[Final Report of the National Youth Administration, Fiscal Years 1936-1943]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
FINAL
REPORT
of the
National Youth Administration
Fiscal Years 1936—1943
FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY WAR MANPOWER COMMISSION
FINAL I > ’> n
REPORT
of the
National Youth Administration
Fiscal Years 1936—1943
FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY WAR MANPOWER COMMISSION
UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON : 1944
WAR MANPOWER COMMISSION
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
2145 C Street, N. W/, Washington, D. C.
>* o , * ’ December 28, 1943.
Honorable Paul V. McNutt, ’ *>
■ » >» >«*
Chairman, War Manpower Commission, Washington, D. C.
My Dear Mr. McNutt : I have the honpr to transmit herewith the final report of the National Youth Administration ,for the. fiscal year» 1936 through 1943. This report reviews the operations of the two NYA programs: the student work program to provide work and financial assistance to needy young persons desirous of continuing their education, and the out-of-school work program for needy unemployed youth to provide work experience through a nation-wide system of work projects and to prepare these young people for private employment. The report also reviews the legal bases of operation, the accomplishments, and other youth activities of the National Youth Administration. There has been no effort to make an exhaustive step-by-step recording of all phases of operations. There was neither the time nor the staff available to attempt such an undertaking. On the basis of the facts presented in this report, however, I am of the opinion that there is contained herein information valuable to those organizations and citizens who may be concerned with the problems of youth in the future.
The report was prepared under the direction of Thelma McKelvey Burgess, who was Special Assistant to the National Administrator from July 1935 to July 1940. Special acknowledgments for assistance in the preparation of the report are made to Mr. Aubrey Williams, Administrator of the National Youth Administration until September 10, 1943, and Betty Grimes Lindley. Staff members who contributed generously of their time in addition to their regular responsibilities were Messrs. George Bickel, Milton W. King, Irving Posner, Mrs. Rose Franzblau, and Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune. We wish also to acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Paul T. David of the Bureau of the Budget for his constructive suggestions and criticisms of the first three chapters. The report was prepared during the last 3 months from NYA records, memoranda, program reports, and statistical data available in the Washington office. The files and records of the National Youth Administration are being prepared for disposition by the National Archives.
Under the terms of the Labor-Federal Security Appropriations Act of 1944 (Public Law No. 135, 78th Congress), the liquidation of the National Youth Administration was ordered to be completed as
in
IV
LETTERS OF TRANSMITTAL
quickly as possible, but not later than January 1,1944. This Act and the Second Deficiency Appropriations Act of 1943 (Public Law No. 140, 78th Cong.) required tl\e National Youth Administration to assemble, to take inventory of, and* to turn over its property to the Director of the Procurement Division, Treasury Department, as expeditiously as possible. While* ffyis placed an exceedingly short time limit for the liquidation, of ah agency as broad in scope as the National Youth Administration, the prévisions in the act have been followed as exactly as possible. Qf the 816 inventory units located throughout the United . States jihd the’District of Columbia, 798 were completed on or before August 31,*1943. By October 15, all inventory units had been turned over to the Treasury Procurement Division, 2^2 months ahead of the time limit stipulated by the Congress. The National Youth Administration requested and has received official receipts for this property from the Division of Procurement, Treasury Department. The personnel has been drastically and progressively reduced throughout the period allowed for liquidation. Between June 30 and December 15,1943, 64,928 persons were separated from the pay roll of the National Youth Administration. This number was made up of 53,373 NYA youth workers and 11,555 administrative and supervisory employees. On December 28, 1943, there remain approximately 75 employees.
Since September 10, 1943, final reports from each State and the District of Columbia have been compiled by regional staff members in addition to their responsibilities of liquidating NYA property.
Total gross encumbrances of $174,636,396.71 as of June 30, 1943, for fiscal years 1942 and 1943, have been liquidated to the extent that only $35,710.11, exclusive of travel encumbrances as of November 30, 1943, remains as a direct responsibility of the National Youth Administration for liquidation. The final responsibilities of the agency in liquidation have been discharged in all fields except in the settlement of claims, for which there has been inadequate legislation. There also remains a number of items to be settled by the General Accounting Office in its audit of NYA expenditures in accordance with the Budget and Accounting Act of 1921. Out of a total of approximately $4,500,000 for purposes of liquidation, the National Youth Administration is returning to the United States Treasury Department a total in excess of $700,000.
The employees of the National Youth Administration have demonstrated a commendable spirit of devotion to duty and cooperation, without which this task could not have been accomplished.
Respectfully submitted.
C. B. Lund,
A dminis trator.
FOREWORD
The complete story of a Nation-wideundertaking is seldom told in the written word for those who might wish ,to know it, study about it, or fully understand it. This is true qf the? NYA. What is set forth in the following chapters are thq legal Ipases of operation, regulations governing operation, the framèwork ,of the work programs, and statistical presentations. More»thàn this there was neither the time nor the money to do.
In the issuance of such a skeleton report, there is always the tormenting decision whether anything at all should be issued if at best there can be presented only a limited picture of the agency’s operation and accomplishments. As is customary, one does the best one can with the means and time at his disposal.
For those of us who have been a part of the organization from its beginning, it is difficult to determine what evaluation we can place upon NYA either as a contemporary agency or as an agency with historical significance. But some things seem beyond question. As a Nation we were caught empty-handed as we faced several million young people in the early thirties who were out of school and unemployed, and with little or no prospects of obtaining employment. We faced these millions with little but the desire to be helpful. The schools had no answer to their plight. There was the WPA for unemployed family wage earners. But this was “sour-dough” for a youngster, even if he were lucky enough to be included. To begin life as a “reliefer” was a sorry introduction to what he had been led to believe was the_promise_of American life. The Civilian Conservation Corps was a vigorous shot in the arm for American young people. As far as it went it was good. It gave outdoor life with good food and disciplined living to replace the starvation and idleness in which young people found themselves. On the other hand, no youngster who is worth his “keep” is satisfied with plain manual labor and food as the total content of life. He knows, even if his elders sometimes forget it, that this is his time of development and emergence as a responsible adult; that he must begin to get his experience in work and education now or most likely never. The Civilian Conservation Corps while doing well by the physical side did not provide for a variety of work-training or education.
From the beginning, the NYA laid down three basic fundamentals—youth were to be employed at useful and bona fide work; they were to be employed on work which had a training value ; and they
v
VI
FOREWORD
were to be paid a wage for this work. It was recognized that if the NYA were to secure and hold public confidence, it first must require youth to do real work; seetmdj that work-training of high quality could be secured only through«, doing actual work; and lastly, that it was morally indefensible, to pay* young people for anything except real work. Thus from‘the/begihning the basic policy of the NYA was that youth were jo* be employed at and paid for bona fide work.
Providing young people‘with sound employment, representative of a cross-section of ¿pntehyporary American commerce, industry, and agriculture, was in keeping with the best tradition of American life. From Benjamin Franklin on down, American young people had learned trades, unit skills, the banking business, store clerking, garage work, railroading or what have you, through actually going to work and learning through doing. When such opportunities became limited in the process of economic development and subsequent depression years, the vast majority of citizen leaders in the communities out over the Nation found the NYA method, desirable, and led in the organizing of such work for young people in their communities.
Of some significance also to those who shall have future responsibility for the affairs of young people at the local, State, or national level is that the work arrangement which finally emerged out of the efforts of NYA was acceptable to the young people themselves. I believe that in the last analysis the important fact is whether the method employed to do things for people is acceptable to the people ^helped. Probably the clearest evidence that young people did like the work-production method evolved by the NYA is the fact that all through the last year of its life, young people continued to come to the NYA for work-training at the rate of 1,000 a day, a surprisinglv high rate, even though the wage averaged less than $20 a month. The only possible reason for this was that youth found the quality of NYA work-training good. That this work-training was looked-upon as good by industry was attested to by the fact that placements during ^the war period averaged about 500 a day.
In the course of the 8 years of national existence, NYA had the benefit of the help of a vast host of people. These included, of course, the staff of NYA supervisors and administrative personnel. In addition, there were hundreds and thousands of other people in all walks of life. From the beginning, there was the NYA National Advisory Committee to the President, with Mr. Charles W. Taussig as chairman. There were the 48 State advisory committees and hundreds of local and community advisory committees. At one time there were as many as 2,500 local and State committees.
One of the NYA’s ablest and wisest friends was Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the President of the United States. Her unfailing interest, her deep and sympathetic understanding of the prob-
FOREWORD VII
Jems of youth, and her endless courage were a source of great strength and guidance to the NYA, to the youth On its program, and to thè youth of America. I speak of her with a grateful and thankful heart that youth have had and will continue to have such a friend.
In many ways the NYA was what tbi youth màde it. Many of those who watched and studied NYA felt'that,it had but two elements—• one the youth themselves with their hopes, ambitions, strengths, and weaknesses; the other the NYA personnel who cared about what became of these young people. Tha NYA physical plant was built and put together by the youth as part of their project Work. NYA youth cooked their own food ; they manufactured their beds and mattresses ; they put together a vast series of machine shops for defense and war training. Many of the parts out of which they built this work-training plant came from the backyards of industry all over America.
NYA was unashamedly for young people. The youth themselves, where vested with authority in the management of projects, often proved more severe in their regulations than their supervisors. There was a deadly seriousness about NYA youth. They knew they must acquire the means to stand their ground in the adult world which they were to enter. They knew that what lay ahead was no “practice work.”
Under Government auspices, NYA succeeded in developing arrangements by which young people could learn the essentials of the current work world in America. It produced a miniature of the industrial and commercial world, drawn true to its quality and content. The small wage payment required that goods be produced which were socially useful and made the work moral and exact. The work formula was the strength of NYA’s character, and one which everyone could understand. Furthermore, NYA decentralized its operations so that work was related to community needs and authority was handed on down to the very last person in the outfit to carry out whatever responsibility was his to discharge. The work principle was the understandable yardstick by which all elements of the operations could be measured for its returns to the young people, to the communities, and to the industries which hired these same youth as workers.
There was opposition to the NYA. * A Federal agency which provided employment for young people and through their efforts pro--duced goods and services, which to a limited extent were in competition with the services and goods produced by private enterprise, could not fail to bring down upon it criticism and bitter debate. This opposition grew as industrial activity was increased by the war effort, and the surface need for the Government to provide employment for young people decreased. My chief regret is that in abolishing the NYA there was little thought given to thè use of the Nation
VIH FOREWORD
wide production training plant worth $75,000,000 and to the equipment which might have been preserved for constructive uses.
There was also opposition fyom some educational leaders. Such opposition was not unexpected sihce there has always been a deep-rooted fear on the part of mapV school people that any Federal appropriations to education me ailé' Federal control of education. This fear included the KPA, and’sdme educators never ceased to contend but that NYA might‘be a< means of establishing a parallel system of education domihated by thₜe Federal Government. In a sense this was a jurisdictional fight* on the part of many educators to perpetuate the tradition that the present educational institutions are the only ones which have the responsibility of educating the youth of the country. I think the NYA should have dispelled these fears. The very decentralization of the program into the public and quasipublic non-profit-making institutions of the country should have been positive demonstration that there was no desire to interfere with established educational practices. The fact that the work program for out-of-school unemployed youth was largely planned and projects initiated by responsible local citizens should have been added proof that the NYA as a Federal agency had no other intention than abiding by accepted democratic methods.
The criticism and opposition were to be expected and undoubtedly the program of the NYA was better for this criticism and opposition. I have never feared nor regretted the battles which were fought for the preservation of the NYA as a youth program, and I have no doubt but that the best in NYA will find its way into future programs of a similar character for young people. I hope and pray they will be better programs.
The NYA has given positive proof that young people can perform valuable work of a socially useful character. The NYA has proved that the best and only way for young people to learn to work is through work. The NYA is positive demonstration that young people prefer the traditional institutions and arrangements according to which their elders lived and into which they themselves expect and want to be tested for place and position. The NYA recognized all of these elements and essentials of a program designed for the .benefit of young people. I do not claim that this was done by thought and planning alone it may have resulted by'accident, it may have been a result of thought and planning, or it may have been a combination of both thought and accident.
• ⁿ° that those charged with similar responsibilities in the future will believe that constructive work, the right to earn through work, and practical education will be essentials of any program, the purpose of which is to benefit young people.
Aubrey Williams.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
Letter of Transmittal................................................... in
Foreword.....................................i..... ............................. v
I. Unemployed Youth During the Depression................................. 1
Youth, An International Problem. ................................................ 1
Youth Programs in Germany.......................................... 2
Youth Program in Italy............ . ............................. 5
Youth Program in the Union of Soviet Republics... .............. 6
Youth Work Camps in Switzerland.......:............................ 7
Youth Labor Service in Austria.....-f...............W ............. 7
Work Camps in Poland............................................. 8
Some Measures for Youth Taken in England........................... 8
The Youth Problem in the United States........................................... 9
Facts on Youth Unemployment, 1930-40.............................. 10
The Unemployment Census of 1930................................... 11
Census of Unemployment: 1937...................................... 12
Employment and Unemployment Census: 1940.......................... 14
Urban-Rural Distribution of Youth............................... 16
The Precipitous Change in Events After 1940...................... 20
Youth Programs Initiated in the United States.................................... 22
II. Legal Authority and Administrative Organization......................... 25
Legal Authority.................................................................. 25
Executive Committee.............................................................. 30
National Advisory Committee...................................................... 30
Washington Office.................................................. '........... 32
Policy and Procedure.............................................. 34
Regional Organization............................................................ 34
State Offices................................................................... 36
Local Offices................................................................... 37
Project Managers: 1942-43........................................................ 39
State Advisory Committees........................................................ 39
Local Advisory Committees........................................................ 40
Appointment of Personnel......................................................... 41
III. The Student Work Program.................................................. 43
Educational Level of Out-of-School Youth........................................ 44
Cost of School and College Attendance......................................... 45
Origin of Federal Aid to Needy Students.......................................... 46
Student Work Objectives........................................... 48
Organization and Administration of the Student Work Program...................... 49
Education Institutions and the Program............................ 49
Allocation of Student Work Funds.. . . ................. 50
Special Negro College and Graduate Fund........................... 51
Student Work Employees....................................................... 52
Statistics of Total Employment and Earnings...................... 53
Distribution of NYA Students by Sex............................... 55
Employment of Other-than-White Youth.............................. 56
Rates of Pay to NYA Students.................................... 56
Average Monthly Earnings of NYA Students........................ 57
Work Performed by NYA Students.................................................. 58
Types of Work Activity............................................ 59
Ex amples of NYA Student Work Projects.......................... 60
IX
X
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
III. The Student Work Program—Continued. Page
Student Work Councils.............................................................. 63
State School Wprk Councils.......................................... 64
National School Work C®uncil........................................ 64
State, Regional, and National College Work Councils................. 65
Characteristics of NYA Studerfss.................................................... 66
Family Incomes*of NYA §jfudents, 1939-40............................ 66
Family InqJjnes of N^A Students, 1942-43............................ 67
Local Surveys of Need^f NYA Students, 1941-42..................... 68
Size of Families of nVa Students, 1939-40........................... 69
Nuinber»of Family iy School, 1939-40............................... 70
Employment Status of Families of NYA Students, 1939-40 ............. 71
Age Distribution of NYA Students, 1939-40........................... 73
Grade in School or College, 1939-40 ................................ 74
Scholarship of NYA College and Graduate Students.................................... 75
Summary Evaluation of the NYA Student Work Progtam.................................. 77
State of Colorado Survey........................................... 78
State of California Survey.......................................... 79
Ohio State University Survey....................................... 80
University of Missouri Survey....................................... 81
University of Florida Report....................................... 81
Return on the NYA Investment........................................ 82
IV. Out-of-School Work Program: Eligibility of Youth, Project Planning, and Supervision...................................................... •........... 83
Eligibility Requirements for Youth Employment...................................... 85
Planning Work Projects and Development.............................................. 91
Cosponsors’ Contributions........................................... 96
Project Supervision.............................................................. 97
Supervisory Costs................................................. 99
Training Program for Shop Supervisors........................... 100
NYA Relations with Employers and Organized Labor........................ 104
Relationships with Labor............................................. 105
Employer Relationships............................................... 107
V. Out-of-School Work Program: Facts on Youth Employed....................... 109
Employment on the Out-of-School Youth Program, 1935-43................... 109
Extent Other-than-White Youth Were Employed on the Out-of-School Work Program........................... ........................... Ill
Number Awaiting Assignment......................................... 112
Wages and Hours of Work............................................................ 113
Average Monthly Earnings of Youth Project Workers.................. 116
Allocation of Funds to States...................................................... 117
Labor and Nonlabor Expenditures.................................................... 118
Characteristics of Project Workers................................................. 120
Age of Project Workers............................................ 120
Geographic Distribution of Youth Employment........................ 122
Years of Schooling of NYA Youth.................................... 124
Age at Which NYA Youth Left School..................................126
Urbanization Differences Among Youth Leaving School................ 127
Reasons for Leaving School......................................... 127
Previous Work Experience of NYA Youth.............................. 127
Special Groups of Needy Youth Employed............................................. 129
Handicapped Youth Employed on Projects............................ 129
Refugee Youth Employed........................................... 131
Project Turn-Over and Duration of Employment....................................... 132
TABLE OF CONTENTS
XI
Chapter Page
VI. Out-of-School Work Program: Nonresident Projects...................... 135
Manual Projects................................................................ 135
Construction Projects............................................. 135
Conservation Projects........................................... 141
Sewing Projects.................................................. 143
Workshops......................................................... 146
Vocational Farm Shops............................................. 152
Woodworking Shops............................................... 153
Metal Shops....................................................... 154
Foundry Shops................................................... 156
Patternmaking Shops............................................... 156
Machine Shops.................................................... 156
Aircraft Shops.................................................... 157
Radio Shops....................................................... 159
Electrical Shops................................................ 160
Auto Mechanic Shops............................................... 161
Shoe Repair Shops............................................... 161
Industry Endorsement of NYA Youth................................ 161
Nonmanual Projects.............................................................. 162
Clerical and Stenographic. . . ............................. 163
Hospital Assistance.............................................. 165
Home Economics, Nursery School, and School Lunch Projects....... 167
Recreational Assistance.......................................... 170
Arts and Craft Projects........................................... 171
Posters and Silk Screen Painting.................................. 172
Photography................................................... 172
Toy Construction and Repair......................... -............ 173
Making of Visual Aids............................................. 173
Ceramic?.......................................................... 173
Music............................................................. 173
Other Fine Arts................................................... 174
Library and Museum Projects....................................... 174
Research and Subprofessional Projects............................. 176
VII. Out-of-School Work Program: Resident Projects............................ 177
Work Camps for Unemployed Young Women, Fiscal Years 1936-38..................... 177
Resident Projects............................................................ 179
Weiser Resident Project, Weiser, Idaho............................ 184
Shakopee Resident Project, Shakopee, Minn.............’........... 185
Quoddy Resident Project, Passamaquoddy, Maine..................... 187
South Charleston Resident Project, South Charleston, W. Va........ 190
Conclusion...................................................... 194
VIII. Out-of-School Work Program: Services to Youth........................... 195
Youth Personnel Service, Guidance, and Counseling............................... 195
Youth Guidance Records............................................ 198
Youth Progress Report........................................... 198
Steps in Youth Guidance.......................................... 199
Placement Service................................................. 200
Follow-Up After Placement in Industry.............'............... 201
Group Guidance.................................................... 201
Junior Placement Offices........................................ 201
Aptitude Testing Program.......................................... 202
Occupational Studies............................................. 203
Relationship Between the Foreman and the Youth Counselor.......... 203
XII
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter
VIII. Out-of-Scbool Work Program: Services to Youth—Continued. Page
Employment Induction Centers..................................................... 205
Regulations Governing Interstate Transfer......................... 207
Requisition and Clearance Procedure............................... 208
Selection of Youth for Interstate Transfer........................ 208
Transfer of Documents and Youth Personnel Records................. 209
Transportation.................:.................................. 209
Termination on Reassignment................,...................... 209
Counseling ...................................................... 209
Related Training................................................................. 210
The U. S. Office of Education Provided Related Training, 1940-43.. 213
Administrative Organization Governing NY A Defense Related Training. 214
Defense Related Training for NYA Youth Workers.................... 216
Health Program.............................................................. 217
Establishment of NYA Health Program..............................' 219
Health Status of NYA Work Project Youth........................... 219
Health Examinations............................................... 222
Follow-Up Health Examinations..................................... 222
NYA Health Care................................................. 224
Health Education.................................................. 225
Youth Recreation Service..................................... ................ 226
Safety and Compensation.......................................................... 229
Apprentice Training.......................................................... 231
IX. Summary and Conclusions.................................................. 233
LIST OF TABLES
1. Employment status of the population 10 years of age and over, by age groups: 1930.. 11
2. Percent distribution of labor force and unemployed in labor force, by age groups and sex: 1930....................................................................... 12
3. Total unemployed and percent distribution of the unemployed, by age groups and sex, November 1937................................................................. 13 '
4. Percent distribution of labor force and unemployed, by age and sex: 1940...... 15
5. Percent of labor force unemployed, by age and sex: 1940....................... 15
6. Number and percent of urban and rural youth 14-24 in labor force and unemployed, by sex : 1940..................................................................... 16
7. Number and percent urban and rural Negro and other nonwhite youth of all Negro and other nonwhites in labor force and unemployed, by sex: 1940.................. 17
8. Number and percent urban and rural Negro and other nonwhite youth of all youth in labor force and unemployedi by sex: 1940......................................... 17
9. Percent of college enrollments used to establish NYA allocations, 1935-43..... 51
10. Special Negro college and graduate fund, by academic years, 1936-43.......... 52
11. Estimated number of different students employed on the NYA student work program, academic years 1935-36 through 1942-43............................................ 54
12. Average number of students employed per month on the NYA student work program, academic years 1935-36 through 1942-43.............................. ............ 54
13. Total earnings of youth employed on the NYA student work program, academic years 1935-36 through 1942-43..................................................... 55
14. Percentage distribution of students employed on the NYA student work program, by sex, academic years 1939-40 through 1942-43................................... 55
15. NYA student employment by race, academic years 1939-40 and 1942-43........... 56
16. Average monthly earnings of students on the NYA student work program, academic years 1935-36 through 1942-43..................................................... 57
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Page
17. Percentage distribution of college NYA assignments by general occupational fields, 1942-43.................................................................................. 60
18. Median annual income of NYA students’ families, by program and race, academic years 1939-40 and 1942-43................................................................. 67
19. Percent distribution of NYA students, by size of family and program........... 70
20. Percent distribution of NYA students, by size of family and race.............. 70
21. Percent distribution of NYA students’ parents, by employment status or occupation. 72
22. Percent distribution of NYA students’ parents, by employment status or occupation
and by race............................................................................... 73
23. Age distribution of youth on the student work program, 1939-40...................... 73
24. Grade distribution of youth on the student work program, 1939-40.................... 74
25. Grade distribution of youth on the student work program, by sex and race, 1939-40. 74
26. Proportion of institutions in which NYA students as a group made higher or lower scholastic averages than the general student body, 1938-39.............................. 75>
27- Total Federal and cosponsors’ expenditures and percent cosponsors’ expenditures are of total expenditures, NYA out-of-school work program, fiscal years 1936 through 1943.........................................................................,, 96
28. Average monthly employment of nonyouth employees and total and average monthly earnings, national summary, fiscal years 1940 through 1943............................... 100
29. Estimated number of different youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work program by sex, fiscal years 1936 through 1943. . . ..................................... 109
30. Average number of youth employed per month on the NYA out-of-school work progfam by sex, fiscal years 1936 through 1943........................................... 110
31. Average monthly earnings of youth employed by resident status, fiscal years 1936 through 1943, out-of-school work program................................................. 117
32. Labor and nonlabor encumbrances, out-of-school work program, fiscal years 1940 through 1943............................................................................. 118
33- Federal funds expended for equipment, fiscal years 1936 through 1943, out-of-school work program......................................................................' 119
34. Age of youth actively assigned on the NYA out-of-school work program, by sex.. 121
35. Median age of NYA youth, by race and sex, out-of-school work program............... 122
36. Number of youth employed by degree of urbanization, out-of-school work program. 122
37. Number of youth employed by degree of urbanization, sex and race, March 17,
1943, and September 1941, out-of-school work program..................................... 123
38. Percent distribution of NYA youth by highest grade completed, by sex and race, out-of-school work program............................................................... 124
39. Educational attainment of NYA youth, by sex and race, out-of-school work program. 125
40. Median grade attainment of NYA youth, by census region, out-of-school work program.................................................................................. 12₅
41. Median grade attainment of NYA youth, by urbanization, out-of-school work program.................................................................................. 126
42. Median age at which NYA youth left school, out-of-school work program........... 126
43- Percent distribution of ages at which NYA youth left school, out-of-school work Program..............................................................................£ ₁₂₆
44. Median age at which NYA youth left school, by urbanization, out-of-school work program................................................................................ 12₇
45. Proportion of NYA youth never privately employed prior to NYA assignment, by present age, out-of-school work program.................................................. 128
46. Proportion of NYA youth never privately employed prior to NYA assignment, by urbanization, by race and sex, out-of-school work program................................ 129
47. Number of youth terminated from projects by reason, fiscal years 1938 through 1943, out-of-school work program........................................................ 132
48. Selected occupations with critical shortage of labor...... . ................... 149
xiv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
APPENDICES
A. National Committees: Page
NYA National Advisory Committee..................................................... 237
NYA National College Work Council................................................... 239
NYA National School Work Council.............................................;.... 240
B. Supplementary tables:
1. Federal funds expended for the operation of the National Youth Administration programs, fiscal years 1936 through 1943................................. 240
2. Analysis of funds expended for the operation of the National Youth Administration programs, fiscal years 1940 through 1943.............................. 241
3. Federal funds expended for the operation of the NYA out-of-school work program and the NYA student work program by States, fiscal years 1936 through 1943.................................................................. 242
4. Number of NYA administrative employees and total and average monthly earnings, fiscal years 1940 through 1943..................................... 243
5. Number of students employed on the student work program and total earnings by month, United States and territories, September 1935 through May 1943 244
6. Number of schools and college and graduate institutions participating in the NYA student work program by States, academic year 1939-40..................... 246
7. Average number of students employed per month on the NYA student work program by States, academic year 1939-40..................................... 247
8. Average number of students employed per month on the NYA student work program by States, academic year 1940-41...................................... 248
9. Average number of students employed per month on the NYA student work program by States, academic year 1941-42 ..................................... 249
10. Average number of students employed per month on the NYA student work program by States, academic year 1942-43 ...................................... 250
11. Average monthly earnings of students employed on the NYA student work program by States, academic years 1939-40 and 1940-41.......................... 251
12. Average monthly earnings of students employed on the NYA student work program by States, academic years 1941-42 and 1942-43.......................... 252
13. Number of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work program by month, United States and territories, January 1936 through May 1943.... 253
14. Average number of youth employed per month on the NYA out-of-school work program by States, fiscal years 1940 through 1943......................... 254
15. Average monthly earnings of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work program, by resident status and by States, fiscal years 1940 and 1941. .. 255
16. Average monthly earnings of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work programs, by resident status and by States, fiscal year 1942. ............ 256
17. Average monthly earnings of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work program, by resident status and by States, fiscal year 1943............... 257
18. Percentage distribution of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work program, by sex and by type of project, fiscal years 1940 and 1941............. 258
19. Percentage distribution of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work programs, by sex and by type of work activity, fiscal year 1942................ 258
20. Percentage distribution of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work program, by sex and by type of work activity, fiscal year 1943................. 259
21. Number of youth who left the NYA out-of-school work program to accept jobs in private industries and public agencies, by sex and by type of industry or employment, fiscal year 1941......................................... 260
22. Number of youth who left the NYA out-of-school work programs to accept jobs in private industries and public agencies, by sex and by type of industry or employment, fiscal year 1942......................................... 261
23. Number of youth who left the NYA out-of-school work programs to accept jobs in private industries and public agencies, by sex and by type of industry or employment, July 1942 through May 1943............................... 262
'I •
Unemployed Youth During the Depression
On youth rests the inevitable future of the Nation. From the constantly emerging vitality of young people, their health and commensurate abilities to contribute to the economic and social structure, and the proper use of their potential energies comes the eventual progress of a great country. In the decade of the thirties, young men and women of the United States went through 10 years of limited opportunities. Until demands of war intervened, school and college graduates swelled the ranks of youth out-of-work; too many were forced into dead-end jobs; too many were partially employed or underemployed.
