“Deerfield First To Receive Work Relief Allotment” article from Greenfield Daily Recorder-Gazette newspaper

To view or search transcription, use the button to open the sidebar. To search, use the button in the sidebar.

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information


About this item

The Civil Works Administration was one of the most dramatic and radical programs of the New Deal. Organized in November of 1934, it placed nearly four million men and women on work relief projects in six weeks. The program lasted only five months but was an important precursor to the more famous WPA (Works Progress Administration, 1933 to 1935). This article describes some of the initial “allotments” (federal money and jobs) to Franklin County, Massachusetts, towns. The Daily Recorder-Gazette claimed that the program would employ “every able-bodied man [on welfare!] in Deerfield.” The goal was to cut the welfare rolls in half. Greenfield’s plan to construct a “surface sewer” to handle rain runoff is typical of the labor intensive nature of many CWA projects. Despite its popularity, the CWA was often accused of “leaf raking” or “made work” just to keep the unemployed busy.

Related Items

Details

Item typePeriodicals
Newspaper
Article
PublisherGreenfield Daily Recorder-Gazette
Date1933-11-21
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts; Greenfield, Massachusetts; Franklin County, Massachusetts
TopicPolitics, Government, Law, Civics
Industry, Occupation, Work
EraGreat Depression and World War II, 1929–1945
EventGreat Depression. 1929–1940
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPrinting
Dimension detailsProcess Material: printed paper, ink Height: 10.25 in Width: 2.25 in
Catalog #L08.048
View this item in our curatorial database →
Greenfield Daily Recorder-Gazette. “Deerfield First To Receive Work Relief Allotment.” November 21, 1933. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l08-048/. Accessed on November 5, 2024.

Please note: Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.