your proposal for legislation to provide funds for the hiring of unemployed workers on conservation projects such as park developments, roadside improvements, forestry work, etc. I regret my delay in answering, but I have been out of the city for several days.

I am sure that your legislation is meritorious and well conceived. However, the State of West Virginia has had precisely such a program in effect for more than 3 years, and it is financed largely out of Federal funds. Briefly, the history of this program is as follows:

In 1961 when Governor Barron took office, there were 105,000 members of our labor force of about 600,000 unemployed. This percentage was about 16.7 percent. The Governor persuaded the legislature to initiate a modest dollar-anhour program to provide work for jobless fathers and approximately 1,000 people were put to work under this State program.

In the spring of that year, President Kennedy's program for aid to dependent children of the unemployed (ADCU) was passed by the Congress. Our State welfare department immediately inquired whether the law would permit Federal funds to be used in our works program, and we were advised that this would be possible.

There was an immediate expansion of the works program using ADCU money supplemented by State funds. This approach to providing the means of subsistence and the dignity of labor later was clarified as a part of the Social Security Amendments Act of 1962.

This has been a highly successful program. At one time, the State employed almost 14,000 jobless fathers on just such projects as you have outlined in your letter. This figure has declined in recent months to slightly more than 10,000, due to a general improvement in our economy which has lowered the unemployment rate to 6.9 percent in May of this year. (The jobless fathers working under this program are still statistically carried on the unemployment rolls.)

If you anticipate legislation to improve this program further, I would be most interested in receiving a copy of your bill. However, in fairness, the present program (which we now call the State work and training program) is proving very effective.

Your humanitarian research into this field is very praiseworthy, and if I can assist you further, please call on me.

Sincerely,

PAUL CRABTREE, Special Assistant to the Governor.

STATE OF WEST VIRGINIA, DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, Charleston, June 4, 1964.

Hon. GAYLORD NELSON,

U.S. Senator,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR NELSON: This has reference to your letter of May 29 relative to your proposed legislation whereby Federal funds would be used to employ unemployed workers on park improvement programs.

If such funds were available, we could use a goodly number of such people within the West Virginia park system. I refer you to the attached for additional information.

We have had some experience with this type of labor and in most programs we find that there is not adequate provision made for materials, tools, and equipment for this type of work. I specifically make reference to materials such as cement, nails, lumber, and items of similar nature. Equipment needs would be trucks, rock crushers, hand tools, saws, etc.

I would recommend that in this type of program that 30 to 40 percent of such funds should go for nonlabor items so that accomplishments could be made as well as giving people employment.

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DEAR MR. NELSON: The following is in answer to your letter of May 29, 1964, relative to conservation work projects.

The thing that concerns me about your proposal is the administrative structure through which such a program could be effected.

You may already be aware of the number of cooperative programs between the various forestry agencies in the States and the U.S. Forest Service. If a program providing Federal assistance utilizing one of the present programs were inaugurated, much could be done in State forest development and the improvement of many of our forest fire detection facilities.

Presently, we have nine State forests with a total of 70,000 acres. Only five of these are located in areas of the State where there is a serious unemployment problem. Several hundred man-years could be utilized in improving these facilities, and there are pending programs through the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation that may be of assistance to States in this type of development.

The forest fire towers that need considerable improvements are principally located in areas of high unemployment.

I would more favorably approve a program utilizing existing programs than to see new procedures to accomplish the same devised.

Sincerely yours,

LESTER MCCLUNG, State Forester.

WHEELING PARK COMMISSION,
Wheeling, W. Va., June 18, 1964.

Hon. GAYLORD NELSON,

U.S. Senate,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR SENATOR NELSON: I have received your letter of June 12 and would like to commend you on your efforts to draft legislation which would result in public conservation projects being carried out by unemployed workers.

We have a 10-year master plan for further development of the parks here in Wheeling, and many conservation projects are on our agenda as soon as funds are available for personnel to carry them out. The proposed projects include the following things of a conservation nature:

Thirty-acre lake.

Tent and trailer camping site.

Picnic areas and sites.

Nature trails through wooded areas.

Bridle trails.

Nature center outdoor theater.

Roadside overlooks.

Arboretum planting and development.

Pedestrian walkways connecting various centers of activities.

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All these projects could utilize personnel from our present unemployed and unskilled workers, with supervision provided by our present staff.

If I can assist further in any way, or if a print of our master plan would be of value, please feel free to let me know.

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DEAR SENATOR NELSON: Thank you for your letter of May 29, 1964, informing me of your present efforts in drafting legislation to provide funds for Federal, State, county, and municipal agencies to utilize unemployed workers on conservation projects.

You may recall that on March 31, 1964, I sent you a copy of our "Work Project Proposals." I am sure that this copy is in your files at the present time. This is a complete breakdown of work projects which can be accomplished in the State of Wisconsin. You will note that it includes some 177,000 man-months of labor and covers by counties, projects such as buildings, roads, public-use areas, watercontrol structures, mapping, parking areas, and habitat improvements of various kinds. I would again like to reiterate my previous statement that we will be happy to administer any Federal aid program that will provide any or all of the improvements described in this report. I want to assure you that we will look with great interest on the progress of this legislation through Congress. As similar requests for this same information were sent to other members of my staff, please consider this a reply to all such letters.

Very truly yours,

L. P. VOIGT, Conservation Director.

THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN,
Madison, Wis., July 6, 1964.

Senator GAYLORD NELSON,

Senate Office Building,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR GAYLORD: Ray Sivesind has called to my attention your letter to him of May 29, regarding your contemplated legislation to provide employment in the

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