Youth made up more than their share of the mass unemployment which accompanied the economic depression. They were a drug on the labor market. In fact, they constituted in many respects an economic liability and a social problem. Youth were given altogether too casual treatment by many groups and individuals. They represented an unsolvable problem until solutions could be found to the complexities which affected the country as a whole—indeed, the entire world.
Foundation-shaking economic and social disturbances held the undivided attention of the peoples of the earth during the last decade. America’s proud tradition that this is a great land of individual independence, vigorous self-initiative, and boundless opportunity was subjected to reappraisal and questioning by a deeply concerned and distressed public. Young and old alike were gripped by the fear of insecurity and there were swelling rumblings of discontent on all sides.
'Youth An International Problem
The burden of unemployment fell with disproportionate severity upon young people under 25 years of age. Extensive youth unemployment emerged as a major problem, not only in this country but in the world, with serious implications to the future of nations.
The United States was not the first great Government to take steps to alleviate a serious youth problem. European countries were confronted with an alarming out-of-school, unemployed youth problem shortly after the end of World War I, and as early as 1921 a work camp movement was developed in Europe that eventually included 25 coun-
1
2
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
tries.¹ Governments were fearful of the consequences which might result from the demoralization, despair, or revolutionary outbursts of the younger generation. In all countries where modern industrial methods had become the predominant factor in the economy, youth’s lack of work experience became a constantly greater handicap in competing with millions of adults in search of employment. There was worldwide recognition that long periods of idleness for youth meant increased burdens of delinquency, political restlessness, and cynicism. This fear stirred governments to institute measures aimed at giving idle young people something to do, even though the work might frequently be trivial and unproductive. Governments of other countries could no more overlook the fact than could the United States during the depression that with more and more young people forced to remain unemployed for increasing periods of time, special work programs had to be instituted. In practically all countries where a highly industrial economy existed, governments felt compelled to provide some additional education, vocational guidance and training, and usually some form of work experience.
How the youth problem in extremis became a concern of national governments was demonstrated by the regimented lengths to which the Nazi and Fascist governments went to control the mental and physical development of youth for nationalistic ambitions and in so doing usurped to a major degree the influences of the home, the school, and the church. These countries, particularly Germany, were so effective in their psychological, educational, and military methods with the younger generation that they were prepared to subdue the continent of Western Europe, and subsequently to challenge the power of democratic peoples throughout the world. In these Fascist countries, government-controlled youth programs, as well as government-controlled youth organizations, were designed instruments to inculcate and perpetuate the political ideology of the Nazi and Fascist Party Leaders.
Youth Programs in Germany ²
Germany, whatever else it may not be, is probably the best example of the development of spontaneous youth movements into regimented order. The post-war effects of World War I fell heavily upon the youth group. German youth were humiliated by defeat, bitterly divided among themselves, unable to find means of earning a living, and deeply dissatisfied with the social and economic conditions existing in their country.
¹ Kenneth Holland, “Work Camps for Youth,” from American Youth, An Enforced Reconnaissance, edited by Thacher Winslow and Frank P. Davidson. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1940), ch. IV, p. 84.
² Thacher Winslow, Youth, A World Problem, Works Progress Administration, National Youth Administration. (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1937), pp. 30-45.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
3
Prior to the World War a youth organization, the Jugendbewegung^ (a back-to-nature movement) was formed, which was made up of a variety of youth associations. In the post-war years, the motivating philosophy of the Jugendbewegung changed to one of deep dissatisfaction with social and economic conditions, and became an instrument to indoctrinate youth with positive political, economic, and religious beliefs. Although there were many religious and political youth organizations in Germany with independent programs, the ideas motivating the associations joined together in the Jugendb&wegung influenced the majority of youth organizations. For example, hiking and other outdoor activities were advocated by all youth organizations, whether or not they belonged to the Jugendbewegung and their uniforms were similar.
The ideology of the Jugendbewegwrug set the stage for the youth doctrine of the National Socialist Party. Hitler formed his first youth organization {Hitlerjug end} in 1926, which later became the organization of all German young people. Until 1932’, the Hitler Youth were directly subordinate to and administered by the leaders of the Brown Shirts. In 1932, it became an independent organization within the National Socialist Party and, in June 1933, after the Nazis had come into power, a National youth leader was appointed.
Hitler Youth were required to give complete obedience not only to Hitler, as supreme leader, but to other national leaders and to the leaders in the different grades in the entire hierarchy above the individual young person. The organization was strongly nationalistic, dominated by the Nazi doctrine of racial purity. Emph asis was placed on physical achievement and bodily fitness rather than on intellectual prowess. Young people were attracted by the uniform, marching, public display, hiking, and sports activities. In November 1935, a government order made training in the Hitler Youth a prerequisite for appointment to posts in the public service.
Hitler Youth was supposedly a voluntary organization. However, the members of Catholic youth organizations had refused to join, and finally on December 1, 1936, a decree was issued which stated that “all German youth within the borders of the Reich are united in the Hitler Youth. All German youth ... are to be trained bodily, mentally, spiritually, and morally, in the spirit of National Socialism for service to the nation and to the unified people.” This decree gave the state, under Hitler as its dictator, administrative control over all German youth, beginning at the age of 10.
Labor camps had been started in 1924 by certain private youth organizations for the purpose of reducing unemployment and counteracting youthful demoralization. In 1931, the German Government lent financial aid to these camps and took an active part in their
566597—44-------2
4
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
direction. In 1933, when the National Socialist Party came into full power, the entire labor camp program was taken over and a single voluntary Labor Service was formed. Various steps were taken to induce young persons to join labor camps, largely in order to reduce unemployment. Finally steps were taken to inaugurate military service for all young men in March 1933, and a few months later a law was passed requiring a term of duty in the Labor Service as a prerequisite for entrance into the Army. In June 1935, the organization was renamed the Federal Labor Service and a 6 months’ term of service was obligatory for all Germans, both male and female. It was no longer an emergency program for unemployed youth, but a required and regimented program for all young people regardless of their financial status.
By 1939, Labor Service camps for men numbered about 1,000, scattered all over the country; the total average membership was 300,000; and the permanent staff numbered nearly 20,000 officers. Each man in the camps received 10 cents a day as “pocket money,” as well as food, shelter, and clothing. The men worked 35 hours, 5 days a week; the sixth day was devoted to education, largely political in character; Sunday was left free and leave was granted. In addition to the weekly work hours, 5 hours were spent in military drill and 5 hours in sports. The work consisted primarily of land reclamation and improvement, land clearance, and aid in emergencies such as floods and fires.
The Women’s Labor Service was not compulsory except for those young women desiring a college education. By March 1938, there were 25,000 young women assigned to camps in various parts of the country. These camps were smaller than the men’s camps, averaging between 25 and 50 girls. From 6 to 7 hours each day were devoted to work. Considerable time was given in the evenings to courses in the basic principles of National Socialism and women’s role in the new state. Young women were taught the essentials of housekeeping and were trained in social work; they received instruction in the work of a wife or servant living on the farm.
There were other programs for young people which were controlled by the National Socialist Government. Vocational training pro-giams gained great importance and were accelerated in preparation for the coming war. The system of apprenticeship was expanded and the number of apprentices was increased. The education of young people in the school system was subject to strict state and federal control. The National Socialist Government under Hitler controlled and regimented the young people of the German Nation to the end that they were psychologically prepared, vocationally trained, physically hardened, and militarily adapted to the war which Germany
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 5
initiated. German youth were in complete harmony with the ruthless intent of the German Government to control the world economy and social order.
Youth Program in Italy ³
In 1923, when Mussolini marched on Rome and the Fascist Government was established in Italy, the young people of Italy supported Fascism enthusiastically. They were attracted to Fascism because of the promise it gave them of meeting some of their own economic and social needs, as well as the needs of the state. Because of the important role of young people in establishing the Fascist dictatorship, Mussolini maintained a consistent interest in Italy’s youth.
In theory, youth were not compelled to enroll in the Opera Nazionale Balilla, the one government-controlled youth organization established in 1926 under the Under Secretary of State for Physical Education. In contrast to Germany, the consent of the parents had to be obtained for the enrollment of youth. There was an absence in Italy of employment programs designed primarily for youth, such as the Labor Service in Germany. Young men were absorbed through a military service program, but in large measure assistance to unemployed young people was given through a system of unemployment benefits. In 1932, for example, statistics of the National Fascist Institute for Social Welfare showed that the proportion of young persons of both sexes to all unemployed persons drawing unemployment benefits was 41 percent.
The Balilla organization included all the youth of Italy between the ages 6-18. The programs included the teaching of gymnastic sports, assistance along therapeutic lines, camping, competitive contests, and social-welfare activities. Physical education for both boys and girls under the supervision of the Balilla organization was compulsory in all national and private elementary and secondary schools. The Balilla organization also supplemented the curricula of schools through subsidiary courses designed to establish the principles of the Fascist doctrine and ideals in the minds of the students.
Upon reaching the age of 18, boys' entered the Young Fascist organization in which they remained until they were 21. This organization provided the new material for the National Fascist Party and militia, and party membership was awarded as a reward for the faith and achievement of the members of the Young Fascist organization. In the Fascist Party organization young men received supplementary training of a purely political character and they were further educated in the ideals and principles of Fascism. Preliminary military training was given, and recreation and social activities were carried on by the organization.
⁸ Thacher Winslow, op. tit., pp. 53-58.
6
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Girls reaching the age of 18 entered the Young Fascist girls organization, which combined study and work with physical exercises and social service activities.
The Fascist political and propaganda methods permeated the university groups, in particular university cultural and athletic activities. The Fascist Government also extended the system of vocational training for both school and unemployed youth.
In Italy, as in Germany, youth found their satisfaction in outlets such as marching to rhythmic music, carrying colorful banners with emotional slogans, and applauding the stirring and fiery speeches of their admired leaders. Their youthful susceptibility to the doctrines of their leaders was consistently exploited.
A brief review of the youth programs in other representative European countries provides more comprehensive background on the extent governments adopted special programs for youth. A digest of measures taken in the Union of Soviet Republics, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, and England has been made for this report.
Youth Program in the Union of Soviet Republics ⁴
A strong youth movement has always been a part of the Soviet Union’s program. From official reports and other available evidence, the indication has been that the Soviet Union believed that its future depended largely upon its youth. Great strides have been made in the educational system to reduce illiteracy. In the case of university students, large numbers have been enabled to take university courses through a system of special allowances paid either by the government or by the administrative bodies for which the students expected to work upon completing their courses. In 1935, it was estimated that approximately 80 percent of the university students were receiving allowances to enable them to live while studying.
All youth organizations in the Soviet Union are included in one organization—the Communist Union of Youth, which is open to young people 15 to 26 years of age who are loyal to the Soviet Government. The Communist Union of Youth was formed at an all-Russian congress of youth organizations in October 1918 and retained its organizational structure with a few modifications and additions until 1936, when it drew up an entirely new program and statutes to correspond more nearly to the “new era.” The period of reconstruction in Russia was considered as over, and the Communist Union of Youth now directed its effort toward the filling of the tremendous needs of industry and agriculture for trained and well-educated workers. The Communist Union of Youth conducted political and educational work, military training through close association with
⁴ Ibid., pp. 126-138.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
7
all military activities, emergency or “shop work” on industrial projects and in Soviet industrial establishments, and encouraged all types of sports aimed to develop the physical culture of the youth population.
The members of the Communist Union of Youth were inspired with an unquestionable allegiance to the ideals of their country. They were the “shock troops” of the Soviet, and were in constant readiness to demonstrate their courage, endurance, and skill. Their entire interests and strength were pledged to the support of the government. Youth were granted the franchise at 18 years of age, and the young communist training involved considerable participation in the social and economic life of the country.
Since Germany invaded Russia in 1940, the stubborn resistance of the Russian people in warding off defeat, and the growth in offensive strength of the Russian Army, has been a demonstration of the continuous integration since 1918 of youth into the national structure.
Youth Work Camps in Switzerland ⁵
A Student Voluntary Work Service was developed in Switzerland in 1925. University students participated in summer camp programs, performing work of a useful character which would not increase unemployment. In 1933 the Swiss Government established work camps for the young unemployed. Local communities were required to contribute at least an amount equal to that expended by the Federal Government. The work of the unemployed in the first camps was on public work projects. Later in 1935 the Government took measures to include in the work camps vocational development and rehabilitation of the young unemployed. There was no compulsory labor service in Switzerland; the camps were developed to meet the needs of youth on a noncompulsory basis.
Youth Labor Service in Austria ⁶
No country was more severely crippled, both econoipically and politically, after the first World War than Austria. Widespread unemployment existed and in 19'32 voluntary work camps for youth were legally established by the government. In October 1934 the labor service was reorganized and all private organizations which had been responsible for maintaining work camps were combined into the Austrian Labor Service, a state organization. The work camps were to provide constructive activity for unemployed young people and to train them for existing jobs. The camps were coordinated under the Federal Administrator of Social Administration, and were financed from relief or benefit funds, or by grants from the Federal
⁸Kenneth Holland, Youth in European Labor Camps. (Washington: American Council on Education, 1939), pp. 51-68.
⁹ Ibid., pp. 130-146.
8
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
treasury. The cost of the camps was distributed between the Government and the work sponsor. The majority of the youth in the camps was under 26 years of age, and was enrolled for a period of 40 weeks, working an 8-hour day. The work performed was chiefly on public works, soil improvement and conservation, and relief work. An educational program was emphasized with special attention given to physical exercise and physical education. After Austria became a part of Germany, its labor service was incorporated into the National Socialist Labor Service.
Work Camps in Poland ⁷
In Poland, unemployed youth became a concern of the Government and in 1935 the Government assumed control of privately sponsored work camps for unemployed youth. Government funds were supplied by the Ministry of Social Welfare, autonomous local authorities, or social institutions. In 1936 the work camps were placed under the Minister of Defense, at which time the work projects were more directly related to meeting the needs of national defense. At this time, the Polish labor camps for unemployed youth came under the influence of the army and later became part of the military training program of the country.
Some Measures for 'Youth Taken in England ⁸
Unemployment after the first World War and until 1937 was of high proportions in England, and Government" measures were taken to alleviate the unemployment situation, not only for older workers but young workers as well. Government Training Centers were organized by the Ministry of Labor in 1925, which provided means by which young men could be taken from depressed areas and trained for work in those parts of the country where there were more opportunities for employment. No system of labor camps was set up in England. The Ministry of Labor decided that the most effective approach to assist young people in depressed areas was by providing them with work opportunities in more prosperous parts of the country.
Junior Instruction Centers were first established in 1920 as a temporary measure and were made a permanent part of the Ministry of Labor in 1930. The maintenance of Junior Instruction Centers became compulsory in 1934 in areas of concentrated juvenile unemployment, and all young people who were not in school and who were looking for work were compelled to enroll in one of the centers. The enrollees were not trained for any specific type of work, but were given manual instruction, physical education, and other practical subjects.
⁷ Ibid., pp. 206-221.
⁸ Ibid., pp. 147-179 ; and Thacher Winslow, op. cit., pp. 46-48.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
9
TheYouth Problem in the United States
European countries were in the throes of economic depression and social readjustments much sooner than the United States. As mentioned in the previous pages, European governments were taking measures to alleviate unemployment in the twenties and the first youth work programs were started early in that decade. However, the thirties actually brought the more fully organized or total government programs for youth in the principal European countries.
In the United States, the 1920’s w’ere on the whole years of prosperity, and expanding industrial production. The peak of rapid economic expansion was reached in 1929, when it abruptly ended. There were no new lands to provide outlets to a growing population. The leveling off of industrial expansion and the surplus of agricultural products resulted in a narrowing of employment outlets. The immediate concomitant of a decline in industrial production was mass unemployment with no developing opportunities for absorption of displaced workers. By 1932, national income produced had fallen by aproximately 40 percent as measured in terms of 1939 purchasing power. Losses in dollars and cents to industry and private individuals reached enormous proportions with productive capacity unutilized and deteriorating, bank failures, and curtailed hew investments.⁹ Consumer expenditures declined; the national income dropped; prices on farm products fell off sharply so that farm income was unable to meet taxes and carrying charges on indebtedness. The maladjustment of the industrial and agricultural economy produced an immediate loss in individual wages and incomes and, for a great number of the population, complete or partial unemployment.¹^
This period of economic adversity resulted in an unprecedented problem of unemployment which could not have been met by local authorities even if tax revenues had not drastically declined. Estimates of the number of unemployed persons ranged from a peak in March 1933 of 14,762,000, or 29 percent of the total labor force,¹¹ to 8.8 million persons in April 1940.¹² The annual average of unemployment undoubtedly exceeded 10,000,000'persons in 1932, 1933,1934, and 1938.¹³ Moreover, these estimates did not include the under-employed or partially employed.
From 1910 to 1940, the proportion of young people in gainful employment had been steadily declining. This had been in part
⁸ National Resources Planning Board, Security, Work, and Relief Policies. (Washing-
ton : U. S. Government Printing Office, 1942), pp. 16—17.
¹⁰ Ibid., pp. 17-18.
¹¹ Ibid., pp. 19, 20.
¹² U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Monthly Report on the Labor Force, Special Surveys: No. 16, October 6, 1943.
¹³ National Resources Planning Board, op. tit., pp. 19-20.
10
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
accounted for by the increase in school attendance resulting from parents’ desire to give their children a better education than they themselves had, legal requirements in regard to compulsory school attendance, and child labor laws governing minimum age requirements for employment. But not all young people remained in school or college, and even during the 1920’s there were fewer opportunities for employment due to the elimination of many “boys’ jobs” because of improved production methods which tended to enhance the competition between youth and older, more established workers for the less skilled jobs.¹⁴ This competition for work between youth and adults was multiplied with the advent and deepening of the depression. Opportunities for work were far too few to absorb the 1,750,000 new and inexperienced workers coming into the labor market each year when this labor market was already surfeited with older workers clamoring for employment of any nature.¹⁵
Facts on Youth Unemployment, 1930-1940
Between 1930 and 1940, youth appeared in large numbers among the unemployed and in proportion to their numbers in the population were over-represented. During this decade, youth employment varied between 1 million in 1930, 5 million in 1933, 3.9 million in 4937, and 2.6 million in 1940.
As far back as 1930, when the Nation as a whole was only partially conscious of an unemployment problem in general, there were at least one million youth, able and willing to work, but unable to locate employment. The estimates of the number of unemployed youth have not taken into consideration unpaid family workers who worked at home chiefly because of absence of remunerative work elsewhere. These young persons probably would have swelled the unemployed total another million or a million and a half. Therefore, statistical enumerations of unemployment and in particular youth unemployment are undoubtedly conservative. Certainly, they do not exaggerate the extent and significance of the high volume of unemployment among youth.
There were three national surveys of unemployment from 1930 to 1940; namely, (1) the Unemployment Census of 1930 in connection with the regular decennial census of population; (2) Census of Partial Employment and Unemployment and Occupations: 1937; (3) the Unemployment Census of 1940 in connection with the regular decennial census of population. In addition, there were special relief census, and State and local unemployment studies. For the purpose of this
¹⁴ American Youth Commission, Youth and the Future. (Washington : American Council on Education, 1942), p. 11.
¹⁵Howard M. Bell, Matching Youth and Jobs. (Washington: American Council on Education, 1940), p. 3.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
11
report, a brief analysis is made only of the national surveys, as these, without question, reveal the seriousness of the youth unemployment situation.
The Unemployment Census of 1930
In connection with the Decennial Census of 1930, a Nation-wide count of the unemployed was undertaken. This survey confined itself only to persons who considered themselves as usually occupied. In accordance with information obtained from individuals, those who had not been at work on the day preceding the census count were distributed into seven categories, only two of which are considered for the purpose of this report. These two, classes A and B, included (A) persons out of a job, able and looking for work, and (B) persons with jobs but on lay-off without pay, excluding those sick or voluntarily idle. The remaining groups were made up of persons not regularly thought of as unemployed, such as those unable to work, persons on vacation, persons with jobs but out because of illness, etc.
The combination of classes A and B gives a total of 3,188,000 unemployed persons. Authorities in the field of unemployment statistics agreed that this figure is probably an understatement of the unemployment situation in 1930. Their estimates of the amount of understatement varied, however, some placing it at more than 500,000, others considerably lower.¹⁶
In the reported census figures, unemployed youth, 15-24 years of age, were 27.5 percent (879,000) of the total unemployed. Since the definitions used in the 1930 census automatically excluded workers who had never had a job, it may be assumed that-most of the new inexperienced young persons just coming into the labor force were not included in the count of the total labor force. If these new workers had been included, the count of unemployed undoubtedly would have been several hundred thousand greater, particularly in the youth group.
Table 1.—Employment status of the population 10 years of age and over, by age groups: 1930
[000’s]
Age Population Labor force Unemployed1
Total 10 years and over_____________________.___________
98,723 48,830 3,188
10-14 years_______________________________ 12,004 393 4
15-24.'.________________________________ 22,423 11,442 879
SMfc______________________________________ 18,954 11,823 713
35-441.________________________________________________________ 17,199 10, 501 630
45-54_________________________________________________________ 13,018 7,831 512
55-64__________________________________________________________ 8,397 4,591 314
65 and over_______x__________________________________________ 6,634 2,205 134
Unknown.. _________________________________________________ 94 44 2
¹ Includes unemployed workers of classes A and B, unadjusted for inexperienced workers.
¹⁸ Robert R. Nathan, "Estimates of Unemployment in the U. S. A.,” from International Labor Review, Vol. 38, No. 1, January 1936, pp. 55 ff.
12
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Although male workers have always made up the major part of the labor force, women have been an increasing proportion of gainful workers for more than half a century. In 1930, men were 78 percent of the labor force and women 22 percent. On the other hand, men were 8'4 percent of the unemployed and women only 16 percent. Unemployment was hitting male workers relatively more severely than women workers at that time. This same relative situation held true for the youth group as 21 percent of the unemployed were young men and only 6 percent young women compared with 15 percent and 8 percent, respectively, which young men and women were of the total
labor force.
The following table brings out clearly that even in 1930 youth were having relatively more difficulty in finding employment than older workers. Almost 28 percent of all the unemployed were youth, although only 23 percent of the labor force was in the age group 15-24 years of age.
Table 2. Percent distribution of labor force and unemployed in labor force, by age groups and sex: 1930¹
rooo’s]
Age Labor force Unemployed
Total Male Female Total Male Female
Total number..._______________ 48,830 38,078 10,752 3,188 2,686' 502
Percent_______________________..._________ 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
10-14 years________ . _ 0.8 0.72 1.12 0.13 0.C9 0.33
15-24________ . 23.43 19.83 36.19 27.56 24.79 42.41
25-34_________ 24.21 24.08 24.68 22 36 22.23 23.07
35-44_____ 21.50 22.61 17.60 19.77 20.39 16.44
45-54_______ 16.04 17.24 11. 77 16.06 17.06 10.72
55-64___________________________________ 9.40 10.35 6.04 9.85 10.70 5.26
65 and over________________■___________ 4.51 5.09 2.47 4.20 4.67 1.70
Unknown..__________________________ .10 .08 .13 .07 .07 .07
GccuPation Statistics, Age of Gainful Workers, vol. V,ch. IV,
table 2, p. 115, and Unemployment, Unemployment Returns by Classes, vol. I, table 6, p. 13.
Male youth constituted 25 percent of the unemployed, but were only 20 percent of the total male labor force. Among women workers, an even greater differential existed between older women and younger in the labor force in that women under 25 made up over 42 percent of all unemployed women, but were only 36 percent of the labor force of women.
Thus in 1930, young people were coming into the labor force faster than they could be absorbed in relationship to their place in the working population. They were bearing a disproportionate burden of unemployment which became heavier throughout the entire decade.
Census of Unemployment: 1937
At the time of the 1937 Census of Unemployment, general economic conditions were slightly improved over the peak unemployment period
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-194 3
13
of 1933 when 14,762,000 were estimated as unemployed, of which approximately 5 million were youth.¹⁷ Nevertheless, total unemployment and emergency employment were still high, the estimate being 10,983,000, of which 3,923,000 were youth 15-24. In addition to this number, there were another 5.5 million partly employed workers who wanted more work, of which l.£ million were youth. Since £be total labor force was then estimated as over 54 millions, approxihiately 20 percent of the total labor force was unemployed, and-another 10 percent was"underemployed^ > i »
An even more disproportionate share of the unemplo^ihent load was carried by youth in 1937 than 1930. In 1937, young peisons made up almost 36 percent of the unemployed, as contrasted with 27.5, percent in 1930. .
Unemployment was proportionately greater among young women, as over 43 percent of all unemployed women were in this ago group, while unemployed young men made up 32 percent of all unemployed male workers.
Table 3.—Total unemployed and percent distribution of the unemployed' by age groups and sex, November 1937²
[000’s]
Age Total Male Female
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
Total 15-74 years____________________ 10,983 100.0 7,418 100.0 3,565 100.0
15-24______________________________________ 3,923 35.9 2,369 32.0 1,554 43.6
25-34______________________________________ 2,225 20.3 1,473 19.9 752 21.2
35-44______________________________________ 1,839 16.8 1,245 16.9 594 16.8
45-54---1___________________________________ 1,576 14.4 1,169 15.8 407 11.5
55-64______________________________________ 1,029 9.4 835 11.3 194 5.5
65-74______________________________________ 349 3.2 304 4.1 45 1.3
Age not reported__________________________ 42 --- 23 19 ---
¹ Includes emergency Government workers.
² Census of Partial Employment and Occupations: 1937, Final Report on Total and Partial Unemployment, vol. IV, The Enumerative Check Census. (Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1938), table 4, p. 12.
The unemployment incident among Negro and other non white youth was proportionately higher than among white youth. For example, 20 percent of the total population of colored youth 15—24 years of age was unemployed, contrasted to 16 percent of the total population of white youth in this age group. In relation to the labor force 15-24 years of age, 35 percent of the colored youth in the labor market was unemployed as compared with 29 percent of the white youth. The Negro entered the worker group at a somewhat younger age and remained in the labor force longer than did whites. In relation to workers, as well as in relation to population, the extent of unemployment was greater for Negro women in all age groups.¹⁸
¹⁷ “WPA Unemployment Estimates,” from Monthly Labor Review, LIII, October 1941 pp. 893-897.
¹⁸ Ibid., table 14, pp. 35-37.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
The Unemployment Census of 1937 emphasized the growing extent of youth unemployment and confirmed previous estimates of the alarming proportions of the youth problem, not only from the standpoint of income but from the standpoint of morale, and the increasing national failure to utilize and develop potential abilities.
Employment and Unemployment Census: 1940
The Sixteenth. Census of the United States was a timely indicator of the m'anpo'jrer resources of the Nation since full war-planning was bein,g•I^pid^^• developed with its attendant demands on manpower reserves, jffi^e Government contracts to private industry were about to .placed*,« but industrial conversion had not yet been accomplished ndrjkad the size of the military services increased significantly. The spectacular increases in employment and the armed forces were s|ilf in th# future.
