Final Report on the WPA Program 1935-43
Front Cover, Final Report on the WPA Program 1935-43, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1946. GGA Image ID # 153a707082
By building airports, schools, highways, and parks; by making huge quantities of clothing for the unfortunate; by serving millions of lunches to school children; by almost immeasurable kinds and quantities of service the Work Projects Administration has reached a creative hand into every county in this Nation.
Letter of Transmittal - WPA Final Report - 1942/1946
Transmitted herewith is the Final Report on the Work Projects Administration covering the entire period of the operation of its work relief program from July 1, 1935 through June 30, 1943. Publication of this report, which was prepared-during the period of liquidation of the program, has been postponed until now because of the war.
The great industrial depression that began late in 1929 found the United States unprepared to meet a major relief problem. Public relief to the destitute was still being administered chiefly under State poor laws which had been framed to take care of the smaller relief needs of an earlier day.
Organization of the WPA Program
As originally designed, the WPA was to have two important functions. First, it was to operate a Nationwide program of "small useful projects" designed to provide employment for needy employable workers. Second, it was to coordinate the activities of the "Works Program."
Administration of the WPA Program
In carrying out its program, the WPA operated as an independent agency of the Federal Government until July 1939, when it was incorporated as a unit of the Federal Works Agency.
The WPA Under the Federal Works Agency
After the establishment of the Federal Works Agency, all project applications of the Work Projects Administration were cleared through the Federal Works Agency rather than through the Bureau of the Budget before being submitted to the President for approval.
