[Dixielandjazz] WPA

WILLIAM HORTON WILLIAMHORTON at peoplepc.com
Wed Jun 23 13:27:15 PDT 2004


To Pat Ladd & all you youngsters

The WPA was the Works Progress Administration, and it was a make-work
program during the Great Depression.  It consisted of grunt-labor jobs for
the unemployed, cleaning up national parks, making roads, installing sewers,
etc.  It was one of the best of the "alphabet programs" (CCC, etc) of the
time, doing some good works and providing a minimal income for the legions
of unemployed.

"Pink Slips" were firing notices given with final checks (of which there
were many at the time).

Those of us who experienced the depression have a difficult time
appreciating the great concern about the current unemployment rate of about
6%, when even in boom times it's around 5%!

Bill Horton
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "PATRICK LADD" <pj.ladd at btinternet.com>
To: "jazz" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2004 8:38 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] WPA


Hi all,
listening to Stay tuned America today Kenny played a number by the Mills
Brothers with Satchmo called `WPA`

Can someone explain what WPA is, or was. There is also reference to a `pink
slip`. What was that?
I have the idea that it was connected with the employment programme
instigated by FDR to help the USA out of the depression but I would really
like the pukka gen.

Pat


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