Xt thUtime the Census was taken, there were 52,966,000 persons in the labor force, of which 85.7 percent was gainfully employed. The remaining 14.3 percent (7,585,000) was seeking work or was on emergency Government work. This figure of unemployment was undoubtedly an understatement because of confusion on the part of enumerators and respondents properly to classify certain types of public emergency work, and the reluctance on the part of some emergency workers to admit they were emergency workers. An unemployment figure of 8 million was considered a more satisfactory figure.¹⁹ Unemployment in this country at the end of the decade continued to be a social and economic problem of great proportions, in spite of a business upswing due to defense orders after 1939.
There were 11,651,000 youth, 14-24 years of age, in the labor force in 1940, of which 2,648,000 were unemployed. An interesting and revealing fact is that 767,980 workers were reported as never having had a full-time job lasting 1 month or more. Almost all of these inexperienced job seekers were youth who had not obtained valid work experience in preparation for more stabilized employment.²⁰
At the time of the last census, youth 14—24 years of age seeking employment or on public emergency work programs were still 35 percent of the total unemployed group. The beginning of another decade had not yet improved youths’ chances for regular employment.
Women were continuing to enter the labor market in increasing numbers, and were 25.4 percent of the total female population 14 years of age and over, as compared to 24.3 percent in 1930. There was a decline in the proportionate number of males in the labor force from 1930 to 1940, from 84 percent of the total male population over 14 years of age to 79 percent.
Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940, Population, The Labor Force, Employment, and Personal Characteristics, (sample statistics) n 8
» Ibid., p. 8. p’
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
15
Table 4.—Percent distribution of labor force and unemployed by age and sex: 1940¹ [000’s]
Age , Labor force Unemployed
Total Male Female Total Male Female
14 years'and over:
Total number_________________________ 52,966 39,959 13,007 7,585 5,856 1,729
Total percent______________-__________ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
14-24_______________________________________ 22.0 18.9 31.6 34.9 30.6 49.4
25-44_____________________________________ 46.9 46.9 47.0 37.0 38.4 32.6
45-64_______________________________________ 27.1 29.6 19.4 25.4 27.9 16.9
65 and over_______________________________ 4.0 4.6 2.0 2.7 3.1 1.1
i Ibid., table 11, pp. 65-66.
The relative disadvantage of youth in the labor market is clearly indicated by a comparison of the proportion of workers in each age group who were unemployed. Of all youth in the labor market under 25 years of age, 23 percent was unemployed as contrasted with only 11 percent of all workers 25-44 years of age, 13.3 percent of those 45-64 years of age, and 9.6 percent of those 65 and over.
Table 5.—Percent of labor force unemployed by age and sex: 1940¹
[000’s]
Age Labor force Percent unempleyed
Total Male Female
Total 14 years and over__________________________ 52,966 14.3 14.6 13.3
14-24 _______________________________________________ 11,651 22.7 23.7 20.8
25-44 _________________________________________________ 24, 786 11.3 12.0 9.2
45-64 __________________________________________________ 14, 412 13.3 13.8 11.4
65 and over_________________________________________.... 2,117 9.6 10.0 7.1
i Ibid.
Youth of both sexes continued to bear a disproportionate share of unemployment compared to older workers in 1940. Unemployment among women was much more highly concentrated in the youth group. Almost 50 percent of the unemployed women was under 25 years of age, but only 32 percent of the total labor force of women was in this age group. Of the unemployed men, 30.6 percent was under 25, although only 18.9 percent of the total male labor force was represented by the youth group.
Compared with 1930 and 1937, there was increased concentration of unemployment among women in the younger ages. Among men, almost no change had taken place. Extensive youth unemployment persisted with marked intensity throughout the entire last decade, which increased from 27.5 percent in 1930 to 36 percent in 1937, and 35 percent in 1940 of the total unemployed. On the other hand, youth were 23 percent of the labor force in 1930 and only 22 percent in 1940.
16 NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Urban-Rural Distribution of Youth
In 1930 there were almost 2 million more urban than rural youth; the city youth population in 1940 was larger than rural youth by 2^ million, which indicated continued inigration of at least 1.3 million farm and small town youth to urban areas.²¹ The movement of youth to centers of large population during the thirties was higher than might have been expected during the depression era, although considerably smaller than in the 1920’s when 2,000,000 youth left farms and farm communities in the total net migration of 6,300,000 from rural areas.²²
In 1940, the urban labor force was 22 million larger than the rural nonfarm and rural farm labor force. There were 2 million more urban youth in the labor market than rural youth, although there were proportionately more rural youth in the labor force than urban youth. In addition, the extent of unemployment was proportionately greater for rural farm youth than either rural nonfarm or urban youth, as almost 43 percent of the rural farm youth was unemployed compared with 33 percent rural nonfarm and 34 percent urban youth.
Table 6.—Number and percent of urban and rural youth 14-24 in labor force and unemployed by sex: 1940¹
[000’s]
Total labor force Total unemployed
Total Male Female Total Male Female .
Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per-
ber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent
Urban:
14 years and over_..._
14-24._____________ 32,720 100.0 23,019 100.0 9,701 100.0 5,001 100.0 3,695 100.0 1,306 100.0
6,831 20.9 3,894 16.9 2,937 30.3 1,706 34.1 1,084 29.3 622 47.6
Rural nonfarm:
14 years and over_____
14-24.________________ 9,767 100.0 7,699 100.0 2,068 100.0 1,721 100.0 1,439 100.0 282 100.0
2,141 21.9 1,481 19.2 660 31.9 575 33.4 433 30.1 142 50.4
Rural farm: 10,479 100.0 9,241 100.0 1,238 10Ó.0 862 100.0 722 100.0 140 100.0
14 years and over_____ 2,679 25.5 2,183 23.6 496 40.1 367 42.6 278 38.5 89 63.6
14-24__________________
¹ Sixteenth Census of the U. S., op cit., table 11.
While Negroes and other non whites constituted 10.5 percent of the total labor force, they represented 12.4 percent of the total unemployed. In the age group 14-24, Negroes and other nonwhites were 11.6 percent of the total youth in the labor market and were 10.7 percent of all unemployed youth. While there wras relatively more
²¹ Paul T. David, Postwar Youth Employment, prepared for the American Youth Commission. (Washington : American Council on Education, 1943), p. 113.
²² Bruce L. Melvin and Elna N. Smith, Rural Youth, Their Situation and Prospects, Research Monograph XV, Works Progress Administration. (Washington, U. S. Government Printing Office, 1938), p. 7.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
17
nonwhite youth in the labor market than their elders, there was proportionately less unemployment. In the urban areas, Negroes and other nonwhite youth were 20 percent of the nonwhite labor force and 28.6 percent of the unemployed in this racial group. There was relatively more unemployed white youth in urban areas than nonwhite youth. In the rural nonfarm areas, Negroes and other nonwhite youth were 25 percent of the non white labor force and 32.2 percent of the nonwhite unemployed. On the other hand, they were 10 percent and 8.5 percent, respectively, of all youth in the labor force and unemployed. In the rural-farm areas, nonwhite youth were 31.7 percent of the nonwhite labor force and 43 percent of all unemployed non whites. Non white youth were 19.5 percent and 8 percent, respectively, of all youth in the labor force and unemployed in rural-farm areas. Although there was proportionately more nonwhite youth in
Table 7.—Number and percent urban and rural Negro and other nonwhite youth of all Negro and other nonwhites in labor force and unemployed by sex: 1940¹ [000’s]
Non white labor force Nonwhite unemployed
Total Male Female Total Male Female
Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per-
ber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent
Urban:
14 years and over_____ 3,085 100.0 1,852 100.0 1,233 100.0 714 100.0 492 100.0 222 100.0
14-24.................. 617 20.0 337 18.2 280 22.7 204 28.6 126 25.6 78 35.1
Rural nonfarm:
14 years and over_____ 861 100.0 593 100.0 268 100.0 152 100.0 122 100.0 30 100.0
14-24__________________ 214 24.9 140 23.6 74 27.6 49 32.2 36 29.5 13 43.3
Rural farm:
14 years and over..... 1, 645 100.0 1,305 100.0 340 100.0 72 100.0 55 100.0 17 100.0
14-24__________________ 522 31.7 395 30.3 127 37.4 31 43.1 22 40.0 9 52.9
¹ Sixteenth Census of the U. S., op. cit., table 11.
Table 8.—Number and percent urban and rural Negro and other nonwhite youth of all youth in labor force and unemployed by sex: 1940¹
[000’s]
Labor force (14-24 years of age) Unemployed (14-24 years of age)
Total Male Female Total Male Female
Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per- Num- Per-
ber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent ber cent
Urban:
14-24: All youth.. 6,831 100.0 3,894 10Ó.0 2,937 100.0 1,706 100.0 1,084 100.0 622 100.0
14-24: Nonwhite____ 617 9.0 337 8.7 280 9.5 204 12.0 126 11.6 78 12. 5
Rural nonfarm:
14-24: All youth______ 2,141 100.0 1,481 100.0 660 100.0 575 100.0 433 100.0 142 100.0
14-24: Nonwhite____ 214 10.0 140 9.5 74 11.2 49 8.5 36 8.3 13 9. 2
Rural farm:
14-24: . All youth___:..2 2,679 100:0 2,183 100.0 496 100.0 367 100.0 278 100.0 89 100.0
14-24: Non white______ 522 19.5 395 18.1 127 25.6 31 8.4 22 7.9 9 10.1
i Sixteenth Census of the U. S., op. cit., table 11.
18
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
the labor force than white youth in the rural non-farm and rural-farm areas, there was relatively little difference in the extent of unemployment between the two groups in relation to total unemployment.
During the thirties, the “piling up” of youth in farm areas lowered their already slim chances for remunerative farm employment; many were living on land unfit for cultivation. Young persons living at home with their parents received little if any compensation other than subsistence. The reduced farm income did not permit the payment of cash wages. The number of farm families on relief increased, and the number in the lowest income group increased. There were not less than 2,000,000 rural youth who were members of relief households at some time between 1930 and 1935. The peak was in February 1935, when 1,370,000 rural youth were receiving aid.²³
The great regional differences in the character of argiculture, the low average cash income, and the diminishing opportunities for farm ownership reduced the prospects of rural youth of attaining economic security on the land.
In the urban areas, competition with older workers and urban youth reduced the chances of the rural youth for employment. Technological improvements, seniority rights, lack of apprenticeship opportunities, and the spread-the-work system by means of lowered weekly hours of work made the situation even more difficult for rural youth to break through the barriers to employment.²⁴ Furthermore, rural youth had less education* than city youth because of the marked difference in available educational facilities in rural areas. Rural youth usually leave school earlier than urban youth and the quality of their education is lower. There are fewer vocational schools which train farm youth in agricultural or nonagricultural occupations.
In aii industrial society, the demand for workers is based on the requirements of industry and this demand has been affected by technological progress. The skilled trades requiring long periods of training have been losing ground to the operatives and specialists. In the period of the depression, skilled tradesmen were forced to take operatives jobs; specialists became service-workers and manual workers; and unskilled labor had almost no opportunity to elevate itself from the bottom of the occupational ladder. Great numbers of young men in urban and rural areas usually obtained their first experience as casual unskilled laborers. Under depression conditions, the prospects of improving their occupational status were practically nonexistent.
A survey of urban youth was made during 1938 in 7 cities—Bing-hamton, N. Y.; Birmingham, Ala.; Denver, Colo.; Duluth, Minn.;
²³ Bruce L. Melvin and Elna N. Smith, op. cit., Summary XV
²⁴ Ibid., pp. 21-40.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
19
St. Louis, Mo.; San Francisco, Calif.; and Seattle, Wash.²⁵ A sample of 30,000 youth was made, and at the time of interview, 70 percent was actively in the labor market. Nearly 40 percent had left high •school before graduation, and lack of funds was the principal reason given for leaving school. The economic level of a youth’s family had considerable bearing on the amount of education he received; and the higher the level of the father’s occupation, the more apt he was to finish high school or go to college. Two other reasons for leaving school were (1) no desire for further education, and (2) a preference for work in order to have their own money. Youth entered the labor market at an average age of 18 years, and few knew how to choose intelligently beween the industries and the occupations in which it was possible to get jobs. A little over half (55 percent) of the youth who entered the labor market obtained a private job shortly after leaving school. The remaining 45 percent was unemployed for some period of time, varying from 6 months on. The youth interviewed named lack of experience and the lack of specialized training as the two most important difficulties faced in applying for employment. Race, of course, was an outstanding factor in educational achievement, occupational determination, employment opportunity, and income level.
The unemployed youth situation in New York City was studied by the New York City Welfare Council in 1935.²⁶ The findings of this study were typical of the youth unemployment situation as it existed in almost all urban areas:
1. Unemployed youth—that is, young persons 16 to 24 years of age who were out of school, able to work and desirous of employment but unable to obtain it constituted one-third of the total sample of the youth population of the city.
2. The unemployed group contained almost as many girls (47 percent) as hoys (53 percent).
3. A larger proportion of the Negro than of the white youth was unemployed and seeking employment (43 percent as compared with 33 percent), so that the unemployed group contained a disproportionate number of Negroes.
4. Unemployed youth exhibited wide variations in degree of maturity, in educational achievement and vocational training, and in work experience. Almost one-fifth were found to be under 18, about two-fifths 18 to 20, and about two-fifths 21 to 24 years of age. One-fourth had left school on finishing the eighth gi ade, and one-fifth on graduating from high school; one-tenth had not completed even the eighth grade, while, on the other hand, almost as many had had from 1 to 7 years of college or university training. As to work experience, half of the group under 21 years of age, compared with about one-seventh of those 21 years of age or older, comprising altogether over one-third of the total, had never had a job of any kind. The other two-thirds had had work experience of varying
²⁸ Stanly L. Payne, Thirty Thousand Urban Youth, Federal Works Agency, Work Projects Administration. (Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1940), Social Problems Series No. 6.
M Ellen Nathalia Matthews, “Unemployed Youth in New York City’’ from Monthly Labor Review of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S. Department of Labor (February 1937) vol. 44, No. 2.
566597—44----3
20
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
lengths covering many types of employment, with about half in semiskilled and unskilled occupations and about two-fifths in clerical and kindred occupations.
5. The unemployed youth had been out of school from a few weeks’ time to. 10 years or more. The average for those who had never had employment was between 1 and 2 years, and for those with work experience about 5. Almost all who had never had work, and a large proportion of the others, had left school at a time when they must have been faced with the fact of scant likelihood of. their getting a job. Even so, three-fourths had left without completing high school.
6. Of the unemployed youth with some work experience half had had no work for at least 1 year, and half had had at least 2 years’ unemployment since leaving school. More than half had been idle at least half the time since they left school. This takes no account of the boys and girls who had been unable to-obtain any employment, though out of school, on an average, between 1 and 2. years. What such facts as these may mean in the dissipation of youthful energies and the undermining of youthful enthusiasm cannot be measured, but they must be considered in the formulation of programs for unemployed youth, both from the point of view of rehabilitating those whose morale has suffered from protracted idleness, and also on the preventive side through the provision of abundant facilities for the use of the enforced leisure.
7. Unemployed young persons who were themselves in receipt of relief or who were members of relief households, who constituted one-fourth of the total unemployed, are seen, when compared with unemployed youth not on relief, to have had a more limited education and training, to have left school earlier, to-have been out of work longer, and to have spent a larger proportion of their working lives without employment. The problem presented by this group is therefore more serious than that of unemployed youth as a whole and as such will require especially careful and thorough attention in all its aspects, if the singling out of this group for special observation and treatment is to be continued. The Precipitous Change in Events After 1940
Although the stress of events leading toward war was being felt in this country in 1940, there was no general acceptance on the part of the public that this Nation would soon be participating in a war of unparalleled magnitude. The unemployment slack was being taken up very slowly, and in July 1940 there were 9.3 million estimated as unemployed. After July, however, consistent inroads into the unemployment situation were made by industry, which was converting to the new war economy. In addition, an important, far-reaching national step had been taken. Selective Service became law on September 16,1940, and the military forces launched their huge expansion program in preparation for the threat of war, which was looming closer as a menace to the national safety.
The impact of industrial, agricultural, and military demands on manpower was not felt immediately. The number of unemployed varied month by month and dropped from the July 1940 figure of 9.3 million to 7 million in September, ascended to 7.7 million in January 1941, and then consistently declined to 6 million in June 1941. Since that time, with slight variations due to seasonal unemployment and the closing of schools during the summer months, which always brings-
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
21
a temporary rise in the number seeking employment, there has been a rapid drop in the number of those seeking work. The absorption of the unemployed kept pace with the Nation’s phenomenal conversion to a total war basis. In December 1941, the historic month of Pearl Harbor, unemployment had fallen to 3.8 million persons. In July 1943, when the National Youth Administration was liquidated by congressional action, only 1.2 million persons were estimated as unemployed.²⁷
Youth, particularly young white men, were drawn into the changed national situation with great rapidity after July 1941. Women did not have opportunities for employment at the same rate as white men, even taking into consideration the induction of men into the military services. As illustration, male unemployment dropped 5.5 million (84.6 percent) from April 1940 to September 1942, while female unemployment dropped from 1.6 million (69.6 percent) during this same period.
Another significant and powerful factor was the withdrawal of men into the armed forces under selective service and the patriotic desire, especially on the part of younger men, to enlist in the military services. Young men under 25 years of age were 42.4 percent of the 3,726,000 registrants inducted into the Army for the period September 1940 through November 1942. Even greater inroads were made by the Army enlistment program in this age group. For the same period, 64.8 percent of 1,090,000 Army enlistments were under 25 years of age. If the Navy figures were available, they would show even greater enlistments from the young age groups.²⁸
In November 1942, by act of Congress, Selective Service was empowered to draft young men 18 and 19 years of age. Information is not available as to the rate of induction, but the assumption can be made with reasonable assurance that all those physically able have been inducted.
In reality, America’s young men have gone to war. The situation which existed for them before the war has vanished—they were needed and wanted. Their courage, strength, and energy were absolutely essential to success in battle and success on the production front. Young women have responded as well. They have not only gone into employment of all kinds, but they have voluntarily enlisted in the WAC’s, the WAVES, SPARS, and MARINES and are now an integral part of the military services.
The depression era had faded into the past—there was no longer a disproportionate surplus of youth—there were no longer “millions too
²⁷ U. S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Monthly Report on the -Labor Force, Special Surveys : No. 16, October 6, 1943.
²⁸ Selective Service in Wartime, Second Report of the Director¹ of Selective Service 1941-42. (Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1943), pp. 55-57.
22
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
many.” The war had swept before it the stagnant pools of idle youth. In this time of national emergency and crisis, youth had their opportunity to participate in industrial and agricultural production and, even more significant, the winning of the military victory to insure the national safety. They were again part of the flow of national life.
Youth Programs Initiated in the United States
The relative overrepresentation of youth among the unemployed and the inadequacy of the existing facilities to bridge the gap between school and employment resulted in a recognition by the Federal Government of the particularized needs of unemployed youth. Federal Government officials realized that special measures were needed to provide young workers, without any occupational or industrial attachments, with work experiences for entrance into the normal responsibilities of adulthood. Financial aid as a public relief measure was necessary; but economic and social rehabilitation of youth was of major importance in the establishment of a Federal youth agency. The obtaining of valid work experience and sound work habits through a program of public works, the stimulation of educational and recreational interests, were basic objectives of a Federal youth program. A program of relief would not have solved any of the problems of youth and was discarded by intelligent, socially minded citizens and government officials as being completely undesirable. Relief was a very temporary expedient to alleviate distress but as a longer-term remedy for young people only resulted in almost immediate deterioration— morale was affected and bad habits were cultivated which decreased employability. Moreover, relief reached only those in the most distressed conditions of poverty and failed to include any appreciable number of the youth who were being unfavorably affected because of idleness induced by unemployment. The combined resources of the secondary, vocational, and higher educational systems were unable to encompass the out-of-school youth problem or to provide the type of experience required for industrial employment. The unemployed youth needed and required either an opportunity to gain experience through work in order to become a productive unit in society or an opportunity to continue his education which he had ended because the family income was not sufficient to meet the minimum expenses entailed in continued attendance in school.
The persistent magnitude of the youth unemployment problem was first recognized by the Federal Government in March 1933, when the Civilian Conservation Corps was established for the purpose of providing work relief for unemployed young men and to conserve and develop the natural resources of the country through a program of useful public works. The CCC developed a Nation-wide system of
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
23
1,500 work camps for unemployed young men who enrolled voluntarily from urban and rural areas. Employment in CCC camps ranged from 290,000 in the spring of 1933 to a peak of 510,000 in August 1935. Since that time to June 1940, employment fluctuated between 250,000 and 350,000 per month.
The CCC provided employment only to young men and therefore did not meet any of the needs of the unemployed, out-of-school group of young women. Furthermore, its program did not include any but a limited percentage of the total unemployed young men, many of whom needed a more varied type of work experience in preparation for private employment. The extent of unmet need was so great that the second major step was taken by the Federal Government to deal with the special problems of youth on June 26,1935, with the establishment of the National Youth Administration, by Executive order, within the frame-work of the Works Progress Administration.²⁹
Upon signing the Executive order, President Roosevelt made the following statement, which reflected the national concern of parents, educators, labor, and industry as to the proportions of the unemployed youth problem and which in broad terms set the administrative policy thereafter pursued by officials of the National Youth Administration:
I have determined that we shall do something for the Nation’s unemployed youth because we can ill afford to lose the skill and energy of these young men and women. They must have their chance in school, their turn as apprentices, and their opportunity for jobs—a chance to work and earn for themselves.
In recognition of this great national need, I have established a National Youth Administration, to be under the Works Progress Administration.
This undertaking will need the vigorous cooperation of the citizens of the several States, and to insure that they shall have an important part in this work, a representative group will be appointed to act as a national advisory board, with similar boards of citizens in the States and municipalities throughout the country. On these boards there shall be representatives of industry, labor, education, and youth, because I want the youth of America to have something to say about what is being done for them.
Organizations along State and municipal lines will be developed. The work oi these organizations will be to mobilize industrial, commercial, agricultural, and educational forces of the States so as to provide employment and to render other practical assistance to unemployed youth.
It is recognized that the final solution of this whole problem of unemployed youth will not be attained until there is a resumption of normal business activities and opportunities for private employment on a wide scale. I believe that the national youth program will serve the most pressing and immediate needs of that portion of unemployed youth most seriously affected at the present time.
It is my sincere hope that all public and private agencies, groups, and organizations, as well as educators, recreational leaders, employers, and labor leaders, will cooperate wholeheartedly with the National and State Youth Administrations in the furtherance of this national youth program.
The yield on this investment should be high.
²⁹ Executive Order No. 7086, dated June 26, 1935.
24
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
The major objectives of the National Youth Administration were formulated shortly after its creation, and they remained fundamentally unchanged throughout the life of the agency. These objectives were:
1. To provide funds for the part-time employment of needy school, college, and graduate students so that they could continue their education.
2. To provide funds for the part-time employment on work projects of young persons, the projects being designed primarily not only to give these young people valuable work experience but to benefit youth generally in the local communities.
3. To establish and to encourage the establishment of job training, counseling, and placement services for youth.
4. To encourage the development and extension of constructive educational and job-qualifying leisure-time activities.
Therefore, the National Youth Administration had just one basic purpose: To provide part-time work, paying wages, for two groups of young people throughout the country—
1. Youth who were in school but who needed financial assistance in order to continue their education; and
2. Youth who were out of school, unemployed, and needy.
• II-
Legal Authority and Administrative Organization
The National Youth Administration operated its program successively within three Federal administrative structures. During the first 4 years it was a small unit within the ’Works Progress Administration and was subordinated to the more dominant program of the WPA; for a little over 3 years it was a division within the Federal Security Agency; and for 9^ months it was a part of the War Manpower Commission. Each change brought with it administrative and operational adjustments.
The NYA had no legislative recognition between 1935 and 1938 and existed on funds allowed by the Works Progress Administrator from WPA appropriations. During this period there was no positive assurance that funds would be allowed in the amount originally designated, due to unforeseen emergency demands on WPA funds. This uncertainty as to funds did not enable NYA officials to plan with assurance more than 6 months ahead during the first 2 years, and they were therefore not in a position to make any but the most temporary commitments to sponsors of worth-while projects.
After the fiscal year ending June 30, 1938, the NYA yearly went to Congress for an appropriation to continue its program. While this gave assurance of a full year’s appropriation for program operations, NYA officials were faced with great uncertainty as to the extent of its operations at the end of each fiscal year. The work projects for out-of-school unemployed youth had to be planned on a completion basis during each current fiscal year, as there was always the possibility that they would have to be abandoned. Without the benefit of permanent statutory legislation, the emergency work-relief programs, of which the NYA was one, were not able to plan and develop stabilized programs.
This chapter briefly sumarizes the legal authority for the NYA and its administrative structure and organization.
Legal Authority
The National Youth Administration was created by Executive 'Order No. 7086 on June 26, 1935, under the authority of the Emer
25
26
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
gency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935.¹ The National Youth Administration was placed within the Works Progress Administration (created by Executive Order No. 7034) and was subject to the general supervision of the Works Progress Administrator. Immediate supervision was' vested in an Executive Director, Mr. Aubrey Williams, who was appointed by the President.² Provision was made in the Executive order for a national advisory committee and an executive committee, members of both committees to be appointed by the President. The order authorized the prosecution of projects to provide relief, work relief, and employment for persons between the ages of 16-25 years, no longer in regular attendance at a school requiring full-time and not regularly engaged in remunerative employment.
Subsequently, Executive Order No. 7164, issued on August 29, 1935, established rules and regulations governing NYA program operations. The student-aid projects—employment, amount of payments to students, and supervision—were placed under the direction of the NYA Executive Director. However, eligibility for employment of out-ofschool youth on NYA work projects, their earnings, hours of work, and conditions of employment were to be determined by the Works Progress Administrator.
Rules and regulations governing the NYA programs were further amended in Executive Order No. 7319, dated March 18, 1936, and Executive Order No. 7433, dated August 18, 1936, which prescribed maximum earnings for young persons under the student aid program and the out-of-school work program.
The Emergency Relief Appropriations Acts of 1936 and 1937 ³ continued the practice of making appropriations direct to the President, Therefore, in Executive Orders Nos. 7396 of June 22, 1936, and 7649, issued June 29, 1937, the Works Progress Administration (and by implication, the NYA) was extended for the duration of these appropriations, and regulations governing expenditures under the 1935 act were made applicable to the new appropriations.
The Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1938 for the first time made appropriations directly to the Works Progress Administration,⁴ including a specified appropriation of $75,000,000 to the WPA for the NYA. This act provided for the continuance of the NYA within the WPA to June 30,1939. The WPA was authorized by Congress to issue rules and regulations governing the expenditure of funds appro -
¹ Public Res. 11, 74th Cong.
² Mr. Williams was Assistant Administrator of the Works Progress Administration at the time of the issuance of Executive Order No. 7086 and served as Executive Director of the NYA without compensation in addition to his WPA duties.
³ ERA Act of 1936, Public, No. 739, 74th Cong., title II; and ERA Act of 1937, Public Res. 47, 75th Cong., 1st sess., title I.
* ERA Act of 1938, Public Res. 122, 75th Cong., title I.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
27
printed therein. The act defined the field of operations of the National Youth Administration, although there was no change in the NYA programs as previously defined by Executive orders. On the basis of the authority granted in the 1938 act, the Works Progress Administrator, in conjunction with the NYA Executive Director, issued administrative orders establishing rules and regulations governing NYA operations. The 1938 act superseded for all practical purposes the original Executive orders, except insofar as the creation of the agency and its administrative machinery were involved. On December 24, 1938, Executive Order No. 8028 changed the title of the Executive Director to Administrator of the National Youth Administration. This order did not involve a legal change in relationships with the Works Progress Administration. By mutual agreement, however, the NYA Administrator was given full authority over the administrative policies and actions of the National Youth Administration, and the area of WPA service and responsibility was defined in a joint letter to WPA and NYA officials.⁵
Under the reorganization legislation enacted in 1939,⁶ the first plan of Government reorganization, transmitted to the Congress on April 25, 1939,⁷ transferred the National Youth Administration from the Works Progress Administration to the newly Created Federal Security Agency. The President’s message stated that “The NYA is transferred from the Works Progress Administration to the Federal Security Agency, since its major purpose is to extend the educational opportunities of the youth of the country and to bring them through the processes of training into the possession of skills which enable them to find employment.” This transfer was made effective July 1, 1939, by the Congress. The NYA was no longer a purely relief organization, but was given the broader functions of extending to needy young persons opportunities for continuing their education and providing employment and training to needy unemployed young persons within an administrative structure (Federal Security Agency), the major purposes of which are to promote social and economic security, educational opportunity, and the health of the citizens of the Nation.⁸
During the year the transfer to the Federal Security Agency was being effected (July 1, 1939, to June 30, 1940), authority and funds for the continued operation of the National Youth Administration were incorporated in the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of
⁵ WPA General Letter 236, February 23, 1939.
⁹ Reorganization Act of 1939, Public, No. 19, 76th Cong., 1st sess., empowered the President to investigate the organization of all agencies of the Government and determine what changes therein were necessary to accomplish the purposes of the act.
⁷ First Plan on Government Reorganization, Message from the President of the United States to the Congress, April 25, 1939, H. Doc. 262, 76th Cong., 1st sess
⁸ Ibid.
28
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
1939,⁹ which recognized the separation of the National Youth Administration from the Works Progress Administration. An appropriation in the amount of $100,000,000, with not more than 5 percent to be spent on administration, was made directly to the NYA, and the Administrator of the NYA was authorized to fix the monthly earnings and hours of work for youth workers engaged on work projects, financed in whole or in part from the appropriation to the National Youth Administration. The NYA Administrator was authorized to carry out the purposes of the act without reference to the WPA, and the NYA was extended thereby until June 30, 1940. The NYA now set up its own machinery for recruitment, selection, and assignment of unemployed youth to work projects, as well as for the other services formerly performed by the WPA.
On July 5, 1939, the President submitted the name of Mr. Aubrey Williams as National Youth Administrator to the Senate for confirmation under the provision of section 38 of the ERA Act of 1939. The Senate approved the appointment on July 12,1939, and the Presidential appointment was made on July 13, 1939. Mr. Williams continued in office until September 10, 1943, when he resigned.
For the next 2 years appropriations for the continued operation of the National Youth Administration were made subject to the supervision and direction of the Federal Security Agency.¹⁰ For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1941, the NYA received an appropriation of $95,984,000 for the student work and out-of-school work programs, $6,100,000 for administrative expenses, and $75,000 for printing and binding. In addition, there were two supplementary appropriations. The First Supplemental Civil Appropriation Act, 1941, appropriated $30,535,375 for the two operating programs, $1,941,063 for administrative expenses, and $23,562 for printing and binding.¹¹ The First Deficiency Appropriation Act, 1941,¹² provided an additional $21,980,-000 for the two operating programs, $500,000 for administration, and $20,000 for printing and binding. The Nation was beginning its defense program, and the need for training of the potential labor supply for defense industries was promptly recognized by the Congress.
The appropriation act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1942,¹³ provided $85,984,000 for the continuation of the regular programs of student work and work projects for unemployed youth; and, in
⁹ ERA Act of 1939, Pub. Res. 24, 76th Cong., 1st sess. (H. J. Res. 326).
¹⁰ Labor-Federal Security Appropriation Act, 1941, Public, No. 665, 76th Cong., title II; md Labor-Federal Security Appropriation Act, 1942, Public Law No. 146, 77th Cong., 1st sess., title II.
¹¹ Public, No. 812, 76th Cong., title I.
¹² Public, No. 25, 77th Cong., title I.
¹³ Labor-Federal Security Act, 1942, Public Law No. 146, 77th Cong., 1st sess., title II.
(Note: The act states, “The paragraphs herein under the National Youth Administration tnay be cited as the ‘National Youth Administration Appropriation Act, 1942.’ ”)
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
29
addition, specified an appropriation of $56,972,000 to provide employment for needy young persons between the ages of 17-24 in resident and workshop projects in preparation for employment in defense occupations. The provisions of the act stipulated that not more than 100,000 youth were to be employed at any one time under the program authorized for defense projects. Appropriations in the amount of $5,700,000 and $83,000 were made, respectively, for administration and printing and binding for the regular programs; and $3,038,000 for administration of the defense-work program. This year marked the transition from the peace to the defense period. The Congress had made a legal distinction between the regular or “depression period” work program for out-of-school, unemployed youth and a program to prepare unemployed youth for employment in defense occupations.
Executive Order No. 9247, dated September 17,1942, transferred the NYA to the War Manpower Commission in the Office for Emergency Management of the Executive Offices of the President, and its administration was placed under the supervision and direction of the Chairman of the War Manpower Commission. Appropriations for the continuance of the NYA for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1943, were made through the Labor-Federal Security Appropriation Act, 1943,¹⁴ which stipulated that employment and work training for unemployed young persons of the ages'16-24, inclusive, were to be provided . on “resident and nonresident workshop and other projects approved by the Chairman of the War Manpower Commission as needed in the prosecution of the war in furnishing work experience and work training preparatory to employment in occupations” in which there was a present or potential shortage of labor. The appropriations were reduced sharply. A total of $49,729,000 was granted the new war production training program for unemployed youth, $5,000,000 for part-time employment of needy students in colleges and universities, $3,000,000 for needy students in schools below the college level, $3,500,000 for administrative expense, and $45,000 for printing and binding. There was a 60-percent reduction from the previous year’s appropriations to administer and operate the NYA programs for youth.
Pearl Harbor had ended the “depression” period for youth. In fact, it completely altered the circumstances surrounding the life of everyone, no matter what his age. The times had changed ; unemployment was no longer a national problem. Total mobilization for war was in progress, and the Nation was concerned with manpower shortages rather than surpluses.
In the Labor-Federal Security Appropriation Act of 1944,¹⁸ the
M Labor-Federal Security Act, 1943, Public Law 647, 77th Cong., 2d sess., title II.
¹⁶ Labor-Federal Security Appropriation Act, 1944, Public Law 135, 78th Cong., 1st sess.,
title VII.
30
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Congress ordered the liquidation of the National Youth Administration not later than January 1, 1944. On July 3, 1943,¹⁶ the NYA war production projects for unemployed youth were terminated by the National Youth Administrator, and the liquidation of the National Youth Administration as an agency was immediately undertaken.
Executive Committee
Executive Order No. 7086, creating the NYA, named Miss Josephine Roche, Assistant Secretary of Treasury, as chairman of an executive committee. On July 9, 1935, the President appointed the following as members of this executive committee:¹⁷ Arthur J. Altmeyer, Second Assistant Secretary, Department of Labor; John W. Studebaker, Commissioner of Education; M. L. Wilson, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture; Lee Pressman, general counsel, Resettlement Administration; Chester Hayden McCall, special assistant to the Secretary of Commerce.
The members of the executive committee represented Federal departments with interests in the types of activities to be carried on by the NYA. The executive committee met frequently during the first 2 years and advised with the Executive Director in the formulation of the early policies and organizational procedures. During the fiscal year ending June 30,1938, this committee functioned only nominally and shortly thereafter went out of existence. The first coordination between the NYA and other Federal agencies concerned with youth activities was achieved through the membership of the executive committee.
National Advisory Committee
In the Executive order creating the NYA, it was stated that a national advisory committee would be appointed by the President, the members of which were to be representatives of labor, business, agriculture, education, and youth. On June 16, 1935, Mr. Charles W. Taussig, president of the American Molasses Co., was appointed by the President as chairman of the national advisory committee.¹⁸ The other members of the national advisory committee were appointed by the President on August 1,1935.¹⁰
The national advisory committee met at least once a year to advise on major policies, evaluate the effectiveness of NYA policies and pro
¹⁸ Project operations were not terminated on July 1, 1943, as the Congress did not take final action on the appropriation for 1944 until July 3, 1943.
¹⁷ Executive Order No. 7096, July 9, 1935.
¹⁸ Executive Order No. 7107, July 16, 1935.
_¹⁹ Executive Order No. 7123, August 1, 1935. See appendix A for list of members of the National Advisory Committee.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-194 3
31
gram operations, and make general recommendations for improvements or adjustments in the programs of the NYA in the light of changing national conditions. The committee as a whole and the individuals of the committee worked closely with the NYA Administrator in analyzing the needs of youth and in planning the over-all national program.
Each year the national advisory committee reported to the President of the United States its evaluation of the status of youth in the Nation, particularly unemployed youth, as well as its evaluation of the NYA programs.²⁰
The national advisory committee served as the medium through which youth organizations and the representatives of various youth groups presented their programs of action to the NYA. There was a genuine attempt on the part of the national committee to provide a channel of self-expression for organized youth. The National Student Federation of America, the International Student Service, the American Youth Congress, Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish youth organizations, and rural youth organizations all had access to the chairman of the national advisory committee. A democratic relationship was thus maintained between youth groups and an official body of representative citizens which acted in an advisory capacity to a Federal agency.
As one of its first actions, the national committee recommended immediate establishment of State and local advisory committees, and from that time on assisted in stimulating and coordinating the interests and actions of these advisory committees, which were appointed during the first 6 months and continued as part of the administrative organization throughout the 8 years of operation. The national committee and the advisory committees at the State and local levels were effective instruments throughout the whole NYA program and brought about close cooperation between citizens and NYA officials.
The national advisory committee expressed the underlying purpose of the advisory committee as follows :
It is not enough to elect officials and give them power to appoint administrative agents. That would produce, at best, a benevolent bureaucracy feeding upon its own ideas. Sooner or later it would destroy the fertility of the soil in which democracy can grow. Democracy becomes secure to the extent that individual citizens join hands and participate with their government in meeting common problems. Equally, government must take increasing care not to become insulated from the opinions and needs of the community. To this joint end, to the end of a more active partnership between citizens and an agency of government, advisory committees are one of the most effective of all instruments.
²⁰Meetings of the NYA national advisory committee: August 15, 1935, Washington D. C.; April 28-29, 1936, Washington, D. C.; February 8-9, 1938, Washington, D. C. * September 6-7, 1939, New York City; November 7-9, 1940, Washington D C • October 27-
28, 1941, Washington, D. C. ’ ’ ’
32
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Washington Office
From June 26,1935, until June 30,1939, the Washington office of the National Youth Administration was a small coordinating and general supervisory nucleus, and regular branches of the Works Progress Administration were utilized to the fullest extent to avoid any unnecessary duplication of functions, services, and personnel.
The WPA performed the finance, statistical, safety, travel, leave and accident compensation services; and prescribed the policies, procedures, and regulations governing these services.²¹ The staff of the NYA Washington office assisted in carrying out the functions and objectives of the National Youth Administration and acted as a service organization for the NYA regional directors and the State youth administrators. From the beginning, decentralization was the keynote of NYA administrative policies, and within a framework of broad national program policies and regulations, the State offices were given wide latitude for independent judgment and initiative. When Mr. Williams assumed the full-time responsibilities of NYA Administrator on December 24,1938, the administrative and functional organization of the Washington office became more specifically defined. The following principal divisions or offices were established: Division of Work Projects, Division of Finance and Statistics, Division of Employment, and Director of Negro Affairs. The student work program was under the general direction of a special assistant.²²
On July 1, 1939, when the NYA was separated from the WPA and became a part of the Federal Security Agency, the National Youth Administrator was authorized by the ERA Act of 1939 to determine the policies and direct and coordinate the activities of the agency. The Washington office was then organized as follows:
1. Office of the Administrator and Deputy Administrator.—This office included the functions of budget planning and administrative personnel; and offices of Negro affairs, health, national advisory committee, and information. The NYA now assumed responsibility for all the functions and services previously performed by the WPA.²⁸
2. Division of Work Projects.—The Division was responsible for the establishment and operation of the work project program for unemployed out-of-school young persons in the States and Territories.
3. Division- of Youth Personnel.—This Division had responsibility for the policies and regulations governing recruitment, assignment, transfer, separation, and related actions involved in the certification and employment of all youth workers employed under the out-of-school work program.
²¹ NYA Bulletin No. 1, Preliminary Statement of NYA Program, October 2, 1935; and Handook of Procedures of NYA, ch. II, September 1, 1938.
²² Y-Letter No. 72, May 1, 1939.
²⁸ NYA Handbook of Procedures, ch. II, August 1. 1940.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 33
4. Division of Finance and Statistics.—This Division developed and maintained a continuing system of budget analysis and control ; provided standards to regional directors and State administrators with respect to the operation of regional and State office budgets; established financial and statistical policies and procedures at the national, regional, State, and local levels of administration.
The Statistics Section was the center for all systematic reporting and statistical information. Its principal obfective was to provide sufficient data to permit intelligent appraisal of operations by the staff while keeping reporting to a minimum.
5. Division of Student 'Work.—This Division carried, out the administration of the student work program and formulated the policies governing the work program for students employed under this program.
There were no significant changes in the over-all national office organization during the next 2 years, ending June 30, 1942. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1943, modifications in organization were as follows : the Division of Work Projects was renamed the Division of Operations; a Division of Property and Procurement was established March 1,1943, which performed functions heretofore performed by the United States Treasury Department; offices of labor relations, project planning and resident centers, and co-ordination and review were established. The functions of the offices of health and information were absorbed by other divisions.²⁴
Administrative or line personnel, and technical or policy and procedure personnel were both essential to the planning, development, and execution of the variety of projects undertaken by the NYA. In a decentralized organization carrying on several types of technical operating activities, relations between staff and line officials presented complex problems of administration. For example, technical and research staff tended to become involved directly into the operations of the NYA program.
Although there were deviations in actual practice from time to time, the general administrative principle followed was that line officials were responsible for actual operations, and technical personnel were to advise and work with the line officials in the development and application of appropriate policy or procedure. The technical staff at the national level worked directly with their counterparts at the regional, State, or local levels in connection with technical advice or guidance, but all major recommendations were transmitted through the operating line from the Administrator at the national level to the regional, State, or area officials at the operating level. Program planning was
Revised 1943. See appendix B, table 4, for number of national office administrative employees, fiscal years 1940-43.
34
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
based upon continuing research on actual program requirements, not on research of a theoretical nature. The fact that technical staff worked with their counterparts at all levels resulted in early awareness of local and State conditions which enabled NYA to adjust national policies quickly to changing conditions.
Policy and Procedure Formulation
Since the National Youth Administration operated on a highly decentralized basis, the problems of central coordination, including the establishment and maintenance of uniform policy throughout the organization, and the control of program development, so as to insure the attainment of objectives at all levels, constituted a most significant administrative consideration. Necessarily there was a great deal of dependence on written instructions and procedures. Such procedures and regulations were based on and implemented the yearly appropriations acts and also the administrative orders issued by the National Youth Administration, with the approval of the Federal Security Administrator (or Chairman, War Manpower Commission), to carry out the provisions of the appropriation act and set forth the basic regulations of the NYA programs. The NYA Handbook of Procedures, first issued in 1938, contained basic administrative regulations, instructions, and guides for the operation of all phases of the program. In addition, a Manual of Finance and Statistical Procedures provided the framework for the handling of the extensive finance and statistical functions resulting from a Nation-wide program of such huge proportions. The Handbook of Procedures and the Manual of Finance and Statistical Procedures were supplemented by “Y-Letters,”²⁵ Technical Bulletins, and general memoranda. A coordination and review section was responsible for the integration and editorial presentation of procedures and forms proposed by all divisions and offices. General organizational and administrative planning was a function reserved for the office of the Administrator, usually with the technical assistance of the personnel office.
Regional Organization ²⁸
In 1936 five regions were established corresponding to the WPA regions, and a representative for each region was appointed by the Administrator to advise State youth administrators concerning NYA activities developed in other States as a method of interstate exchange on program progress, assist them in carrying out the policies formu
²⁵ Y-Letters, which were numbered in serial order, antedated the Handbook of Proce-
dures ; they contained material which might have continuing applicability but was not
considered sufficiently significant for incorporation into the Handbook of Procedures, as well as regulations issued on a tentative basis pending release of final procedures.
²⁸ See appendix B, table 4, for number of regional office administrative employees, fiscal years 1941—43.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
35
lated by the Administrator, and represent the Administrator in effectively supervising the prosecution of the NYA program by the State officers. They acted as a liaison between the national office and the respective State offices in the five regions, which were as follows:
Region I: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire,. New York State, New York City, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Region II: Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Region III: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Texas.
Region IV: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming.
Region V: Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
Beginning with the fiscal year July 1,1940, the regional offices were organized to correspond with the functional staff organization of the national office. The regional directors acted as the official representatives of the NYA in their respective regions and were responsible for the direction and coordination of the program within the region in accordance with the policies and regulations prescribed by the national office. Regulations and instructions issued by the Administrator, or his authorized representatives, were transmitted directly to State administrators, with copies forwarded to the regional office. Communications from State administrators to the national office were transmitted directly with copies to the appropriate regional representative. Reports by regional staff members were sent direct to their respective national director, with copies to the regional representative and, where appropriate, to the State youth administrator.²⁷
With the advent of the war production training program for out-of -school unemployed youth 16-24 years of age, and a simultaneous severe cut in appropriations for the fiscal year 1943, the NYA organizational structure was drastically modified. In view of the limitation of funds for administrative purposes, and in order to relate the NYA administrative organization to the regional organization of the War Manpower Commission, all State offices were abolished and 11 regional offices were established as follows:
Region I: Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York.²⁸
²⁷ NYA Handbook of Procedures, Organization of the NYA, ch. II, sec. 3, 1940.
²⁸ The NYA regions were numbered to correspond with the regional offices of the War Manpower Commission and the Federal Security Agency, except that region II, New York, was combined in NYA region 1.
566597—44---------4
36
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Region III: New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania.
Region IV: District of Columbia, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia.
Region V: Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan.
Region VI: Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin.
Region VII: Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi.
Region VIII: Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa.
Region IX: Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas.
Region X: Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico.
Region XI: Montana, Wyoming, Idaha, Utah, Colorado.
Region XII: California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona.²⁹
The regional director became the regional youth administrator and was given the responsibilities heretofore assigned to the State administrator. He directed the war production training program in each State in his region through a system of individual war production training projects under the supervision of project managers.³⁰
The regional youth administrator was responsible to the National Administrator for conformance with national policies, standards, regulations, and procedures. The regional office organization was set up to conform with the divisions and functions of the national office.³¹
State Offices ⁸²
State youth administrators³³ were appointed in each State, the District of Columbia, and New York City by August 1935.³⁴ The State administrators were appointed by the National Administrator and responsible to him. In accordance with the policy of decentralization, each State youth administrator had full responsibility for the operation of the NYA program in his State in accordance with general policies and procedures established by the Washington office.
During the period that the NYA was part of the WPA, the State youth administrations utilized as many of the existing facilities of the WPA as possible in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of personnel and services.
²⁹ Arizona was placed In region XII instead of region XI, effective October 1, 1942 {Handbook of Procedures Memorandum, September 30, 1942).
³⁰ With the abolition of State offices, war production projects were established as a unit ■or units of work training and service activity at one or more work locations within a definitely prescribed geographic area. See State organization, p. 37.
⁸¹ NYA Handbook of Procedures, ch. II, sec. 3, Revised September 30, 1942, and March 1, 1943.
⁸² See appendix B, table 4, for number of State office administrative employees for fiscal years 1940—43.
⁸⁸ The title of State youth director was changed to administrator when Mr. Aubrey Williams was appointed NYA Administrator on December 24, 1939.
⁸⁴ Administrators were named later for Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 19 36-1943
37
The State administrator was authorized to employ a State administrative staff, including the personnel of local NYA offices, and the necessary technical, stenographic, and clerical help. The amount of the administrative budget and the general schedule of salaries for NYA administrative employees were subject to the approval of the Washington office. The members of the State staff were assigned functions analogous to the divisional functions of the Washington office. The State youth administrator was responsible for the development and approval of NYA projects within the limitation of the funds available and in accordance with national policies and regulations.³⁵
There were no basic changes in the responsibilities and authority of the State youth administrators until July 1, 1942, when the office of the State youth administrator was abolished due to the limitation of administrative funds for that year and changes in the program.³⁶ During the last year of operation, there was no level of supervision between the war production training project and the regional office. A project manager was named, with jurisdiction over each of the war production training projects. A project consisted of one or more work locations within a definitely prescribed geographic area, which geographic area could be as large as a State. As mentioned in the foregoing description of the regional organization, project managers were responsible to the regional youth administrators.
Local Offices
The State youth administrators were responsible for the establishment of such local NYA offices as were required to facilitate the administration of the local program, in particular the out-of-school work program. The intrastate organizations varied within a wide latitude of individual determination of the State administrators during the period the NYA was within the framework of the WPA.
During the first 6 years, the State NYA office was represented by field supervisory personnel, or representatives, who were appointed by the State youth administrator where the size and scope of the NYA prpgram warranted, and were assigned to cover prescribed geographic areas within the State, with official headquarters established in specific locations within the areas designated by the State youth administrator. These field or district representatives of the State office were in a supervisory capacity over all local project operations prosecuted through the area offices. They were not assigned operating functions but were the liaison representatives between the
³⁸ NYA Handbook No. 1, Preliminary Statement of NYA Program, October 2, 1935 ; and NYA Handbook of Procedures, ch. II, for subsequent years.
⁸⁶ See Regional Organization, p. 35.
38
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
State administrator and the area offices, which locally w’ere responsible for the prosecution of youth work projects.³⁷
In order to achieve a more efficient organization in each State, district representatives were eliminated from the State organizational structure by direction of the National Administrator on March 12, 1941,³⁸ and thereafter there was no level of administration between the State office and the area offices.
The area office, which was the point of project operation from the time the out-of-school work projects program was placed in operation early in 1936, was responsible for the prosecution of projects, the selection and employment of youth, and the discharge of field finance functions. The maximum number of area offices which could be established within a State was delineated by the National Administrator in March 1941 in accordance with two over-all classifications in which the States were grouped. The maximum number of area offices for classification A was 6; and 10 for classification B.³⁹ These 2 groupings were determined on the basis of geographic factors and density of population. The State youth administrators were instructed to establish area offices after careful consideration of the limitations of funds available to staff the offices adequately, and upon the basis of factors indicative of work load, such as number of youth employed; number, variety, and geographic distribution of projects; number and distribution of institutional contacts; geographic size; and transportation and communication facilities. The regional director reviewed the determination of areas by the State youth administrators, and final approval of the national office was required, before establishment of area offices. Area directors were appointed by State administrators. Each area director was assisted by staff members administratively responsible to him, but required to follow the technical standards of the appropriate divisions in the State office in performing their functions. Normally, the area director’s staff, included area officers as follows: (1) Area work projects officer; (2) area youth personnel officer; (3) area finance officer; (4) area student work officer.
Working under the ¡area directors were the supervisors of the specific work projects for unemployed out-of-school youth. Project Supervisors were selected by the area director, subject to formal approval by the State administrator.
It was at the area or local level that the NYA project program actually went into operation. Public and quasipublie agencies were obtained to co-sponsor work projects of value to the community which gave unemployed youth desirable work experience. Local commit
³⁷ NYA Handbook of Procedures, ch. II, sec. 5, August 1, 1940.
³⁸ Ibid., Revised March 1941.
³⁹ Ibid.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 39
tees were selected to integrate the projects into the community, and to assist in developing projects to meet the needs of the youth who were unemployed. The planning, control, and actual operation of work projects took place locally; the assignment of youth to projects was carried out locally; and opportunities for private employment of NYA youth workers were developed locally. The NYA work projects program was valid and worthwhile only to the extent the local area directors or supervisors were able to make it so. They were the persons who put a work project into operation, kept the project operating, and met the day-Xo-day problems which arose. Largely through their efforts, the NYA became part of the community, was guided by community needs, and a variety of sound work experiences was provided to the individual youth in the community. Local NYA officials also helped to secure recreational outlets for NYA project youth, special training courses in the schools, and physical examinations and medical attention, all of which are frequently unavailable to members of low-income families.
Project Managers: 1942—43 ⁴⁰
At the beginning of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1943, the State youth administrators and all area offices were eliminated, and the regional offices became responsible for the direction and coordination of the war production training projects through project managers. The project manager was immediately responsible for the entire operation of a war production training project. A war production training project varied in size and jurisdiction, with an entire State designated as the maximum geographic size. A work location was the site at which one or more work training units and service activities were conducted. A work unit was identified as a single type of work training, such as machine shop, foundry, sheet metal, forging, etc. (One or more work units might operate at a work location.) A service activity was defined as a “subsistence” activity, or a “property, transportation, and maintenance” activity. Thus the war production training project included the functions previously performed by several area offices. The project manager assumed the over-all management and direction of project activities and the coordination of the activities of project officers responsible for the performance of youth personnel, finance and statistics, operations, and property and procurement functions, as well as the supervision of the project personnel, both resident and nonresident.
State Advisory Committees
State advisory committees, approved by the National Administrator, were appointed by the State administrator. The State advisory
⁴⁰ Ibid., revised November 27, 1942.
40
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
committees were composed of unpaid members representing labor, business, agriculture, education, other organizations, and minority groups concerned with the problems of youth. There were advisory committees in each State, New York City, the District of Columbia, and Hawaii. An analysis made in 1940 of the membership of State advisory committees showed that of 811 persons serving on the various State committees, education was represented by 218, business and industry by 122, labor by 80, agriculture by 66, youth by 75, and Negroes by 46. The work of State committees is summarized as follows:⁴¹
1. Initiation of State-wide projects in which the local committees participated.
2. Providing leadership and coordination to local committees participating in projects.
3. Consideration of NYA problems as submitted by State administrators, the effect of NYA policies at the State level, and undertaking to meet specific problems such as relations with labor, youth employment, opportunities for Negroes and projects for training girls.
Local Advisory Committees
As part of the NYA policy which carried over from the Federal to State and local levels, local advisory committees were appointed to consult the local NYA officials on the types of work projects which provided the best work experience to prepare the unemployed and inexperienced youth for private employment.
Local committees were made up of citizens who had. an interest in the youth of their communities. They functioned in rural and urban areas, cities, towns, and villages. Local advisory committees were appointed in relationship to the types of work projects established locally, and were factors throughout the entire program in securing local cosponsorship, local contribution of funds, maintaining community interest in the NYA work program, obtaining facilities, and arranging for recreational outside activities for NYA project employees.
The local committees varied in number from year to year in relationship to project activities. In 1937, there were 2,000 local committees with a total membership of about 25,000; in 1940, there were 1,864 with a membership of 14,650; and in May 1942, there were 940 active local committees.
The importance of local advisory committees cannot be overemphasized. Throughout the life of the NYA they played a major role because they had their fingers on the pulse of youth problems in their
⁴¹ Report of the Office of the National Advisory Committee of the National Youth Ad-
ministration (from November 1940-July 1942), June 30, 1942, p. 10.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
41
local communities. The local committees brought the NYA to the community, and in turn brought the community into a participating partnership with an agency of the Federal Government. They were the medium through which local citizens assumed necessary local responsibility in regard to matters affecting young unemployed people and were throughout a guarantee of the democratic character of the National Youth Administration.
Appointment of Personnel
As an “emergency agency” while part of the Works Progress Administration, and later by specific provision in appropriations acts, the Administrator was permitted to appoint personnel and administer personnel matters without regard to civil-service laws or the Classification Act of 1923, as amended.⁴²
This discretion, vested in the National Youth Administrator, for the handling of personnel matters was delegated by him to the State youth administrators (and later the regional youth administrators).⁴³ They, in turn, passed on to the local level much independent responsibility for the handling of individual personnel actions. Such wide latitude on the questions of personnel allowed great flexibility in operations and permitted the appointment of staff with a minimum of procedural delay.
The diversity of approach permitted by this policy occasioned inconsistencies in the handling of important phases of the personnel function, which were not in complete accord with sound public administrative and personnel practices. This was especially true in the questions of classification, leave, employment standards, and employee relations, principally due to the limited experience of State administrators, as well as local supervisors, in Government personnel matters,, and to the lack of trained personnel officers on many field staffs during most of this period.
Subject to general policies and standards, the State youth administrators (and later the regional youth administrators) were responsible-for the establishment of systematic personnel programs and practices,, including the establishment and continuing operation of classification and compensation plans that would insure equitable treatment of all employees according to the precept of “equal pay for equal work.” As the program developed, and especially after 1941, the field offices looked increasingly to the national office for guidance in personnel
⁴² The agency was to be covered under the Civil Service Act by Executive order issued¹ as result of the Ramspeck Act (Public Law 880, 76th Cong., approved November 26, 1940), but Congress placed specific language in the Appropriation Act of 1942 preventing this action. (See also par. 14 of the Labor-Federal Security Appropriation Act, 1943.)
⁴⁸ As an exception to this rule, certain specialized types of personnel actions, and actions involving key regional and State personnel always required prior national office review.
42
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
matters and for the promulgation of uniform standards in classification, employees relations, leave, employment qualifications, and methods of documenting personnel actions. Personnel standards were more uniform after inclusion of the NYA in January 1942 under the Retirement Act,⁴⁴ the Federal employee reporting system, and the War Transfer procedures.⁴⁵
Because the appropriations acts usually made a distinction between expenditures for administrative and project supervisory purposes, and owing to the prevailing wage tradition in many of the occupations from which project supervisors and shop foremen were drawn, dif-ferent approaches were followed in the handling of personnel matters for employes in the State and regional administrative offices and for those working directly at the local levels. Project supervisory personnel were not appointed on a relief basis. Administrative employees⁴⁶ were compensated according to the standards set forth in Executive Order No. 6746, dated June 21, 1934, and were paid on an annual rate basis with regular annual- and sick-leave privileges. Project supervisory employees on the other hand were in most cases paid on a monthly or per diem rate basis. The system followed for project supervisory employees varied among the States until uniform procedure was established through various National Administrator’s orders. Finally, Administrative Order No. 22, dated February 10, 1043, placed all NYA employees on an annual salary basis except those whose work schedule was intermittent or irregular and were thus to be paid on a per-diem basis. This differentiation in treatment of administrative and project supervisory employees occasioned certain differences in opinion as to the status of persons paid from project supervisory funds. Until 1942, the United States Civil Service Commission ruled that only NYA employees paid from appropriations for administrative expenses were “employees of the Federal Government,” while those paid from project supervisory appropriations were not to be considered as Government employees. On July 27, 1942, the commission advised the NYA that upon reconsideration it had determined that all employees of the NYA were subject to the Civil Service Retirement Act (and hence to be regarded as Government employees) with the exception of youth workers and students receiving aid under the student work program. As a result, NYA employees may obtain service credit under the Retirement Act for all NYA experience back to the beginning of the agency in 1935.⁴⁷
⁴⁴ Public Law No. 411, 77th Cong.
⁴⁵ Executive Order No. 9063, February 16, 1942.
⁴⁴ While positions in the Washington office were not subject to the Classification Act, the standards of that act were administratively applied to such positions.
⁴⁷ Each appropriations act carried the provision that “appointments in any State to Federal positions of an administrative or advisory capacity ♦ • ♦ shall be made from among the bona-fide citizens of the State so far as not inconsistent with efficient administration.”
Ill-
The Student Word Program
The American tradition of education has been to provide for every individual, regardless of economic status or social position, free opportunity for intellectual growth and cultural development through a comprehensive school system of public education.¹ Public education has been an accepted part of this country’s democratic development, and is acknowledged as of fundamental importance to the continued achievement of the democratic way of life.
In spite of the fact that the tradition of equal educational opportunity has existed, it has not been established in practice. Wide differences exist in the quality and the extent of educational opportunities offered by the 48 States.
The public educational system has been confronted with problems of adjustment arising out of economic and social changes. The local communities and the States have been largely responsible for the financial support of the public school system, and this ability to finance educational services in many cases has fallen behind the needs. The educational requirements of youth have increased with changing industrial and occupational trends, and the growing complexity of agriculture. Enrollments have increased enormously in the last 50 years; school attendance laws have been passed in all the States. In 1936, approximately two-thirds of the States required attendance to the age of 16, six until the age of 17, and five until the age of 18.²
The concentration of the population in urban areas, and regional and community differences in economic resources have resulted in differentials in the school systems. The inequalities of educational opportunity have been to a considerable extent a result of the unequal distribution of the population, the differences existing between regions and communities as to their ability to support local educational institutions through local and State revenues, and the differences in the levels of living and income existing within communities themselves. Millions of young people have been unable to obtain anything more than a meager and limited formal education because of where they live, or because of the size of the family in which they were born, and the inadequacy of the families’ incomes.
The purpose of this chapter is not to discuss the inequalities of
¹ Newton Edwards, Equal Educational Opportunity for Youth, a Report to the Amoriean Youth Commission. (Washington: American Council on Education, 1939), pp. 147-152.
a Ibid., p. 18.
43
44
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
public education, but to point out the national need which existed to provide financial assistance to young people from low-income families in order to enable them to continue their education. Actually, equality of educational opportunity will not exist until the sons and daughters of the tenant farmers of the south, the coal miners of Pennsylvania, and the lowest paid workers living in industrial areas are enabled to acquire an education in relation to their needs, interests, and mental capacities.
Educational Level of Out-of-School Youth
The failure of the secondary school to reach and hold students was brought into sharp perspective during the years of economic depression. Studies which were made of the educational status of youth on relief revealed that a large percentage had not gone beyond the elementary school level. For example, in May 1935, out of 1,727,000 urban youth on relief between the ages of 16 and 25, only 45 percent had attended school beyond the grade school level, while less than 3 percent had entered college.³ A study conducted by the American Youth Commission of the conditions and attitudes of young people in Maryland between the ages of 16 and 24 showed that of almost 11,000 out-of-school youth interviewed, the following grade level was
attained :
School grade completed : Percentage of youth
Eighth grade or below_________________________________________________ 39.1
Less than sixth_________________________________________________________ 6. 8
Sixth___________________________________________________________________ 6. 8
Seventh________________________________________________________________ 14. 0
Eighth________________________________________________________________ 11.5
Ninth, tenth, or eleventh grade_________________________________________ 23. 7
Ninth_________________________________________________________________ 9. 8
Tenth or eleventh______________________________________________________ 13. 9
Eleventh or twelfth grade_______________________________________________ 26. 5
Eleventh-grade graduate_________________________________________________ 9. 2
Twelfth-grade graduate_________________________________________________ 17. 3
Beyond high school____________________________________________________ 10. 7
1 year beyond high school graduation___________________________ 3. 3
2 or 3 years beyond high school graduation------------------- 3.8
4 or more years beyond high school graduation---------------- 3. 6
All out-of-school youth_______________________________________________100.0
⁸ Youth on Relief, prepared by the Division of Social Research, Works Progress Administration, National Youth Administration (February, 1936), charts III and IX.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
45
.According to this study, out of every 20 youth, 8 had never gone beyond the eighth grade; 5 had entered high school but had not graduated; 5 had left school after high-school graduation; and 2 had received some education after high school.⁴ The factors affecting the amount of schooling these youth received were largely economic, as indicated by the reasons given for leaving school by 54 percent of the youth, namely, lack of family funds, need for work, and desire to earn their own money. Only 25 percent indicated lack of interest in school.⁵
The quality and amount of schooling a young person receives depends to a considerable extent upon where he lives. Almost three-fourths of the money spent for public elementary and secondary education in the United States comes from the taxation of property. There are wide differentials in funds available for teaching staffs and school facilities between regions and communities. Funds for public education are usually much smaller in rural areas; and school buildings, equipment, and teachers are usually inferior to the urban areas. Moreover, the rural school year is frequently shorter than in urban areas.
The following illustrates some differentials in funds spent by States for school purposes. New York State’s school expenditures for the year 1935-36 averaged $134.13 for each pupil in actual attendance and $95.08 for each child 5 to 17 years old. In the same year, Arkansas spent $24.55 per actual pupil and $15.82 per child 5 to 17. Yet, in relation to its financial ability, Arkansas was spending more money per child than New York. Mississippi, the least able financially of the 48 States, spent $20.13 per child of school age in 1935-36; yet Mississippi was making more than twice the financial effort proportionately that New York was. If Mississippi had spent no more than New York in relation to its financial ability, it would have spent less than $10 per child. In proportion to financial ability, every Southern State in 1935-36 was spending more per child on education than were such relatively affluent States as Delaware, Nevada, New York, California, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Oregon, and Rhode Island.⁶
Cost of School and College Attendance
In communities supporting a reasonably adequate school system, the youth of limited means still faced the problem of meeting the
* Howard M. Bell, "Youth Tell Their Story. (Washington: American Council on Education, 1938), p. 56.
⁸ Ibid., pp. 63-64.
⁸ Betty and Ernest K. Lindley, A New Deal for Youth. (New York: Viking Press, 1938), p. 194; also Payson Smith and Frank W. Wright, Education in the Forty-Eight States, Staff Study No. 1. (Washington: Advisory Committee on Education, U. S. Government Printing Office, 1939), pp. 14-17.
46
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
cost of attending the free public high school. Even though there may be no charge for tuition, attendance at high school requires an outlay of money by the pupils and their families. The higher educational level young people attain, the costs of school attendance that are not ordinarily met through public funds become larger. The financial status of families and of individuals thus becomes one of the most important factors in determining whether a young person shall remain in high school to the completion of the course, and is more often than not the determining factor when college attendance is under consideration.
Many of the most valuable activities of the school are still called extra-curricular, and are maintained not out of public funds, but only through more or less obligatory contributions from pupils and such other means as sales of admission tickets. Often, too, it is necessary for the pupil to purchase his own equipment for participating in these activities. Pupils possessing no money for these purposes are generally denied access to many of the most fruitful and stimulating experiences in the school career, and are effectively assigned to the lower social class even by associates of their own age. Not infrequently, this deprivation of status contributes to a feeling of dissatisfaction and distaste which is the actual cause for leaving school.⁷
Youth from low-income families found the purchase of clothes, shoes,, books, transportation, lunches, school supplies, and activity fees insurmountable economic barriers. College attendance was out of reach entirely, unless work and wages independent of the family income could be secured.
Between 1920 and 1930 college attendance had almost doubled, increasing from 600,000 in 1920 to 1,100,000 in 1930.⁸ Since many colleges are situated in small communities, jobs of a part-time nature did. not increase in proportion to the number of students seeking them. The problem of finding work while attending college was accentuated by the depression which forced a rapid decrease in the number and quality of job opportunities open to youth as a means of financing the fixed costs of college attendance.
Between 1932 and 1934 college enrollments, responding to the early ravages of the depression, declined 10 percent. The withdrawal of each youth from college added one more job seeker to the millions of unemployed. The necessity of keeping young people in schools and colleges became a national problem, which was important not only as an educational policy but as a labor policy.
Origin of Federal Aid to Needy Students
Confronted with a situation in which every youth of school age who discontinued his education prematurely for economic causes became
i Youth and the Future,, op. cit., pp. 121—122.
⁸ Payson Smith and Frank W. Wright, op. cit., p. 163.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 193 6-1943
47
a competitor in an over-crowded labor market, educators and Federal Emergency Relief officials early in 1933 began to explore the possibilities of aid to college students. In determining how such aid should be made available, full consideration was given to the traditional methods which institutions had employed in assisting students, namely, student loans and scholarships.
Student loans have long been a method of financing advanced schooling, and there is no question but that “loans to selected students at moderate interest rates have proved good financial risks.” ⁹ Limitations of the loan plan, however, for assisting students were such as to exclude great numbers of the most needy, since the prerequisite of negotiating most student loans was a resident status on the college campus, as well as a scholastic and financial rating. This precluded, as a general rule, the possibility of first year students being given financial assistance through this means. The lack of family financial resources thus militated against students of low-income groups negotiating loans.
A second method of aiding students had been that of scholarship awards. Inherent in the policy of distributing scholarships, however, had been the practice of limiting such funds only to students of outstanding scholastic achievement. Educators consistently had taken the position that “provision of aid should imply that the recipient is recognized as possessing superior mentality, character, and other personal characteristics which make his training an excellent social and economic investment.”¹⁰
The traditional criteria upon which loans and scholarships had been available restricted college opportunities to a small and select segment of American youth. In drafting plans for a program of Federal aid, scholarship and loan plans were discarded in favor of a broader and more democratic base which would permit financial assistance to needy students who could do satisfactory college work.
The program that emerged from the discussions between Federal officials and educators provided that Federal assistance to needy college students be in the form of wages paid for useful public work.
An initial experiment was set up at the University of Minnesota in the fall of 1933 through funds supplied by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. So successful was this experiment that in February 1934, Federal funds were made available through the FERA to all institutions of collegiate rank of non-profit-making character for the employment of students in need of assistance. Funds were allotted to colleges on the basis of a $15 a month wage for 10 percent
⁹ Education and Economic Well-Being in American Democracy, Educational Policies Commission. (Washington: National Education Association, the American Association of School Administrators, 1201 16th St. NW., 1940), p. 165.
¹⁰ Ibid.
48
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
of their enrolled students, and approximately 75,000 students were employed during the school year. For the academic year 1934-35,. FEEA funds were authorized for the employment of 12 percent of the students enrolled. Since the colleges were allowed to lower the $15 monthly wage and thus spread available funds to employ a larger number of students, more than 100,000 were given employment. Of approximately 1,700 eligible institutions throughout the country, 1,466’ participated in the student program during the first year and one-half of its operation.¹¹
In August 1935, the Federal program of financial assistance to needy students was transferred to the National Youth Administration, through Executive Order No. 7164, which established rules and regulations governing employment on student aid projects. Coincident with this transfer was an enlargement of the program, extending-financial aid to elementary and high-school students, as well as college and graduate students.
Student Work Objectives
Drafted to meet the problem of youth faced with stagnating idleness because of lack of funds for continuing their education, the objectives of the National Youth Administration’s student aid program became twofold: (1) To provide youths from low-income families an opportunity for schooling through the performance of useful public work; (2) to keep unemployed youth from an overcrowded labor market. •
The first objective of the National Youth Administration’s student work program—providing youth from low-income families with the opportunity of earning through work funds to continue in school— was based on the premise that equality of educational opportunities becomes more of a reality when youth are financially able to attend school. In the light of evidence that thousands of youth had been forced out of schools by lack of funds necessary to purchase an education, this objective could better be attained on the basis of payments to individual students for work performed rather than on the basis of institutional grants.
The second objective was to withdraw and withhold untrained youth from the labor market. Since able men with families dependent upon them were being forced from productive labor to relief rolls, it was obvious that by prolonging the education of as many youth as possible, thus keeping them out of competition with adults with family responsibilities, some pressure would be taken off the critical labor problems. Furthermore, these youth would be provided educational experience which would more nearly assure their economic future.
¹¹ Youth on the Student Work Program. (Washington : National Youth Administration, 1940), p. 6.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
49
Organization and Administration of the Student Work Program¹²
The student work program of the National Youth Administration provided part-time employment to needy students between the ages of 16 to 24, inclusive, in regular attendance at day sessions of schools* colleges, and universities. The student work program operated in all States, the District of Columbia, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. It had two divisions, namely, the school work program and the college and graduate work program. The school work program provided part-time work to needy students in institutions which did not require high-school graduation or the equivalent for entrance. The college and graduate work program provided work and financial assistance to* needy students in approved institutions requiring as a minimum highschool graduation or the equivalent for entrance. Work given to« undergraduate students or professional students who had not obtained.-their bachelor’s degree was known as college work; that given to students who had obtained their bachelor’s degree or the equivalent and were pursuing graduate study was known as graduate work.
Consistent with the policy of the National Youth Administration to> develop a decentralized pattern of administration, the student work program was designed to operate on the basis of joint responsibility between NYA officials and authorities of the participating institutions-Consequently, within regulations prescribed to effect proper expenditure of Government funds, the management of each institution’s program was left directly in the hands of the local institution officials.. Ultimate responsibility for the proper expenditure of student work funds rested with the State youth administrators.
Educational Institutions and the Program
All institutions, whether at the college or high school level, were* eligible to participate in the NYA student work program provided: they operated day sessions, were non-profit-making, tax-exempt, bona-fide educational institutions and were certified as such by the principal State educational officer. Each institution desiring to participate was; required to submit in affidavit form certification of its eligibility on the basis of the foregoing criteria. Responsibility for the operation of the student work program within each institution was delegated.¹ by the National Youth Administration to officials of the institution.. Each participating institution indicated one of its staff to supervise the student work program at the institution. He was then officially appointed by the State youth administrator to supervise the student work program at his particular institution during the academic year. In this capacity he served without compensation from the Government..
¹² Prior to the academic year 1940—41, the program was called the student aid program..
50
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
The selection of workers was made by local school authorities on the basis of each student’s need for financial assistance to continue his education and capacity to perform satisfactory work. Students who desired NYA employment applied to the authorities at the particular school which they wished to attend. School officials also planned the work at which the students were employed, determined the hours of work and monthly earnings of the students within the limits established by national regulations, kept the time of the students employed, and prepared the pay rolls for submission to appropriate NYA offices where they were processed for payment to the student.
The institutions furnished supervision, space, and materials for the work, together with any additional necessary costs other than the wages of the NYA students. Each school planned a work program based on its own particular needs. Schools were encouraged, however, to fit the work plan into the students’ interests and aptitudes, and wherever possible to enhance its value by relating it to the student’s major field of study.
Democratic participation of non-profit-making, tax-exempt, bona-fide educational institutions was assured under the student work program. During the academic year 1939-40, there were 28,301 secondary schools and 1,698 colleges and universities taking part in the program, irrespective of the type of institutional control.¹³ A survey conducted by the national NYA office for the academic year 1940-41, showed that of 1,589 colleges and universities participating in the college work program, 402 were State-supported ; 239 were controlled by municipal or district government ; 294 were privately controlled ; and 654 operated under denominational control.
Allocation of Student Work Funds
At the beginning of each academic year, the National Youth Administration allocated funds to the States for the operation of the student work program on the basis of the following criteria.
Colleges and universities received funds based on a specified percentage of each institution’s total number of resident-undergraduate and graduate students 16 to 24 years of age, inclusive, enrolled for at least three-fourths of a normal schedule in the day session of the institution as of November 1 of the previous academic year. Each college and university certified to the Washington NYA office its enrollment before allocations of funds were made to the State youth administrators for use of the particular institution. A percentage figure was multiplied by $15 to establish the tentative monthly fund quota for the institution. The percentage of the student enrollment varied from year to year in accordance with the amount of funds
¹³ See appendix B, table 6 for number of schools, college and graduate institutions participating in the NYA student work program by States.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
51
available for the college and graduate work program. Unused funds were withdrawn from institutions at the close of each quarterly period and reallocated to other colleges and universities where it was demonstrated that the funds would be used to employ needy college students. Fund quotas for colleges and universities were established on the basis of the following percentages of enrollment.
Table 9.—Percent of college enrollments used to establish NY A allocations, 1935-43
Year: Percent used Year: Percent used
1935-36________ __________ 12.0 1939-40________ __________ 10. 0
1936-37________ __________ 12. 0 1940-41________ __________ 9.4
1937-38________ __________ 8.0 1941-42________ __________ 7. 5
1938-39________ __________ 9.3 1942-43________ __________ 3. 8
For the school work program each State received an allocation which was based primarily on the size of the State’s youth population, school enrollment, and availability of school facilities. Prior to the academic year 1940-41, consideration was given to such factors as relief indices. The State youth administrator was notified of the amount of the yearly allocation for the school work program and he established a quota for each secondary school within the State, after consultation with school, relief, and welfare officials. Adjustments were made in allocations to individual schools on the basis of special needs in the individual States. As in the college and graduate work program, unused funds were withdrawn from institutions at the close of each quarterly period and re-allocated by the State youth administrator to other schools where student needs were greater.
Special Negro College and Graduate Fund
While NYA regulations provided that there should be no discrimination because of race, creed, color, or national origin, additional funds were set aside beginning with the academic year 1936-37 to provide educational opportunity in a limited number of special cases of needy Negro college and graduate students. Eligible Negro students who could not be employed within a particular institution’s quota for college and graduate work, after the institution had made a fair allocation for Negro students from its regular quota, could aPPty l°r assistance from the special Negro college and graduate work fund through the institution which they desired to attend. The colleges and universities then applied, through the office of the State youth administrator, to the Washington office for an additional sum for Negro college and graduate work. Such requests for special Negro funds were given thorough investigation and the allotment of funds approved through the State youth administrator to the particular institution. The following allotments of funds were made for each academic year beginning with 1936-37.
566597—44---------5
52 NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 10.—Special Negro college and graduate jund, by academic years, 1936-43
Academic year Total al- Number of Academic year Total al- Number of
location students location students
Total_______________ $609,930 4,118 1939-40___________________ $105,030 778
1940-41 111 105 423
1936-37 __________________ 75,060 556 1941-42___________________ 96*795 717
1937-38 __________________ 68, 310 506 1942-43__________________ 53i 595 397
1938-39................... 100; 035 741
Funds made available to an institution from this special fund were treated as increases in the regular allotment to the institution. The major portion of this special fund was allotted to Negro colleges and universities in the southern States in order to extend to eligible Negro youth increased educational opportunities. In the South, there was a decided lack of adequate facilities for the college education of Negroes.
Student Work Employees
Local school and college officials were delegated the responsibility for determining eligibility of students to receive NYA student work, and selected students for NYA student employment in their respective institutions in accordance with broad considerations which were outlined by the NYA national office. These considerations were substantially as follows :
Need.—Each student must have been able to qualify on the basis of need for such payments as he received. Officials of each institution had to exercise every precaution to make certain that its funds were not made available to any student who did not produce satisfactory evidence that NYA employment was essential to the proper continuance of his education.
Age.—Students must have reached their sixteenth birthday before they might be employed; students who had reached their twenty-fifth birthday were ineligible for NYA student employment.
Character and ability.—Students selected to receive part-time employment were required to be of good character and of such ability as to assure good scholastic work. Part-time employment was discontinued for those students who failed to maintain a satisfactory standing in at least three-fourths of their scholastic work.
Capacity to perform work.—No person was employed or continued in employment if his work habits were such, or his work record showed, that he was incapable of performing satisfactorily the work to which he was assigned.
Attendance status.—Students participating in the student work program were required to be regular students carrying at least three-fourths of the normal schedule.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
53
Citizenship.—No alien was eligible for any employment which was compensated from funds appropriated to the National Youth Administration, and no part of the appropriation was available for payment to any person who had not made an affidavit as to his United States citizenship.
Oath of allegiance.—No student was eligible for student employment which was compensated from funds appropriated to the National Youth Administration unless he executed the oath of allegiance for student work employees.
Advocacy of overthrow of government.—No student who advocated, or who was a member of an organization which advocated, the overthrow of the Government of the United States through force or violence was eligible for any employment which was compensated from funds appropriated to the National Youth Administration.
The institutional officials were responsible for applying the above regulations. In carrying out their responsibility for selection of NYA students, the heads of the various institutions enlisted the cooperation of public and private agencies and individuals in order to obtain the information necessary to select the most needy applicants for student work.
Each young person desiring employment under the student work program made application for student work on a form established by the NYA national office. The applications which were approved by the authorized institutional official were submitted to the State youth administrator before transmittal of the first student time report of the school year. The state youth administrator, or his authorized representative, examined carefully the statements made on the NYA student application forms and made follow-up investigations when this appeared necessary in questionable cases. Special attention was given to the item on the NYA student application form which showed family income.
Statistics of Total Employment and Earnings
In the 8-year period of Federal student aid through the National Youth Administration (1935-43), it is estimated that more than 2,134,000 different youth were given financial assistance in remaining in schools and colleges to continue their education. The number of students aided varied year by year due to the differences in funds available to the program. The greatest number of students was employed during the academic year 1939-40 when more than 748,000 different youth (446,000 school students and 188,000 college and graduate students) were at work on NYA student jobs in 1,698 colleges and uni-versities, and in 28,301 secondary schools in every county in the land.¹⁴
¹⁴ See appendix B, table 6 for number of schools and colleges and graduate institutions participating in the NYA student work program, by States.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
The following table gives the estimated number of different students employed during each of the academic years, and the estimated cumulative total.
Table 11.—Estimated number of different students employed on the NY A student work program, academic years 1935—36 through 1942—43
By academic year Cumulative from 1936
School College and School College and
Academic year Total work pro- graduate Total work pro- graduate
gram work pro- gram work pro-
gram gram
1935-36____________________ 457,000 314,000 143,000 457,000 314,000 143,000
1936-37____________________ 492,000 332,000 160,000 703,000 480,000 223,000
1937-38.. _________________ 370,000 260,000 110,000 888,000 610,000 278,000
1938-39____________________ 476^ 000 340,000 136,000 1,126; 000 780;000 346,000
1939-40 ___________________ 748,000 560,000 188; 000 1,500,000 1,060,000 440,000
1940-41____________________ 606,000 446,000 160,000 i;8O3;ooo li 283; 000 520; 000
1941-42____________________ 433; 000 311; 000 122,000 2,062,000 i; 469; 000 593,000
1942-43______________.-..... 121,000 76i 000 45,000 2,134,000 1,514,000 620;000
The peak average monthly employment under the student work program was during the academic years 1939-40 and 1940-41, when the average monthly employment was 438,015 and 439,149, respectively. The highest monthly average for the school work program was also during these 2 years, with an average employment of 317,346 and 318,953, respectively. Under the college work program, the peak monthly average was in the year 1936-37 when 133,850 college students were employed. The average employment on the graduate work program was highest in 1935-36, with 5,760 graduate students receiving NYA assistance. The extent graduate students participated in the NYA graduate work program was determined by the president of the participating institution, or his designated representative. After the academic year 1936-37, there was a tendency on the part of institutional heads to decrease the number of graduate students receiving NYA assistance and increase the number of undergraduate students employed on the college work program. This may have resulted in part from a shifting of college scholarship funds to the graduate level.
Table 12.—Average number of students employed per month ¹ on the NYA student work program, academic years 1935—36 through 1942—43
School work College work Graduate
Academic year Total program program work
program
1935-36 ________-_____________________ 315,750 193,905 116,085 5,760
1936-37 _______________________________ 403,123 264,026 133,850 5,247
1937-38 ________________________________ 301,858 205,149 94,289 2,420
1938-39 __________________________________ 365,843 255,378 107,588 2,877
1939-40 ____-_____________________________ 438,015 317,346 117,834 2,835
194Ó-41 __________________________________ 439,149 318,953 117,349 2,847
1941-42 ________________________________ 265,901 185,326 78,868 1,707
1942-432____________L----------------------------- 88,596 54,181 3 34,415
i The student work program operated on a school-year basis, average number of students employed per month, is based upon a 9-month academic year.
> ² June 1943 data not available, average based on previous months.
³ Includes graduate students as data was not reported separately in academic year 1942-43.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
55
Table 13.—Total earnings of youth employed on the NYA student work program, academic years 1935—36 through 1942-43 ¹
School work College work Graduate
Academic year Total program program work
program
Total_____________________________________ $166,838,741 $73,560,465 $89,014,982 $4,263,294
1935-36_________________________________________ 23,572,590 9,437,396 13,130,312 1,004,882
1936-37._ ____ ___________________________ 27,686,581 11,545,313 15,064, 538 1,076,730
1937-38_________________________________________ 18,445,089 8,169,267 9,887,206 388,616
1938-39 . _____ ____________________ 21,207,6Ô9 9,567,278 11,176,160 464,261
1939-40 __________________________________ 27; 07i; 784 13,005,864 13,526,534 539,386
1940-41_________________________________________ 27i 062,099 12,947,056 13,621,057 493,986
1941-42_________________________________________ 15i 963,520 6,868,435 8,799,652 295,433
1942-43 2________________________________________ 5i 829,379 2,019,856 3,809,523 --------------
¹ The discrepancy in totals between table 13 and appendix B, tables 1 and 2, results from supplemental pay rolls not included in the above table. The relative distribution of earnings would also apply to funds expended as shown in appendix B, table 3.
² Excludes earnings for June 1943.
During the eight years the total earnings of the 2,134,000 different students amounted to $160,838,741. Needy school students earned $73,560,465; college students earned $89,014,982; and graduate students received $4,263,294.
The employment of so great a number of youth on the student work program was largely a result of the high level of cooperation which existed between the educational institutions and the National Youth Administration, and the integrity with which individual institutions carried out their part of the program.
Distribution of NY A Students by Sex
There were more young women employed on the school work program than boys. In the academic year 1939-40, girls were 53 percent of the NYA students. The percentage increased each year and during the academic year 1942-43, girls predominated by more than two to one. Under the college work program in the academic year 1939-40, there were more men than women, 60 percent being men.
Table 14.—Percentage distribution of students employed on the NYA student ' work program, by sex, academic years 1939-40 through 1942—43
Program and academic year Total Male Female
School work program:
1939-40___________________J.___________________-____________ 100.0 47.0 53.0
1940-41____________________________________________________ 100.0 44.4 55.6
1941-42____________________________________________________ 100.0 37.1 62.9
1942-431___________________________________________________ 100.0 30.6 69.4
College work program:
1939-40____________________________________________________ 100.0 59.9 40.1
1940-41____________________________________________________ 100.0 57.4 42.6
1941-42____________________________________________________ 100.0 51.6 48.4
1942-43 1 2_________________________________________________ 100.0 41.4 58.6
Graduate work program:
1939-40____________________________________________________ 100.0 74.5 25.5
1940-41____________________________________________________ 100.0 75.7 24.3
1941-42__________________________________________________ 100.0 73.6 26.4
1942-43____________________________________________________ (3) (3) (3)
¹ June 1943 data not available, percentages based on previous months.
² Percentages include graduate students for academic year 1942-43.
² Not reported separately in academic year 1942-43.
56 NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
As was to be expected because of the approach of war, the percentage of men declined each year thereafter and during the academic year 1942-43 only 41 percent was men under the NYA college work program. Under the graduate work program there were consistently many more men than women. While information is not available for the academic year 1942-43, for the 3 years immediately preceding, men were close to 75 percent of those employed on the graduate work program.
Employment of Other-tban-W kite 'Youth
Other-than-white youth (principally Negro) were employed under the school work program with greater frequency and diminished in representation at the college and graduate levels. Information is available for 2 academic years, 1939-40 and 1942-43, as to the extent other-than-white youth were selected for NYA student work benefits. On the school work program in the academic year 1939-40, about onë out of every eight students was a Negro or other non white youth, while in the academic year 1942-43 it was about one out of every five.
On the college and graduate work program, Negroes and other nonwhite students occurred at the rate of about 1 in 18 for both years.
Table 15.—NYA student employment by race, academic years 1939-40 and 1942—43 ¹
School work program College and graduate
Academic year work program
Number Percent Number Percent
1939-40 Total_________________________________________ 450,585 100.0 162,765 100.0
White_____________________________________________ 392,404 87.1 152,550 93.7
Other than white__________________________________ 58,181 12.9 10,215 6.3
1942-43 Total________________________________---........
59,369 100.0 39,358 100.0
White- _____ __________________________________ 48,540 81.8 36,257 92.1
Other than white__________________________________ 10,829 18.2 3,101 7.9
1 Based on a field study conducted during academic years 1939-40 and 1942-43.
Rates of Pay to NYA Students
Within limits prescribed by the National Youth Administration, school and college officials determined monthly earnings of students by fixing both the hourly wage and the number of hours to be worked. Through the academic year 1941-42, under the college and graduate wTork program, undergraduate students were permitted to earn from a minimum of $10 to a maximum of $20; and graduate students from $10 to $30. For the academic year 1942-43, the maximum payment to each undergraduate or graduate student was established at $25, while the minimum payment remained unchanged. Exemptions from the minimum monthly payment to college students were occasionally granted to specific institutions by the National Administrator upon
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 57
recommendation of the State administrator. This was done only for institutions which enrolled a majority of students from the area in which the institution was located and which had a low tuition cost. No payments of less than $8 a month were approved. The maximum hours of work for NYA undergraduate and graduate students were 8 hours in any 1 day.
The monthly earnings for each student employed under the school work program were established between a minimum of $3 and a maximum of $6. The maximum hours of work were set at 4 hours a day on school days and 7 hours a day on nonschool days.
For the entire student work program, the hours worked by NYA students were limited to the number of hours which in relation to the monthly earnings as established by the institutional officials within the minimum and maximum earnings most accurately reflected the prevailing rate of pay in the community for the same work. Because of the wide variation in hourly rates of pay between institutions, no statistics were considered satisfactory in presenting an average hourly rate.
Average Monthly Earnings of NYA Students
The national average monthly earnings of NYA students during the eight years remained fairly constant. NYA school students earned between $4.16 and $4.86, except for the academic year 193^-36, when the average monthly earnings were $5.41; college students averaged from $11.54 to $12.90 a month; graduate students from $19.23 to $22.80.¹⁶
Table 16.—Average monthly earnings of students on the NYA student work program, academic years 1935—36 through 1942—43
Academic year School work College work Graduate work
program program program
1935-36 _________________________________________ $5.41 $12.57 $19.38
1936-37_________________________________________________ 4.86 12. 51 22.80
1937-38________________________________________________ 4.42 11.65 17.85
1938-39_________________________________________________ 4.16 11.54 17.93
1939-40 ______________________________________ 4.55 12.75 21.14
1940-41 __________________________________________ 4.51 12.90 19.28
1941-42 . ____________________________________________ 4.12 12.40 19.23
1942-43 L.-_____________________________________________ 4.66 2 13.84 (’)
¹ June 1943 data not available, average earnings based on previous months.
² Includes the earnings of graduate students.
³ Not reported separately in academic year 1942-43.
The average monthly earnings were considerably lower than the maximum earnings allowed under national regulations. This resulted in the main from the spreading of NYA institutional fund quotas by the school and college officials among as many students as possible. The funds appropriated in relation to the actual need were
¹⁸ See appendix B, tables 11 and 12 for average monthly earnings of student employees on the NYA student work program, by States, for academic years 1939-40 through 1942—43.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
seldom adequate to meet the requests for NYA student work. Even in the school term 1942-43, when as a result of war employment family incomes had taken a sharp upturn, and when thousands of young men and women were being supported on college campuses in military service organizations, there were in some places three times as many applicants for college NYA jobs as could be provided for. In prewar years of greater economic stress, it had run on occasion as high as four or five to one.
The low average monthly earnings of students employed on the college work program could seldom defray the total cost of attending college. The NYA earnings supplemented the other resources a student had when entering college, and represented the difference between his continuing his college course and leaving because of lack of the necessary cash to defray current expenses.
Work Performed by NYA Students
In establishing student financial assistance on a work basis, the Federal Government made available to school people an opportunity not only to keep needy youth in school, but to experiment in their own school laboratory with different kinds of educational work experience. The American Youth Commission has stated that “Equal in importance with reading, but very different in character, is a second means of education that has been neglected because it does not have the sanction of traditional school practice. Young people need to learn to work. Labor is the lot of man and it has not been recognized as it should have been in arranging institutional education.”¹⁶
The National Youth Administration prescribed from the beginning that students employed under the student work program must perform useful and practical work, for which payment was made. Emphasis was to be placed on work related to the abilities and major interests of the students. The work performed by the NYA students had to be supplemental to the regular work of the institution. Students could not be assigned to regular classroom instruction or to any work which came within the regular budget of the institution, which would have resulted in the displacement of workers paid from other funds.
The officials of the participating institution were delegated the responsibility of assigning students to suitable work and for supervising work performed by NYA students. The NYA regulations definitely stipulated that no student was to be employed or continued in employment if his work habits were such, or his work record
¹⁶ What the High Schools Ought to Teach, prepared for the American Youth Commission. (Washington : American Council on Education, 1940), p. 15.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 59
showed, that he was incapable of performing satisfactorily the work to which he was assigned.
Since traditionally the American school and college plan was designed primarily to meet academic needs, it was natural that school officials in devising work assignments under the first NYA allocations met with difficulty. Job assignments went to two extremes, from the highly academic on one hand, to the most menial or “leaf raking” type on the other. Academically minded teachers and professors, failing to see the guidance and training values of work, often insisted that only the most mentally capable youth be assigned to their supervision; the less capable, as judged wholly by academic standards, were often shunted into jobs lacking both in purpose and supervision.
The early rule that NYA jobs should not replace workers previously employed by school budgets and the limitation of working hours also proved handicaps to many educators in planning and executing work programs. Some minor misuses of funds occurred on the part of school people, usually due to confusion with details and Government procedure, but nonetheless harmful to the program. The staff of the National Youth Administration was too small to reach each participating institution to assist in working out problems of work assignment and supervision, or to develop standards of work performance.
Beginning with the academic year 1940-41, the Washington NYA office required that each participating institution submit to the State administrator on a standard NYA form a proposed work plan which' would describe the major types of work to be performed by NYA students, specify the type of supervision to be given each activity, the number of students to be employed on each work activity, and hourly wage rate for each type of work. Any basic deviation from the work plan submitted by an institution during the course of a year had to be approved by the State administrator. It was further required that the work plans be reviewed carefully by the State admin-istrator to determine that all work reported was within the scope of the NYA regulations. In general, this resulted in improving the work activities for NYA students, since each institutipn gave advance thought and planning to the work program.
Types of Work Activity
The work upon which NYA students were employed both in high school and college, from 1935 through 1943, covered a wide and diversified range of activities. These activities may be generally classified for summary purposes as follows:
Construction, repair, and remodeling of buildings and facilities. Construction, repair, and remodeling of apparatus and equipment. Machine shop and automotive repair projects.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Landscaping and improvement of public grounds.
Health, sanitation, hospital, and clinical assistance projects.
Clerical assistance projects.
Library services and book repair.
Home economics and nursery school projects.
Reforestation and soil conservation projects.
Research, statistical and survey projects.
Classroom and laboratory assistance projects.
Reproduction, and drafting projects.
Recreational leadership projects.
Other projects providing valuable work experience.
As previously indicated, attempts were made to plan work projects so as to provide students with experience which would supplement their regular school work. This was particularly true in the colleges, where science majors, for example, were employed as laboratory assistants, prospective librarians worked with books, and. medical students engaged in medical research.
A 10 percent sampling of 100,000 NYA jobs in every type of participating institution was made in 1942-43 to determine the general occupational fields in which NYA college work was being conducted.
Table 17.---Percentage distribution of college NY A assignments by general
occupational fields, 1942---43
Field Percent Field Percent
Total____________ _____100. 00 Home economics_____________ 4. 64
Business and clerical____ _____ 16. 60 Economics, government, soci-
Science and mathematics. _____ 14. 71 ology--- 3. 65
Medicine and public health_____ 3. 32
Library science___-______ _____ 12. 35 Military science and communi-
Public welfare and recreation _ _ 8. 97 cations__________________ 2. 69
Engineering____________ _____ 8. 28 Forestry and conservation_____ 1. 28
Fine arts_______________ 7.66 General shop work_______ . 49
Teacher training_________ _____ 5. 30 Unclassified___________________ 5. 20
Agriculture_____________ _____ 4. 86
Under the general fields listed in the above table, students were assigned such specific jobs as research work, laboratory assistance, equipment construction and repair, shop work, clerical assistance, general construction, public service, public welfare work, and maintenance
work.
Examples of NYA Student Work Projects
For the purpose of this chapter, a small selection of student work projects has been made to demonstrate some of the specific types of work which NYA students performed in earning their monthly wages.¹⁷
¹⁷ Paul B. Jacobson, “Youth and Work Opportunities,” The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary-School Principals. (Chicago : The National Association of Secondary-School Principals of the National Education Association, 5835 Kimbark Avenue, April 1940). Serial No. 90, pp. 43-104.
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61
Cancer Research—McArdle Institute, University of Wisconsin
NYA students at the Medical School of the University of Wisconsin have done unusual work in cancer research. Through centrifugation these young medical students have advanced the knowledge available on cancer by determining the substances in normal tissue which regulate cell growth, either inhibiting or stimulating such growth.
Reduction of Truancy—Baylor University and Waco Public Schools, Waco, Tex.
The attendance problems in the Waco public schools have decreased considerably as a result of a project initiated under the NYA college work program at Baylor University. Ten young men employed on college work jobs were assigned to principals in the Waco public school system to visit in the homes of underprivileged children of school age who had been absent from school and who were maladjusted both in the home and in the school. These students reported each day to the principal of the school to which they were assigned and secured a list of the absentees for that day. They then made contact at the home both with the child and his parents in an eff ort to determine the reason for the pupil’s absence or lack of interest.
Remedies for the correction of each child’s problem were recommended by the NYA students to the principal or to the probation judge in Waco. Detailed reports were made daily to the judge; once each month the students met in conference at Baylor University with the judge to discuss the most serious cases encountered that month. Of the 1,849 cases handled by the young men, only 1 youth was later sent to the Juvenile Training School.
Most of the young men employed on this project were majoring in sociology, The actual case work involved gave them an insight into social problems not to be gained in classroom study. Many decided upon a career in social service work. The college reports that the personality, tact, courtesy, sympathetic interest, and grasp of home environment developed by these NYA students would insure their success in the field of social work.
Study of Stream Flow—Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
A work project developed at Ohio State University made a valuable contribution in the field of flood control. Students assigned to this project made constant checks on the variation in flow of the streams of major importance in Ohio. The data collected were compiled and interpreted for use by the Government engineers in conservation work and flood control. Recent disastrous floods had accentuated the need for such data. Students engaged in this work received valuable engineering experience and their work had a high degree of sound usefulness.
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Experimental Orchard—Chaffey Junior College, Ontario, Calif.
Six boys were assigned to work in an experimental orchard in the development of fruits through cross-pollination. They hoped to perfect a peach tree which would withstand any kind of weather. The boys gained experience in pruning, cross-pollination, general upkeep of orchards and agricultural experimentation. All of the boys assigned to this project were majors in agriculture and were vitally interested in their assignments. The work was directly under the supervision of the school pomologist.
Renewal of School Desks—High School, Kenedy, Tex.
Two hundred old and badly abused desks were renovated and put back into service through an NYA school work project at Kenedy High School, Kenedy, Tex.
Nine boys assigned to NYA school work jobs were employed in this work. The boys planed down' the tops of the desks and sanded them with an electric sanding machine. After the desks were smoothed and refinished the principal of the school felt that because of their work the boys took greater pride in the school furniture and that they transmitted this beneficial attitude to other students in the school.
Construction of a 6-inch Reflecting Telescope—High School, Payson, Utah
The construction of a telescope by four boys at Payson High School involved the grinding of a 6-inch pyrex glass mirror and the mounting of the mirror and the prisms. The boys had mechanical ability and an interest in physics. The project gave the boys work experience which correlated closely with the principles of optics taught in physics. The telescope is now used by classes in elementary astronomy.
Care of the Sick—Lincoln Institute, Lincoln Ridge, Ky.
Lincoln Institute is a Negro high school which draws pupils from all sections of Kentucky. With practically all pupils living in the dormitories, the school had an excellent opportunity for a health project as a part of its school work program.
Two girls Were employed under the supervision of the home economics instructor to assist in caring for the sick, in checking and dispensing prescribed medicines, and in preparing diets.
For these girls, chosen because of their particular interest in nursing, their NYA employment was preliminary training for a professional course in nursing or dietetics. They made many practical applications of lessons learned in home economics and in chemistry. The work made them conscious of the importance of health and sanitation.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-194 3 63
Construction of Recreational Facilities—Roosevelt High School, Emporia, Kans.
A construction project on the grounds of the elementary school was carried out in Emporia, Kans. Inaugurated for the purpose of preparing a playground, this project included the demolition of one house and the moving of another. A street was closed, and the surface of the ground was graded and new walks constructed. Playground equipment and apparatus was built, and a residence for a campus recreational hall was remodeled.
This project employed 25 boys who were chosen insofar as possible because of their interest in industrial arts courses. The work was under the supervision of the assistant to the superintendent of buildings and grounds. Combining the use of both hand and power tools with general shopwork, the playground project offered valuable experience to the pupils, as well as a distinct contribution to the school. Eye Clinic, Sight Saving—Polytechnic High School, San Francisco, Calif.
Five girls and three boys were assigned to the health and hospital work project which was divided into two parts. The first part was the eye clinic where pupils were tested for eye fixedness, scotoma, etc. If needed, a corrective course was recommended. Regular retests were given. Diagrams were made to show the individual’s defects, and charts were made to show the pupil’s progress. The second part of the project rendered immediate service for pathologic cases. Posters, bulletins, and texts were prepared for special classes for pupils who had defective eyes, or had been assigned to sight-saving classes. The pupils assigned to these projects helped to make diagrams and charts. They also helped to prepare statistics on the research work that had been done. Four of the girls on this project planned, to become nurses. The fifth girl, who did statistical work, was majoring in mathematics.
Auto-Mechanics Experience—Lincoln High School (Negro), Dallas, Tex.
Typical of a student work project carried on in many schools, was the assignment of NYA boys to the auto-mechanics shop in Lincoln School for Negroes at Dallas, Tex., where, under the supervision of the auto-mechanics shop teacher, the boys were kept busy in the general repair and maintenance of the school-owned automobiles. They overhauled motors, recharged batteries, adjusted headlights, vulcanized tubes, did necessary electrical work, and washed and greased the cars.
Student Work Councils
In order to strengthen the student work program, particularly the work to which students were assigned, a National Division of Student
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Work was established by the Administrator in July 1940. The title of “Student Aid” was changed to “Student Work” to give emphasis to the work content of the program. An important development followed in the establishment of State School Work Councils composed of secondary school administrators and superintendents.¹⁸ A National School Work Council was appointed on January 16, 1942.¹⁹ The National and State School Work Councils rendered advisory services to the National Youth Administration on the improvement, appraisal, and further development of the school work program. State youth administrators were directed to establish State College Work Councils for the academic year 1941-42,²⁰ to advise on the college and graduate work program. A National College Work Council was also appointed.²¹
From the outset, councils were faced with the enormous problem of translating the objectives of the student work program into the operating practices of some 28,000 separate high schools and 1,700 colleges and universities participating in the program. Their task was fundamentally that of evolving a work experience philosophy in education in order that the potential advantages offered youth through the facilities of the NYA might be realized to their fullest extent.
State School Work Councils
At the secondary school level the State School Work Councils devoted their efforts to—
1. Stimulating a more effective realization on the part of educators of the educational and guidance values inherent in actual work experience;
2. Encouraging school administrators and teachers to utilize work experience as an effective supplement to academic training;
3. Assisting both school officials and NYA personnel in developing administrative techniques to improve the integrity of the work program in the respective schools.
National School Work Council
The National School Work Council served to coordinate the work of the various State councils. It functioned both in an advisory capacity to the national office of the NYA and in a leadership capacity to the 48 State councils. For example, the following statement on standards for NYA school work projects was transmitted for discussion to the chairman of each State School Work Council in October 1941:
1. The work should be within the range of the student’s interests and abilities, should constitute a challenge to him, and contribute to
¹⁸ Letter No. Y-159, Supplement No. 2, August 20, 1940.
¹⁹ See appendix.A for list of members of National School Work Council.
²⁰ Letter No. Y-207, Supplement No. 1, July 8, 1941.
⁸¹ See appendix A for membership of National College Work Council.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
65
his personal and social growth. The work should be such as to demand good craftsmanship, and call forth the best efforts of the worker. As a result of his work experience on the NYA job, the student should be more employable upon leaving school.
2. The project should be such that the student realizes the value of the work he is doing. The student must feel that he is performing a real job; “made work” must be avoided. Meeting this problem is an important challenge to the school.
3. The project should provide work that is commensurate with the income received for that work. The giving of an honest dollar’s worth of work for a dollar received is one of the chief bases of the integrity of the student work program.
4. The project should be such as to encourage the student to make the employer’s interests his own. Projects which tend to make the workers exert initiative should be sought. The attitude of the supervisor has much to do with the fulfillment of this criterion.
5. Work on the NYA job should not exclude student participation in desirable school activities. Every school should do whatever is possible to avoid group distinctions. Students on NYA should be encouraged to be active members of the school community in all its aspects.
6. The NYA job should give specific vocational training. If a given project meets all of the other standards and, in addition, provides training for a specific vocation, such a job may be considered most desirable. Work assignments in community agencies other than the school will help solve this problem.
7. Work should be done in the community as well as in and around the school. Many jobs which need to be done in each locality are to be found in public agencies other than the school. Such assignments of student workers tend to bring about a closer relationship and understanding between the school and the community.
State, Regional, and National College Work Councils
At the college level separate State councils were not only established, but the chairman of each such council represented the colleges of his State on a regional council. The chairman of each regional council in turn represented the region at the national level as a member of the National College Work Council.
The National Council gave direction to the work of the 11 regional councils. It encouraged colleges to evaluate critically their programs, made proposals for improving community relationships, and developed methods and techniques for enhancing work experience values for NYA youth on college work projects throughout the Nation.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Significant improvement both in the quality of student work and the type and amount of supervision afforded by the colleges and high schools resulted from these administrative moves. Principally as a result of council activities, schools and colleges began to evaluate the work projects to which students were assigned, and improvements were reported by the NYA students and institutional authorities.
Characteristics of NYA Students
In order to obtain information on the personal characteristics and economic and family background of youth employed on the student work program, surveys were made from time to time of the NYA students. A comprehensive and exhaustive survey of 613,350 NYA students was made during the academic year 1939-40.²² This survey is considered representative of NYA students and best demonstrates for the depression period the personal characteristics and economic status of the youth employed on the NYA student work program. A survey of family incomes of NYA students was made in December 1942, which is presented to show the increase in the median incomes of NYA students during a year when fuller employment had taken place and income levels generally had risen.
Family Incomes of NYA Students, 1939-40
The need of NYA students for financial assistance in order to continue their education is best evidenced by the fact that the median annual income of the families of 613,350 school, college, and graduate students employed on the student work program during 1939-40 was $645. The median annual income of the families of 162,765 NYA college and graduate students was $1,124; and the family income of the 450,585 NYA school students was $526. Over one-fifth of the families of all NYA students (20.9 percent) earned less than $300 a year; 38.3 percent had incomes under $500; over two-thirds (67.4 percent) had incomes under $900 ; and 85 percent had annual incomes under $1,250.
The median annual income of families of NYA secondary school students was very low. Over one-fourth of these families (26.2 percent) had incomes of less than $300 a year; almost one-half (47.6 percent) had incomes under $500 a year; about two-thirds (66.5 percent) earned less than $700 a year; and 85.7 percent had annual incomes of less than $1,000.
²⁵ The data for the 1939-40 survey of NYA student employment were taken from the youths’ application forms (NYA Student Work Form 303 and 304) for NYA student employment, and represented the statements of the youth with regard to their families’ in- I comes. The statements on the student application forms were certified as, accurate statements by their parents or guardian and the institutional official appointed as the NYA representative in each institution.’
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
67
Measured by the incomes of their families, the need of NYA college youth was less strikingly apparent than the need of NYA youth in secondary schools. Nevertheless, the median annual income of their families, $1,124, amounted to less than $22 a week, a sum which allowed little toward the expenses of the youths’ college education. Between one-fourth and one-fifth of the youth on the college and graduate work program (23.3 percent) were in families earning less than $700 a year; about two-fifths (39.8 percent) had families with incomes of less than $1,000 a year; and about two-thirds (66.8 percent) had families with annual incomes of less than $1,500.
The 1939-40 survey included 64,083 Negro youth employed on the student work program. The median annual family income of Negro youth was much less than white youth since the median annual income was only $332 as contrasted with $681 for the white NYA students. Nearly 46 percent of the families of NYA Negro students had incomes under $300 a year; over two-thirds (69.0 percent) had incomes' of less than $500 a year; and over four-fifths (82.1 percent) earned less than $700 a year.
The greatest need appeared among NYA Negro students in the secondary schools; the median annual income of families was only $300. While the annual income of the families of NYA Negro college and graduate students was $554, it was still so low that the NYA earnings undoubtedly represented the entire cash income of this group.
Table 18.—Median annual income of NYA students’ families, by program and race, academic years 1939-40 and 1942-43
Median annual income of
Program and race NYA students’ families
1939-40 1942-43
Student work program_______________________ $645
White_______________________________ 681 1 070
Other than white 1____________________ 332 566
School work program______________________ 526 730
White______________________________ 560 783
Other than white____________________________ 300 501
College and graduate work program_____________ 1,124 1 569
White____________________________ 1 150 1 628
Other than white__________________________ *554 872
i The 1939-40 survey included “Negro” as a separate classification; the 1942-43 survey obtained informs, tion on the basis of “other than white.”
Family Incomes of NYA Students, 1942-43²³
By the academic year 1942-43, the relative need of NYA students for financial assistance based on median family incomes had changed from that shown in the 1939-40 survey.
²³ Data based on a field survey of the NYA student applications (NYA Forms 303 and 304) made in December 1942.
566597—44---------&
68 ' NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
A total of 98,727 NYA students was included in the 1942-43 survey, of which 59,369 were NYA school students and 39,358 were college and graduate students. The median annual family income of all NYA students was $993, an increase of 54 percent over the median income for 1939-40. White NYA students came from families with a median annual income of $1,070, while the families of other-than-white students²⁴ had median incomes of $556, an increase in the median incomes of $389 and $244, respectively, over 1939-40.
The median family incomes were $730 for NYA school students (white and other-than-white), and $1,569 for college and graduate students, as contrasted with $526 and $1,124, respectively, in 1939-40. The median annual income for other-than-white had also risen sharply. The median income of families of other-than-white students was $501 under the NYA school work program, and $872 under the college and graduate work program, an increase of 67 percent and 57 percent, respectively, over 1939-40.
The increases indicated in the family incomes of .NYA students in 1942-43 were offset to a considerable extent by two factors, namely, the rise in the cost of living and the acceleration of the college programs to a 12-month basis which prevented many students from obtaining summer employment as extensively as in previous years.
Local Surveys of Need of NYA Students, 1941-42
Two surveys conducted locally (New York City and Colorado) in 1941-42 demonstrate the financial need of NYA students.
New York City School Work Council Survey
The School Work Council of New York City found in a study of the applications of 14,181 youth employed on the NYA school work program during the academic year 1941-42 that 37 percent, or 5,288, of the youths’ families were solely dependent upon mothers’ aid, pensions, or direct public assistance for support. The study revealed that many of the low family incomes were the result of broken homes caused by accidents, illness, death of the male wage earner, divorce, or abandonment, and that irrespective of the up-swing of employment opportunities, the welfare of these families remained largely unaffected.²⁵
Colorado School Work Council Study
During the same year (1941-42) the Bureau of Educational Research of the University of Colorado in response to an invitation by the Colorado School Work Council made a study of 890 NYA students
³⁴ There was a total of 13,980 other-than-white NYA students included in the 1942—43 survey of family incomes, of which 10,829 were NYA school students and 3,101 NYA college and graduate students.
²⁵ Survey made by the NYA New York City High School Work Council from Form NYA-303, December 1941.
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in comparison with 895 non-NYA students in 99 high schools of that State to determine their occupational, professional, and economic backgrounds.
Their research found a wide disparity existed between the family incomes of those families whose children were participating in the NYA school work program and those families with no children participating.
The average annual income of the 895 non-NYA students was found to be $1,500 for a family of 3 as compared with an annual income of $625 to meet the needs of a family of 6 where youth were employed by the NYA. In other words, the average annual per capita income of non-NYA families was found to be nearly 5 times as great as that of the families of youth on the high school program.
The Colorado survey also revealed that of the fathers of NYA students studied, 5.9 percent was unemployed; 13.4 percent was either deceased or separated from the family; and 3.9 percent was retired or pensioned.
Of the fathers of the non-NYA students, only 7.4 percent was deceased or separated from their families, and less than 2 percent was unemployed.²⁶
Local conditions disclosed in both the Colorado and New York City surveys were borne out on the national level by research of the National Resources Planning Board, which reported that “approximately two-fifths of the households in receipt of public aid in June 1940, or some 5,380,000 separate households, consisted of families in which there was no employable member. They comprised dependent children, handicapped or permanently disabled persons and old people who are likely to be in need of some form of public aid regardless of the extent to which economic activity improves.”²⁷ Size of Families of NYA Students, 1939-40
The 1939-40 data revealed that the low family incomes of NYA students was accentuated by the size of the families dependent upon these incomes. Youth on the student work program were members of families averaging about five persons. These families were larger than those in the general population of the United States, which averaged about four persons in 1930.
More than 80 percent of the NYA students was from families num-bering at least four persons; 42 percent was from families with at least six persons; and 17 percent was from families of eight or more persons.
Of the NYA students in the secondary schools, almost 85 percent was from families of four or more persons; almost half (48.4 percent)
²⁸ Robert A. Davis and Hazel Taylor, “Efficiency of the High School NYA Program in Colorado,” The School Review. (University of Chicago: May 1943), pp. 283—284.
²⁷ National Resources Planning Board, op. cit., chap. XVI, p. 445.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
was from families of six or more persons; and almost one-third (32.9 percent) was from families numbering at least seven persons.
Table 19.—Percent distribution of NY A students by size of family and program
Percent of NYA students’ families
Size of family Student work School work College and
program program graduate work
program
Total _____________________________________________ 100.0 100.0 100.0
1 person______________________________________ ____________ .7 .3 .7
2persons . _ „ .. ______________________________________ 4.6 3.6 4.5
3 persons___________________________________________________ 13.6 11.5 18.3
4 persons___________________________________________________ 19.7 17.4 25.9
5 persons___________________________________________________ 19.1 18.9 20.7
6 persons___________________________________________________ 14.6 15.5 13.2
7 persons___-_______________________________________________ 10.6 12.1 7.1
8 persons___________________________________________________ 6.9 8.0 4.5
9 persons___________________________________________________ 4.6 5.1 2.5
10 persons or more__________________________________________ 6.9 7.7 2.6
The families of college and graduate NYA students, although somewhat smaller than those of NYA school students, were still larger than families in the general population. Over three-fourths of them (76.5 percent) included at least four persons, and 30 percent had at least six persons.
Negro youth on the student work program came from families with an average size of about six persons, as compared with an average of about five persons for the families of white NYA students. Over 83 percent of the Negro youths’ families numbered at least four persons; more than half of them (52.7 percent) included at least six persons; and almost 28 percent of them consisted of eight or more persons.
Table 20.—Percent distribution of NYA students, by size of family and race
Percent of NYA Percent of NYA
Size of family students’ families Size of family students’ families
White Negro White Negro
Total___________________ 100.0 100.0 5 persons______'_______________ 19.8 15.5
------ -...... 6 persons.._____._____________ 15.0 13.6
1 person_______________... • 3 . 5 7 persons_____________________ 10.8 11.4
2 persons.-...________________ 3.7 4. 3 8 persons____________ 7.0 8.5
3 persons..-__________________ 13» b 11.6 9 persons______________________ 4.2 6.7
4 persons_____________________ 20.0 15.4 10 persons or more____________ 5.7 12.5
One out of every 8 Negro NYA students was from a family which numbered 10 or more persons; among white NYA students, about 1 out of every 18 was from a family of this size.
Number of Family in School, 1939-40
While youth on the student work program were from families with
an average size of about five persons, between two and three of these persons, on the average, were attending school (including the youth on the program).
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
71
As would be expected, families of high school youth (larger than families of college and graduate youth) had proportionately more children in school attendance. Over three-fourths of the families of NYA high school students had more than one child in school as compared with less than two-thirds of the college youths’ families which fell into this classification.
Almost one-third (31.4 percent) of the school youths’ families had at least four children in school attendance; among the college and graduate youths’ families, this proportion was about one-sixth (16.5 percent).
The families of Negro NYA students, with more members than the families of white student participants, had proportionately more children in school. Of the Negro families, over 76 percent had more than one child in school, and well over one-third (35.7 percent) had four or more children in school attendance. About one Negro family out of every eight had at least six children in school.
Among the families of the white NYA students, nearly three-fourths had more than 1 child in school; over one-fourth (26.6 percent) had 4 or more children attending classes; and about one family in 18 had 6 or more children in school attendance.
Employment Status of Families of NYA Students, 1939-40
Over one-fifth of all youth on the student work program were in families which had no employed members. Most of the families of NYA students (62.3 percent) had one employed person. About oneeighth (12.9 percent) had two persons working, and about one-thirtieth (3.2 percent) had three or more employed members.
Although the families of NYA school students were larger than those of NYA college and graduate students, the school youths’ families had fewer employed members, in proportion. Over one-fourth (25.6 percent) of the families of youth on the school work program had no persons employed, as compared with one-tenth (10.0 percent) of the families of college and graduate students which had no members working.
Among the families of high school students, 60 percent had one person working, and almost 12 percent had two persons employed. In the families of college and graduate youth, these proportions were 69 percent for one person employed and about 17 percent for two persons employed.
Negro students had proportionately more members of their families employed than white students. About the same proportions of families in each race group had no employed members. Among the Negro families, however, 21 percent had two or more employed members; only about 16 percent of the white families had more than one person working.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Unemployment accounted for 23 percent of the youths’ parents; nearly 8 percent of the NYA students reported their parents as deceased, retired, or disabled; and almost 9 percent of the parents was employed on WPA projects. Of parents in gainful occupations, by far the largest number (21.9 percent of the total) was engaged in agriculture.
Only 3 percent of the parents was professional or semiprofessional persons, and only about 4 percent was classified as proprietors, managers, or officials.
Parents of secondary school youth were totally unemployed or were working for the WPA in much greater proportions than the parents of college students; conversely, the former occupied fewer positions, in proportion in the professions, in business, and in “white collar” occupations generally.
For every nine high school students whose parents were WPA workers, two college youth had parents so employed. In proportion, unemployment affected the parent of every three high school youth for every college student’s parent who was jobless.
At the same time the college youth had proportionately five times as many parents who were proprietors, managers, and officials as highschool youth, between four and five times as many salesmen, clerical, and kindred workers, and almost seven times as many professional and semi-professional parents.
Negro youths’ parents were concentrated among the unemployed (27.5 percent), agricultural workers (26.2 percent), and domestic and service workers (18.5 percent).
In proportion, fewer Negro than white parents were employed on WPA projects, and fewer Negro youth had parents who were not in the labor market.
Table 21. Percent distribution of NYA students’ parents, by employment status or occupation
Percent of NYA students’ parents
Employment status or occupation Student School College and
work work graduate work
program program program
Total_________________ 100.0 100.0 100.0
Professional, semiprofessional_____________________ 3.2 1.3 8.7
Proprietors, managers, officials_______________________ \ 3.9 1.8 10.1
Salesmen, clerical and kindred________________ 4.9 2.6 11.7
Craftsmen_________ 6.3 4.7 10.8
Operatives.________ 7.3 7.4 7.0
Agricultural1__________ 21.9 22.0 21.8
Domestic and service____ 6.7 6.6 6.9
Nonagricultural laborers_____________________ 6.0 6.9 3.3
Employed on WPA . 8.8 11.0 2.4
Unemployed______ 23.3 28.1 9.3
Not in labor market2_____... 7.7 7.6 8.0
¹ Because youth tend to report their agriculturally employed parents simply as “farmers,” no distinction is possible between the various levels of agricultural employment, such as tenant, laborer, owner, sharecropper, etc. ’ ’
² Includes cases of youth whose parents are deceased.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 73
Very small proportions of Negro parents were proprietors or office or sales workers, and they were under-represented in the crafts and among the operatives.
Table 22.—Percent distribution of NYA students’ parents, by employment status or occupation and by race
Percent of NYA Percent of NYA
Employment status or occupation students’ parents Employment status or occupation students’ parents
White Negro White Negro
Total_______________________ 100.0 100.0 Agricultural 21.6 26.2
5.6 18.5
Professional, semiprofessional_____ 3.3 2.8 Nonagricultural laborers________ 5.7 8.6
Proprietors, managers, officials___ 4.3 .4 Employed on WPA______________ 9.0 6.5
Salesmen, clerical and kindred____ 5.3 .6 U nemploy ed'_____________________ 22.7 27.5
Craftsmen________________________ 6.7 2.2 Not in labor market - 8.1 4.3
Operatives_______________________ 7.7 2.4
To summarize: Parents of NYA students to a considerable extent were unemployed or engaged in agriculture; only small proportions were professional or businessmen and office or sales workers; and large proportions were WPA workers, laborers, craftsmen, operatives, and domestic and service workers.
These proportions were accentuated in the case of parents of youth on the school work program, and greatly accentuated in the case of Negro students’ parents.
Age Distribution of NYA
Students, 1939—40
A survey of those assigned to NYA jobs in 1939-40, the peak year of employment, showed three out of every five students were less than 18 years of age.
On the school work program, youth under 18 constituted four-fifths of the total; almost all of the NYA school youth (98.2 percent) were under 20. Of NYA students in the colleges, about one-ninth were under 18; considerably more than half (56 percent) were under 20; and only about one-fifteenth were as much as 23 years old.
The age distribution of youth employed on the student work program during 1939^40 is shown in the following table.
Table 23.—Age distribution of youth on the student work program, 1939-40
Student work School work College and
Age pfogram program graduate work
program
All youth 16-24___________ 100.0 100.0 100.0
16 years__________ 34.6 46.3 1.4
17 years_________ 26.9 32.9 9.8
18 years__________ 16.1 14.3 21.4
19 years________ 9.6 4.7 23.4
20 years__________ 5.2 1.3 16.4
21 years_________ 3.8 .5 13.1
22 years____________ 2.0 7.6
23 years_____________ 1.3 4.9
24 years_________ .5 2.0
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Grade in School or College, 1939-40
Over two-thirds of the youth employed on the school work program were in the eleventh and twelfth grades (the junior and senior years of high school). Of students on the college and graduate work program, almost two-thirds were in the freshman and sophomore years.
Comparison with the grade distribution of NYA students during past years shows that the emphasis has always been on the last two years of high school and the first two years of college.
Table 24.—Grade distribution of youth on the student work program, 1939—40
Grades NYA students Grades NYA students
Number Percent Number Percent
All youth school work All youth college and
program______________ 450,585 100.0 graduate work pro-
Under eighth grade______ 5,819 1.3 gram......_______.... 162,765 100.0
Eighth grade.______________ 14,090 3.2 Freshmen__________ l _________ 56,330 34.9
Ninth grade__________________ 41,389 9.3 Sophomore___________________ 45,803 28.4
Tenth grade__________________ 79,955 18.0 Junior___________............. 30,080 18.6
Eleventh grade_______________ 136,586 30.8 Senior__________ ..... 24,930 15.4
Twelfth grade________________ 161,757 36.5 Graduate________________..... 4,406 2.7
Postgraduate_________________ 3,726 .9 Grade unknown______ .... 1,216
Grade unknown_____________ ‘ 7,263
This concentration was the result in part of the age limits established by the. National Youth Administration. At 16 years, the minimum age at which youth became eligible for student employment, students had normally reached the third year of high school.
On the school work program, girls were found in the upper grades of high school in greater proportion than boys. Forty-one percent of all the school work program girls was in the twelfth grade; only 32 percent of the boys was found in this grade.
Negroes on the school program were present in the lower grades in greater proportion than whites. Over 52 percent of the Negro youth
Table 25.—Grade distribution of youth on the student work program, by sex and race, 1939-40
Grade Percent of NYA students
Boys Girls White Negro
Total---School work program_____________________ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Under eighth grade______________________________ 1.7 .9 .8 5.3
Eighth grade______________________________ .. 4.2 2.2 2.0 11.3
Ninth grade___________________________________ 11.8 7.1 8.4 16.1
Tenth grade____________________________________ . 20.3 15.9 17.8 19.7
Eleventh grade____________________________ 29.8 31.8 31.9 23.1
Twelfth grade_______________________________ . 31.6 41.1 38.2 24.2
Postgraduate_____________________________________ .6 1.0 .9 .3
Total---College and graduate work program______ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Freshman_____________________________________ ..
Sophomore________________________________________ 34.2 35.9 34.8 36.1
Junior_______________________________ ... 27.8 29.2 28.4 26.9
Senior_______________________________ ... 19.2 17.8 18.7 18.2
Graduate_______________________________ 15.6 15.2 15.5 14.5
3.2 1.9 2.6 4.3
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 75
on the school work program was below the eleventh grade, as compared with 29 percent of the white youth.
Scholarship of NYA College and Graduate Students
Participating institutions and the National Youth Administration made extensive studies of the scholastic attainment of NYA students. These showed conclusively that (1) financial need of students had little bearing on their intelligence or ability, and (2) students employed on the college and graduate work program did work considerably above that of the average done by college groups in general.
A Nation-wide survey was made in February 1940 by the national NYA office of the scholastic standing of 64,805 NYA college and graduate student employees as compared with other students during the academic year 1938-39.
The study showed that (1) students employed by NYA received as a group higher grades than the average of the general student body in 81 percent of the institutions; (2) nearly two-thirds of the NYA students had scholastic averages that placed them in the upper half of the student body; (3) in each of the States and Territories a majority of the NYA college and graduate students had higher scholastic averages than the general student body.
Data contained in the following table were based upon reports received from 696 college and graduate institutions in all 48 States, the District of Columbia, and the Territories. These schools represented 39 percent of the 1,790 institutions participating in the program
Table 26.—Proportion of institutions in which NYA students as a group made higher or lower scholastic averages than the general student body, 1938—39
Percent of total number of institu-
Type of classification of institution tions
Higher Same Lower
All institutions_______________________________________________ 80.6 4.2 15.2
College or university________________________________________________ 84.9 2.4 12.7
Professional or technical____________________________________________ 74.5 9.1 16.4
Junior college.___,___________________________________________________ 75. ò 5.0 19. 5
Normal school______________________________________________________ 60.0 16.0 24.0
Teachers college_____________________________________________________ 81. 6 3.4 15.0
Public________________________________________________________ 83.0 2.2 14.8
College or university_______________________________________________ 89.0 .9 10.1
Professional or technical____________________________________________ 75.0 5.0 20.0
Junior college....................................................... 82.8 17.2
Normal school...___________________________________________________ 60.0 16.0 24.0
Teachers college_____________________________________________________ 84.2 1.3 14.5
Private....................................................... 77.5 6.5 16.0
College or university................................................ 80.8 5.8 13.4
Professional or technical____________________________________________ 71.4 10.7 17.9
Junior college_______________________________________________________ 71.9 6.2 21.9
Teachers college_____________________________________________________ 80.0 ------r------ 20.0
Denominational___________________________________________... 79.6 5.2 15.2
College or university________________________________________________ 84.7 1.3 14.0
Professional or technical____________________________________________ 85.7 14.3
Junior college....................................................... 62.5 15.0 22.5
Teachers college_____________________________________________________ 50.0 33.3 16.7
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
during 1938-39, and included 64,805 NYA college and graduate students, or 55 percent of the total number of youth employed.
The schools were selected to include a representative cross-section of colleges and universities, teachers colleges, normal schools, junior colleges, and Negro colleges operated under public, private, and denominational control. The scholastic averages reported were in most instances those for the last quarter or semester of the academic year 1938-39.
Of the 696 college and graduate institutions submitting reports, 561 or about 81 percent of them reported that NYA students as a group maintained a higher scholastic average than the student body as a whole. In only 15 percent of the institutions did the NYA group have a lower average and in 4 percent of the schools the NYA students as a group had the same scholastic average as the whole student body.
The 8-year record of achievement made by the majority of these students of limited financial means who were assisted by the National Youth Administration to attain their education demonstrated that there was relatively little relationship between financial inability to attend college and the students’ ability, and that the return on the Government investment in these students was high.
Evidence of the scholastic attainment of NYA students was further shown in the following limited selection of surveys and reports made by individual colleges and universities :
University of Oregon, Eugene, Oreg.
A report of the Committee on Federal Employment for students at the University of Oregon for the academic year 1937-38 revealed that in the fall term 11 percent of the students on NYA won places on the honor roll as compared with less than 4 percent of the total student body. In the winter term, almost 18 percent of students receiving NYA aid were on the honor roll, while about 5 percent of the student body were listed. During both terms, about one-third of all students listed on the honor roll were NYA recipients, although NYA recipients represented only about 8 percent of the total enrollment.
Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, Pa.
The following figures submitted by the Registrar’s office at Carnegie Institute of Technology indicate the scholarship status of students participating in the NYA program at that institution in the academic year 1937-38 :
All students NYA Non-NYA
students students
Average grade___________________________ 2.15 2 30 2 12
Male.___j________ 2 28 2 01
Female___________________________ 2.34 ¿34
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 77
The officials at this institution concluded with the statement that “the aid rendered has relieved the student’s financial tension, strengthened his character, improved his industry; and the result is higher grades.”
Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.
For the academic year 1939-40, Indiana University reported that 101 NYA students were in the highest 10 percent of their class, 65 received undergraduate scholarships, 5 received cash awards, and 63 honorable mention. One NYA student was awarded a graduate fellowship; 38 were elected to honorary societies.
University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.²&
Officials at the University of Florida conducted a study covering 8 years of the operation of the NYA program with the conclusion that “There seems to be a definite correlation between the fact that the student is earning part of his college expenses by working under the direct supervision of the university staff member and superiority in academic work by the NYA student. This is evidenced by the following:
“Each year the grades of the NYA students have been markedly above the grades of the student body averages. The scholastic standing of the NYA men who worked at least 50 hours each month will average, over the 8-year period, about 2.70 to 2.80, whereas the student body scholastic average for the same period ranges between 2.00 and 2.30. In other words, the student body scholastic average is slightly better than C, with C carrying the numerical value of 2.00. The NYA average is close to B, with the B average carrying the value of 3.00.”
University of North Dakota, University, N. Dak.
Among 43 students in the graduating class of the University of North Dakota listed as winning individual honors in 1938-39, 20 were from the NYA student lists. Seven out of ten scholarships and fellowships awarded at this institution went to NYA students.
Summary Evaluation of the NYA Student Work Program
The National Youth Administration through its student work program contributed to the equalization of educational opportunities of youth from low-income families. Too many frustrated and impoverished youth, unable to continue their education, presented an undesirable and dangerous possibility to democracy.
The extent to which the National Youth Administration alleviated
²⁸ Robert C; Beaty, A Report of NYA at the University of Florida from 1934 through, 1942. (Mimeo.)
78 NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
educational inequities can only be measured objectively through analysis by those no.t directly associated with its programs.
Many evaluative studies have been made of the student work program. The most valid appraisals of the merits and weaknesses of the program up to this time are those made by the institutions in which the program was operated ; by the National Resources Planning Board ; by the youth actually employed ; and by NYA advisory school and college work councils, who were deeply concerned with the objectives and broad educational and social implications of the program.
A study of the student work program was made in 1942 by the National Resources Planning Board,²⁹ and a summary of the general conclusions of this study represents a careful evaluation of the extent the objectives were attained :
1. Funds appropriated to the NYA were inadequate to meet the full extent of the need for opportunity to continue schooling, especially in those parts of the country where incomes were lowest and educational facilities least adequate.
2. As a means of making access to education more widely available, the objectives of the program were very modest, for the program did not attempt to provide full maintenance, but aimed merely to supplement, through wages paid to students, the support which they received from their families.
3. The work performed undoubtedly was of great value to local schools and communities, often providing goods and services beyond the regular budgets of the schools. But the very fact that the character of the projects was influenced by the needs and interests of sponsoring institutions limited the extent to which they were adapted to the attitudes and occupational futures of the students.
4. Above all, the pioneer experience of the two youth agencies, NYA and CCC, gave support to the idea of incorporating work experience more largely into the educational program of American schools. The main avenue through which these influences were brought to bear on the educational system of the country was the student work program, since this was conducted by the educational institutions themselves.
5. The principle on which funds were allotted as between the States prevented the program from giving more assistance to those States where the need for aid to continue education was most pronounced.
Many evaluations were made by educators, and NYA State school and college councils. A few of these are given to present the findings of State studies as to the value of the student work program.
State of Colorado Survey
During the fall of 1941, the Bureau of Educational Research of the
²⁸ National Resources Planning Board, op. dt., pp. 271-278.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-194 3 79
University of Colorado, in response to an invitation by the NYA Colorado State Advisory Council on Student Work, conducted a survey to evaluate as objectively as possible the NYA program in the high schools of that State. This study of the opinions of representative citizens of NYA and non-NYA students and NYA supervisors was designed to determine the work NYA pupils were doing, how it was supervised, how the NYA was regarded by the other pupils in the school, what the people in the community thought of the NYA program in their local school, and whether the work had educational and vocational values.
On the basis of questionnaires returned from 890 non-NYA pupils, 728 NYA supervisors and 226 citizens, the following conclusions were reached:
1. The NYA ajid the non-NYA pupils, the supervisors, the school officials as well as the citizens were in agreement that without the financial aid provided pupils through the NYA many would find it difficult, if not impossible to attend high school.
2. They further agreed that the projects afforded opportunity for the development of desirable work habits and skills.
3. The NYA pupils, supervisors and citizens, and less frequently non-NYA pupils, felt that the hours allotted for NYA work were too few, and that some students received the aid who were not in need of it.
4. Teachers, school officials, and citizens favored the continuance of the program because it provided aid for those in need, afforded desirable work experience, and benefited the school and the community.
5. These groups also felt that the program had enabled deserving and capable pupils to participate more fully in the regular program of the school and that it had given opportunity for the development of desirable work habits and skills. They felt it had not, however, reached a stage of purposeful and careful planning by school people, and consequently some types of work, so far as the pupil was concerned, were of dubious value educationally and vocationally.
State of California Survey⁸⁰
In a California survey made during the 1938-39 school year, principals and students in 345 high schools in the State were asked by the State NYA administrator to express their views regarding the effects of NYA employment on the student’s future employability. Of the 345 principals, 289 (84 percent) felt that participation in NYA work had made students more employable. Opinions rendered by these 289 fall into the following classes:
³⁰ Ruth MacFarlane, Evaluation of the School-Aid Program, 1938-39, prepared for the subcommittee on school aid of the State advisory council. (San Francisco, Calif.: National Youth Administration. 1939.) Mimeo.
80 NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
One hundred fifty-one believed that vocational training received on the job had been the primary cause of increase in employability.
One hundred ten believed the increase to result primarily from the development of good work habits on the job.
Fifteen thought the assignment made possible more effective recommendations to future employers.
Thirteen felt increased employability resulted from the NYA’s assistance in securing more education, and in some instances going on to higher education.
In the same study, nine-tenths of the NYA high school youth questioned felt that they had received valuable training on their NYA jobs, and that the initiative and responsibility developed on the job would help them secure employment after they left school.
Ohio State University Survey³¹
On the college level a carefully planned study was carried out at Ohio State University in 1936-37 where more than 1,300 students were employed during the academic year. The following is quoted from the report:
In 3^ years of experience we have found at the Ohio State University that NYA part-time positions are considerably superior to part-time jobs obtainable in the city of Columbus. In the first place, NYA jobs can be much better correlated with the study program of students. Many superior students enter colleges and universities, but few of them are able to secure part-time positions commensurate with their abilities. Too many of them are employed as dish washers, furnace tenders, rakers of leaves, and general handymen. While such work experience produces a modicum of value, it cannot be compared with the type of work which NYA. students are undertaking under the student aid program. Outside employers essentially are not interested in the student’s personal development. They have a job to be done, and they pay the student to do that particular job. On the other hand, the NYA projects committee and the great majority of project supervisors seek to determine what the student’s particular abilities are and to develop these by means of the work to which he is assigned.
In the second place the emphasis in the selection of NYA students is put upon student need rather than upon student ability. It is possible, therefore, by means of the student aid program to give employment to a large number of students who have no particular abilities and who, therefore, cannot find employment in the city of Columbus. Lacking specific skills these students are continuously on the look-out for room and board or unskilled labor jobs. During the depression they all but ceased to exist. Thus it has been possible for hundreds of these students at the Ohio State University to secure employment and to develop skills while at work. These skills often prove educationally and vocationally of considerable significance.
NYA students at Ohio State University, questioned as to the effects of their NYA employment, listed several traits which the work had developed:
⁸¹ William H. Cowley, A Study of NYA Projects at the Ohio State University. (Washington : National Youth Administration, 1937.) Mimeo.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 81
Eighty-seven percent said that the NYA employment made them more accurate and careful in their work.
Eighty-one percent said that their work had taught them to assume responsibility.
Seventy-eight percent said that they had learned to work cooperatively with others.
Seventy-seven percent said that they had developed self-confidence which should aid them in interviews with prospective employers.
Sixty-six percent said that they had developed worthwhile skills on the NYA job.
Sixty-three percent said that the NYA job provided more opportunity for developing initiative than the classroom.
Eighty-nine percent of the students questioned concurred in the opinion that NYA work was educationally valuable to them. Sixty percent expressed the opinion that their NYA work seemed to them as valuable as the taking of a university course.
In addition to the educational values of their NYA work, 131 students reported development of skills having commercial value to them; students on 235 projects asserted that through their NYA experience they had developed “improved abilities in social relations.” Many students volunteered the opinion that the disciplinary values of their NYA assignments had been of great importance to them.
University of Missouri Survey³²
Conclusions of a 1940 study conducted at the University of Missouri showed:
Seventy-seven percent of the NYA workers believed they would be more successful in obtaining or holding a position as a result of their experience obtained on NYA work.
Sixty-eight percent felt they had gained valuable training and experience along the lines of their intended vocations.
Eighty-seven percent believed their NYA work had made them able to assume responsibilities.
Eighty-five percent reported their NYA experience had caused them to learn how to budget and plan better use of their time.
Eighty-three percent reported they were more able to work cooperatively with others.
University of Florida Report³³
A report from the University of Florida, made for the years 1934 through 1942 on “the worth and scope of the program” at that institution indicates:
³² An Evaluation of the NYA Student Work Program at the University of Missouri, prepared by the Student Aid Committee. (Columbia, Mo.; August 22, 1940.) Mimeo., pp 79-81.
³³ Robert C. Beaty, op. cit.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
1. A definite correlation between the fact that the student was earning part of his college expenses under the supervision of a university staff member and superiority in academic work.
2. That 90 percent of the men on NYA, or 2,867 students, would have been unable to attend or remain at the University of Florida without financial assistance.
3. That the man-hours of work, which otherwise would not have been done, were consummated on NYA projects at the University of Florida in types of work which enhanced the value of the university both to the students and adult constituency it served.
Return on the Investment
As to the intangible benefits growing out of this national investment of almost $167,000,000 in 2,134,000 American youth, it naturally is impossible to present organized, scientific data. The files of the National Youth Administration, now deposited in the Archives of the United States, are filled with letters from thousands of young people, college and school officials, clergy, and the lay public attesting to the educational, social, democratic, and human values that have accrued to America from this investment.
Within the funds available to the National Youth Administration, it made a contribution toward greater democracy in education. During the 8-year period of its existence, 2,134,000 different youth were given an opportunity to continue their education; 620,000 of these youth were enabled to attend college, while 1,514,000 were assisted in continuing in secondary schools.
Through the technique of making payments direct to the students in return for work performed, an effort was made to increase the employability of needy students through basic work-experience and the development of work habits and attitudes, to help them in obtaining and holding employment and to advance them in their chosen fields.
There was a consistent effort to prevent racial and religious dis-crimination, and during the years of operation the number of Negro youth on the student work program was maintained in the same ratio that Negro youth bore to the general youth population within each State.
The student work program has developed an awareness on the part of educators of the value of combining work and educational experience.
The work performed by 2,134,000 youth has been of great value to local schools, colleges, and communities. Goods and services have been produced which would otherwise have been impossible for many of the smaller institutions to obtain.
•IV'
Out-of-School Work Program: Eligibility of Youth, Project Planning, and Supervision
The masses of unemployed youth were unmistakably social dynamite. Several millions of young, inexperienced job seekers could not be ignored. In recognition of the imperative necessity to find some solution to their problems, the National Youth Administration’s major program was to provide part-time employment for unemployed out-of-school youth.
The NYA attempted to give as many young people as possible a substitute for the practical work experience which in normal times they would have gained through work in private employment. Through the youth work program, NYA contributed to an equalization of economic opportunities for the Nation’s young people, and improved not only their living standards and employability, but their recreational opportunities and their health as well. Even though the wages paid were but a pittance, they helped restore and buttress the faith of the youth in themselves and in their country.
The operation of the NYA out-of-school work program was influenced by three great national emergencies—each one unparalleled historically in scope and significance. These national crises were the unemployment emergency of the depression, the defense emergency, and the war emergency.
Until 1937, the work program for youth was not developed with the assurance that the work experience would lead to private employment opportunities. There were too few of these for immediate outlets for qualified young persons. The youth work program was a new departure in Federal activities, and was without an established pattern of operation. In the early months projects were hurriedly organized in order to put idle youth to work as soon as possible. After the first months of trial and error, when work projects began to give sound work experience, other job opportunities were still not occurring. In 1937, a new national need directly concerning youth began to emerge. It was foreseen that a sudden upswing in industry, such as war might occasion, would find industry gravely handicapped by a shortage of trained personnel. During the years of unemployment few’ apprentices had been trained. There was a general inadequacy of youth prepared to perform industrial operations. Antici-
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
pating the possibility of an industrial demand for trained youth, NYA began to expand its types of work activities and make them more specialized. Workshops were set up where youth could be trained in industrial skills, with the hope of assisting in meeting industrial needs for specialized operators, as well as the needs of the youth for specialized training through work experience.
The shadows of war, which were already faintly discernible in 1937, became sharper and clearer in 1938 and 1939. When Hitler entered Austria, the possibility of another great war could not be dismissed. The occupation of the Rhineland, the formal renunciation of the Versailles pact, the naval building program undertaken by Germany, and finally the entry of Germany into Austria—these and other developments foreshadowed the war that was in the offing.
Aware of the developing situation, NYA placed added emphasis upon building-construction and shop-production projects. Service, recreational assistance, and subprofessional projects were curtailed in preference of manual projects. In the spring of 1940, NYA officials foresightedly began the purchase of equipment for machine shops, foundries, and forges ; woodworking, sheet-metal, radio, aviation, and electrical shops. Machinery which other Government establishments and industries had junked was located, purchased at junk prices, rebuilt by NYA youth under the supervision of NYA shop men, and put into use. By the summer of 1941, there were 2,500 mechanical shops in operation by NYA. The NYA defense-training program, specifically directed toward the looming war need, was placed in operation on July 1, 1941. When Japan struck at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, NYA immediately began to divest itself of the vestiges of the youth relief and rehabilitation program.
The foregoing review briefly sets forth how the NYA adjusted to meet the Nation’s needs as these needs related to the youth who were its special concern. Since its creation, the NYA had been motivated by one purpose—to further the sound integration of youth into the needs of the community, the State, and the Nation. These were the major objectives served by the out-of-school work program:
1. Youth who would otherwise be unemployed received the intangible benefits of useful activity and the material benefits of their NYA wages ;
2. Buildings and facilities, goods and services needed by local communities and not available under their normal budgets were provided through the operation of projects ;
3. The youth received valuable work experience which enhanced their employability ;
4. In a period of emphasis on national defense and war, hundreds of thousands of youth were given the opportunity to prepare them
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 85
selves, through their NYA jobs, for an active part in the industries vital to the national defense and war program.
Accompanying these major objectives was the continuous emphasis placed on health and health habits, guidance in employment opportunities, and development of character and habits of cooperation.
Eligibility Requirements for Youth Employment
Three basic requirements governed the selection of youth for participation in the out-of-school work program. Youth had to be (1) within administratively prescribed age limits; (2) unemployed and in need of employment and work experience; (3) citizens of the United States.
—Until August 1,1940, employment on the out-of-school work program was restricted to youth who were between the ages of 18 and 24, inclusive. While this age range overlapped the lower age limits for WPA employment, youth employed on NYA projects were secondary wage earners, not the primary wage earners for family groups as were WPA workers. From July 1, 1940, to July 1, 1941, exemptions were granted in special circumstances for the employment of youth aged 17 and 16, provided proper safeguards were established. On July 1,1941, the age minimum was lowered by order of the National Administrator to 17 years in accordance with the appropriations act. Special exemptions for the employment on NYA projects of youth 16 years of age were continued.
Prior to the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1941, the minimum and maximum ages had been prescribed by the National Administrator. For the last 2 years of operation, however, Congress wrote into the appropriations acts the age specifications; namely, for fiscal year 1942 employment was to be provided for needy young persons between the ages of 17-24, inclusive, and for fiscal year 1943, the age limits were specified as 16—24, inclusive. The lowering of the minimum age was brought about by the increased opportunities of employment for youth over 18 years of age and needs of the military services, with a subsequent change in the number of unemployed youth available for employment on NYA work projects in the 18—24-year age group.
Youths' need for employment.—Since the National Youth Administration was established as a relief measure, youth were selected who were from families certified as eligible for any form of public assistance, and who were not the primary wage earners of these families. The certifying agency was a public relief agency approved by the Works Progress Administration. A youth member of a relief family was eligible for NYA employment irrespective of the fact that the primary wage earner was employed on the WPA. Ninety percent of NYA project employment had to be youth workers from families cer
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
tified as in need; the other 10 percent was made up of supervisory and administrative project staff. Youth members of Resettlement Administration homestead families and families which received subsistence grants from the Resettlement Administration were also eligible for employment on NYA projects. During the 4 years (1936-39) that the NYA was part of the WPA, the local WPA Division of Employment was responsible for the initial assignment, reassignment, classification, and reclassification of youth labor to NYA projects. The State youth directors and the WPA director of employment cooperated on internal policy and procedure. All youth workers on NYA work projects were required to maintain an active registration with the employment offices of the U. S. Employment Service.
Until September 1, 1938, the WPA Division of Employment constituted the only certifying agency of youth to the NYA. Because the volume of work entailed in handling employment clearance, assignments, and certification of youth to the NYA became a burden to overworked local WPA offices, certification of youth was frequently neglected by many local WPA offices. To overcome this servicing problem, the State youth directors were given the responsibility for the certification of youth for NYA employment, in consultation with the WPA Division of Employment. The State youth director was also given authority to authorize and approve public relief agencies other than the WPA to make certification of youth for NYA employment, rather than depending on the WPA Division of Employment for this service function. The following were the groups of youth then designated as eligible for certification^ the second of which provided a broader base of selection than previously:
1. A youth member of a family certified as in need at the time of application regardless of whether the primary wage earner was employed on the WPA program;
2. A youth member of a family which was in need at the time of application regardless of whether the primary wage earner had been certified (conditions creating such eligibility could be one in which the family income was insufficient to provide the basic needs of all members of the family);
3. A youth member of a family eligible for any form of public assistance such as a youth member of homestead families and families which received assistance from the Farm Security Administration;
4. A youth without family connections who was in need at the time of application.
A youth certified as in need who was employed upon a project was expected to accept a bona fide offer of private employment, provided
1. That the work paid as much or more as received from the NYA;
2. That the wage for such work was at the prevailing rate;
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 87
3. That such work was not in conflict with established youth relationships;
4. That adequate health and sanitary facilities were provided and that private work was conducted in accordance with safe working conditions.
A youth who refused a bona fide offer of private employment was not retained in NYA employment for the period such private employment would have been available.
Until July 1, 1939, the WPA Division of Employment at the State and local levels continued to service the NYA on the paper details of certification of youth and initial assignment to NYA project employment. The State youth director issued requisitions for NYA workers through the WPA Division of Employment. Separation of NYA workers from projects, except in those cases where eligibility was cancelled, was the responsibility of the State youth director.
Shortly after July 1, 1939, when the NYA was transferred to the Federal Security Agency, a Division of Youth Personnel was established in the national office and at the regional, State, and local levels. From this time on, the NYA assumed complete responsibility for the approval of the certifying relief agencies, the assignment, classification, and reclassification of youth labor, as well as termination of employment. The statement of youth need was revised, and the group of youth eligible for NYA employment heretofore designated as a “youth member of a family certified as in need at the time of application” was eliminated. The one requirement for establishing need for NYA employment was that “youth must be certified as in need by a public relief agency approved by the State youth administrator.” This permitted the selection of youth without the family relief status as such being designated in individual cases. A youth in need of employment could apply for NYA project work without subjecting his family to investigation by a public relief agency.
A youth was considered needy by NYA if he were a member of a family whose income was insufficient to provide the basic requirements of all members of the family, including the youth member, regardless of whether the family was receiving public assistance or was eligible for any form of public assistance. The State youth administrators accepted direct applications from youth, as well as referrals of youth by relief or nonrelief agencies. In many instances, the NYA conducted its own investigations of the youths’ needs.
In certain States, relief agencies considered the wages of NYA youth as supplementary relief for the youth’s family. In order to obviate deductions from family relief budgets in amounts greater than the relief allowance provided in the budget for the youth member assigned to a NYA project, the NYA Administrator, on
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
November 22, 1939, ordered State youth administrators to terminate from NYA project employment a youth member of a relief family if the relief agency deducted more than 25 percent of the youth’s NYA wage from the family’s relief budget. The wages paid to a NYA worker were intended primarily to help the youth improve his personal employ ability rather than to subsidize the State or local relief budget. Where the practice existed of excessive deductions from family relief budgets because of NYA employment, the NYA administrators were instructed to inform relief agencies of its policy of termination if this practice were continued. This action of the National Administrator resulted in the majority of relief agencies ceasing to deduct earnings of the NYA youth worker from the supplementary family relief budget. In several counties, relief agencies failed to cooperate with the purpose of the order and excluded NYA youth as members of the relief families for budgetary purposes, thereby reducing the family relief budget in the amount of the youth’s normal relief allowance.
Each certified youth was interviewed by a NYA representative before his initial assignment to a project. Selection of youth for a particular project or type of work was based on the following considerations:
1. The individual’s capacity to benefit from the work experience and training of a particular work project;
2. The occupational qualifications and occupational interests of the individual and his ability to perform the work required insofar as possible.
NYA youth personnel supervisors made every effort to assign youth to project work which gave them experience in line with their vocational interests. Rotation of work assignment was encouraged to give the youth a try-out experience in the various types of. work offered on the project. The national regulations also required that no youth was to be employed or continued in employment if his work habits showed that he was incapable of performing satisfactorily the work to which he was assigned.
A youth could not be employed on any project until he had made an affidavit as to his United States citizenship, or if he advocated or was a member of an organization that advocated the overthrow of the Government of the United States, through force or violence.
Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30, 1941, NYA was desirous of increasing the numbers of youth awaiting assignment to NYA projects in order that project openings might be more rapidly filled from a backlog of certified and eligible youth. NYA State administrators were instructed to certify all youth who applied for NYA project employment and who were eligible for proj
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 89
ect employment, regardless of the number of assignments to work projects currently possible. To facilitate the carrying out of this policy of increasing the backlog of eligible youth, the National Administrator ordered that in every county, a place other than the relief office was to be open at least one day a week where youth might apply for NYA employment. This was in part a result of the summary treatment given NYA applicants in local relief offices if requisitions for workers were not currently on hand. On occasion, relief offices discouraged youth from filing applications.
To establish the basis for determination of need, the State youth administrators were given the authority to classify annual family income levels from which youth members were eligible for NYA employment. Youth who were otherwise eligible and who came from families with incomes below the established levels were then certified automatically. The income levels were determined in accordance with local conditions and were not regarded as the maximum in every instance. Where the family income exceeded the level thus established, youth could be certified on the basis of extenuating circumstances present in individual cases.
The local youth personnel staff maintained active and current records of availability of youth awaiting assignment. Youth employed on NYA projects were considered eligible during the period of their project employment unless evidence had been received that a youth’s status or that of his family had changed sufficiently to warrant cancelation of his certification.
Youth employed on NYA projects were required, as in the past, to register with local offices of the U. S. Employment Service. Youth in rural areas remote from Employment Service offices were assigned to projects without having first registered with the Employment Service, but they were required to register as soon after assignment as possible. Added emphasis was placed on the importance to NYA youth workers, as well as youth awaiting assignment to NYA projects, of making themselves available for whatever private job opportunities arose in their communities.
There were no further changes in eligibility requirements until July 1, 1942. After that date, to be eligible for employment on a war production training project, young persons had to be citizens of the United States (or the Commonwealth of the Philippines)} not less than 16 years of age and not yet 25, and unemployed. Each youth employed was required to execute an employment affidavit and an oath of allegiance prior to entrance on duty. Since State offices were abolished on July 1,1942, the regional youth administrator or his authorized representative was responsible for the assignment, classification, transfer, or termination of youth em
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ployees. The facilities of the U. S. Employment Service were utilized wherever possible in the selection and referral of youth for employment and work training on projects. When the facilities and services of the Employment Service did not provide sufficient qualified applicants to fill vacancies existing on projects, the regional youth administrator, or his authorized representative, was then responsible for the registration, selection, and referral of youth to war production training projects. The NYA had removed all requirements of family or individual youth financial need, leaving only the need for work experience in preparation for employment in war industries. Prior to assignment to employment on a war production training project, each youth had to agree in writing to accept employment in industries related to national defense or war production, if and when offered in good faith.
On November 19, 1942, the National Administrator permitted the employment on war production training projects of male youth who were on parole from Federal, State, and local correctional institutions (public and private) provided that the youth had been paroled previous to his assignment to a NYA war production training project and that no member of the NYA’s administrative or supervisory staff served as the parole officer. Prior to this time, paroled youth were not eligible for NYA employment.
On April 28, 1943, the National Administrator authorized the assignment of high school and college seniors to war production training projects of the NYA. Up to this time, a student carrying at least three-fourths of a regular school or college schedule could not be employed on a NYA work project. The requirement previously had been that a youth must either have completed his regular schooling or have passed the compulsory school attendance age in his home State. Selected high school and college seniors could be assigned to NYA war production training projects under the following conditions :
1. A responsible official of the local institution must request in writing the assignment of students ;
2. No youth could be currently employed on both the student work program and the war production training program.
In the assignment of students to NYA war production training projects, all arrangements had to be consummated jointly by the NYA project manager and the local institution’s officials and approved by the regional youth administrator. Each student had to agree to enter a war industry. The work training arrangements could not interfere with the regular academic schedule of the students.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 91
Planning Work Projects and Development
Plans for work projects originated in the local communities and were based on a consideration of the youth relief needs of the community and the type and number of unemployed youth in the localities. Projects could be proposed by any individual or public or private agency but had to be sponsored by a Federal agency or a State or public body or agency thereof.
The State youth administration and its local offices were the centers for stimulating the conception and origination of a large num-ber of projects. The State office contacted various public and private agencies which might assist in the development of worthwhile projects. Local contributions toward the cost of the projects were solicited. Proposals for projects were submitted to the State youth administrator from the local community for approval and allocation of funds for its operation. Approval of the Washington office was required only when there were large material costs or when the project was of a technical nature. Otherwise, the approval of State and/or local NYA officials was sufficient.
During the fiscal years 1936 and 1937, the work program for out-of-school unemployed youth was conducted under four broad classifications of NYA-sponsored Federal projects:
1. Projects for youth community development and recreational leadership;
2. Projects for rural youth development—improvement of rural school grounds, minor repair of public buildings, conservation work at State experimental farms, development of county or community centers, sanitation, rural library service, recreational and community activities for youth in rural areas;
3. Public service projects—assistance in various public services outside the normal budgeted scope of governmental agencies, such as traffic checks and control, sanitation, health, and investigation of local and State government records;
4. Research projects—local research in local history, tax records, safety campaigns, biological, etc.
By the fiscal year 1938, these general classifications of work projects had proved unsatisfactory, and more specific types of work activities were specified. The State youth directors were instructed to use the following guides in developing and approving work projects:'
1. The number of young people to be employed;
2. The experience to be gained by those employed;
3. The length of time the project would last;
4. The benefit that youth in the community would derive from the project when it was completed.
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No project could be planned or application approved that covered work which was to be prosecuted for the improvement of Federal property or primarily for the benefit of other Federal agepcies. Work projects had to be classified under one of the following types of work activities; projects could not include more than one such work activity except where certain supplementary activities were essential to the proper prosecution of the major activity:
Construction Work
Roads, streets, and bridges:
1. Roadside improvements, trails, footpaths, etc.
2. Other highway, road, and street projects.
Public buildings projects:
1. Construction of new buildings.
2. Remodeling and repair of public buildings and facilities.
3. Improvement of grounds around buildings.
Recreational facilities (exclusive of buildings).
Conservation work, irrigation, and flood control.
Noneonstruction Work
Nursery schools.
Clerical and stenographic work.
1. For governmental agencies.
2. F’or other than governmental agencies.
Resident agricultural training.
Agricultural demonstration (County Agent assistance, etc.).
School lunch assistance.
Library service and book repair.
Homemaking (projects which included several home economics activities which were a part of paid project work).
Museum work, preparation of exhibits, visual aid materials.
Statistical and nonstatistical survey and research.
Recreational leadership.
Fine arts (arts, music, drama, writing).
Sewing.
Miscellaneous Work
Educational camps for unemployed women.
Workshops (handicrafts, toymaking and repair, furniture, construction, etc.).
Youth center activities (not elsewhere classified).
Other NYA work (not elsewhere classified).
Regulations for the fiscal year 1938 officially designated resident projects as part of the prescribed development of the NYA work program. Resident projects were at that time designed to provide agricultural training and work opportunity for needy youth from
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 19 36-1943
93
tenant and other farm families and were to be cosponsored by and located at agricultural training institutions such as agricultural colleges, junior agricultural colleges, rural high schools, and agricultural experiment stations. Cainps for unemployed youpg women had been operated in 1936, but a resident program for NYA workers of both sexes was not initiated until the fiscal year 1938. Before the end of the fiscal year 1938, the camps for unemployed young women were discontinued and thereafter the resident program included all developments of this type.
For fiscal year 1939, State youth directors were requested by the Washington office to be guided by one additional factor in the planning and approval of projects, namely, the adequacy of community resources to cooperate in carrying out the project, and to maintain it if necessary upon completion. The types of work activities and projects remained the same with the addition of a classification for “public health and hospitalization work (exclusive of clerical work).”
There were few basic changes in the regulations governing project planning and operations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1940, except for an added refinement in the types of project activities for youth workers. Work project activity classifications for “nursery school and school lunch assistance” were added, as were “water and sanitation” projects.
For fiscal year 1941, national NYA officials had scrutinized the classifications of the work project activities carefully. Airport development projects were stressed in view of the anticipated defense needs and the future employment opportunities to be derived from such work experience. Aircraft development projects included the development, construction, reconstruction, or improvement of airways and airports, provided the written approval of the Civil Aeronautics Authority was obtained with respect to the technical aeronautical features of the project. Responsibility for securing approval of the technical aeronautical features from the CAA rested with the cosponsors of the project; the State youth administrator was required by the Washington office to obtain from the cosponsors the necessary certification of the CAA before work was begun on any NYA project involving civilian landing areas. Aircraft projects for the fabrication of boundary cones, wind socks, and corner markers did not require certification by the CAA. However, plans for the placement of these markers upon land areas required approval of the airport section field representative. Projects were also stressed which provided for the construction of simple seaplane facilities. These did not require certification by the CAA except that water areas upon which these facilities were to be placed had to be approved by the airport section field representative as to the adequacy for seaplane operations.
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It was further stipulated by the Washington office that on all seaplane landing projects, where such facilities were to be placed in navigable waters, the approval of the district officer of the Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, had to be secured in addition to the approval of the CAA.
The Washington office also encouraged projects which provided work experience in such fields as mechanics, machine shop work, maintenance and repair of plants and equipment, and other work of a civilian character which afforded good job training for private employment. These projects were eligible for prosecution at any army post or military reservation with certain restrictions, namely that NYA youth employees could not displace the work of civilian employees customarily paid from the budget of the post, and that the War Department assumed responsibility for supervision of the NYA youth while on the post or station, as well as providing all tools, equipment, and material required on the work project, and emergency medical attention while the NYA youth were performing scheduled work. The establishment of resident projects on the grounds of army posts or military reservations was not encouraged by the Washington office.
Four types of projects were declared ineligible, as follows:
1. NYA project workers could not perform maintenance work customarily carried out by the regular employees of public agencies;
2. NYA youth workers could not be employed on projects for the repair and rebinding of public school textbooks ;
3. Projects for the construction, rebuilding, repairing, or replanning of penal or reform institutions were ineligible where the institution had or expected to have facilities for the manufacture or production of goods;
4. Projects for fingerprinting.
During the fiscal year 1942, there were two work programs in operation for unemployed youth. The appropriations act stipulated that both a regular program and a defense program should be conducted. The types of activities which were prosecuted under the defense program were as follows :
Machine. Aviation mechanics.
Sheet metal. Radio.
Welding. Industrial sewing.
Foundry. Auto mechanics.
F orge. Woodworking.
Electrical. Patternmaking.
Minimum requirements were established covering the operation of each workshop, which included the equipment requirements for each type of shop. There were no standard equipment requirements for workshops operated under the regular program.
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The regular program was ordered reduced on March 3, 1942, by the National Administrator, and substantial employment reductions were effected on and after April 1. Those work activities were to be discontinued as rapidly as possible which contributed least to the war effort, and NYA State administrators were ordered to concentrate their entire employment in fields of work activity which contributed directly and substantially to the war program. The nonconstruction activities which were to be discontinued not later than the beginning of the first pay roll period in April 1942 were:
Craft activities, Research, statistical and survey assistance.
Library service.
Recreational assistance.
Nursery school assistance. Institutional services.
Music.
The following construction activities were ordered discontinued, if possible, not later than the beginning of the April pay roll period, or if this were impossible, within 60 days thereafter:
Curb marking, highway landscaping, roadside improvement, construction of trails, footpaths, etc.
Improvement of grounds around public buildings.
Construction, repair, and remodeling of recreational facilities.
The following activities were permitted to be continued on a limited scale:
Construction—buildings under construction were to be completed as rapidly as possible and no new construction could be initiated without prior approval of the National Office. Only construction projects would be considered favorably which served the war effort and which were in compliance with the War Production Board’s construction conservation order.
Domestic sewing—this work activity could be continued only where articles were being made for the military services or the work experience was leading directly to regular employment in production for the military services.
Graphic activities—only photographic work and silk screen processing could be continued if work was being done for the military services and for State and local defense councils.
Clerical assistance—such projects could be continued only where there were shortages of clerical workers in war industries or in government agencies and the work experience provided on the NYA projects led to regular employment in these fields.
School lunch projects—only projects could be operated in areas in which no other agencies were operating such programs and in which the school system was unable to provide adequate lunches for all needy pupils.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
By July 1, 1942, the beginning of the last year of NYA operations, all nonessential work project activities had been eliminated, and the NYA moved into its war production training program. Youth were employed entirely on shop projects covering the following shop activities :
Machine.
Aircraft sheet metal.
Other sheet metal.
Arc welding.
Gas welding.
Aircraft welding.
Foundry.
Forge.
Radio.
Electrical.
Automotive mechanics.
Aircraft mechanics.
Aircraft engine mechanics. Patternmaking.
J oinery.
Aircraft woodwork.
General woodwork.
Industrial sewing. Mechanical drafting. Other shop activities. Clerical activities.
Work stations and equipment requirements were outlined in detail by the Washington office for each specific type of activity.
Cosponsors’ Contributions
Local public agencies, such as city councils, welfare departments, county agricultural agencies, school boards, and park boards planned work projects in consultation with local NYA authorities which would benefit the community and which would provide the youth with desirable work experience. The local agencies acting as cosponsors of projects underwrote a portion of the cost.
The public officials and agencies which acted as cosponsors for projects tendered a guarantee of the projects’ value and community interest in its success by providing materials, equipment, and, in a
Table 27.—Total Federal and cosponsors’ expenditures and percent cosponsors’ expenditures are of total expenditures, NYA out-of-school work program, fiscal years 1936 through 1943
Total cosponsors’
Fiscal year Total Total Federal expenditures
expenditures1 Amount Percent of
total
1936-38 ¿.2________________________ $95,075,565 $84,140,753 « $10,934,812 11.5
1939 -----________L________________ 63,642i 389 53,821,593 9,820,796 15.4
1940 _________-______________________ 82,405; 189 67; 173', 511 15,231', 678 18.5
1941 __________________-_________________ 133,217,571 118,994,018 14,223; 553 10.7
1942 combined programs----------------■--- 107,769,185 96,934,212 10,834,973 10.1
Regular program______.__________...... 56,263,089 47,680,070 8,583,019 15.3
Defense program. 51,506,096 49,254,142 2,251,954 4.4
1943 (July 1942-March 1943)---------------- 34,870,822 34,295,075 575,747 1.7
¹ Data for the fiscal years 1936 through 1939 are actual expenditures derived from Treasury voucher payments. Figures for the fiscal years 1940 through 1943 are encumbrances obtained from NYA finance reports.
2 Data for 1936 through 1938 not available by each fiscal year.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-194 3
97
large number of cases, skilled and technical supervision. The cosponsors made possible a varied and flexible program and enabled a much larger percentage of Federal funds to go to the youth workers in the form of wages.
Cosponsors’ expenditures ranged from 11.5 percent of total Federal and non-Federal expenditures in the fiscal years 1936 through 1938 to 18.5 percent in 1940. The total Federal expenditures during these 5 years were $205,135,857 and total cosponsor expenditures amounted to $35,987,286. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1941, cosponsors’ expenditures began to decline rather sharply. During this year, total Federal expenditures reached $118,994,000, while cosponsors contributed $14,223,600, or 10.7 percent of the total expenditures. During the fiscal year 1942, cosponsors’ contributions were still 10 percent of the total expenditures, or $10,835,000. However, there was considerable difference in the amount of cosponsor contributions between the regular work project program and the defense work program. Cosponsors contributed 15.3 percent of total money expended for the operation of the regular work project program, but only 4.4 percent of the total expenditures for the operation of the defense work project program.¹ Therefore, the National Youth Administration assumed for the defense work training program over 95 percent of the total costs of carrying on the defense work projects. This is further borne out during the first 9 months of fiscal year 1943 when cosponsors’ expenditures were only 1.7 percent of the total expenditures. NYA carried over 98 percent, of the entire cost of the war production training program. During the last two years of operating the defense and war production training programs, some material contributions were received from the War and Navy Departments and the Maritime Commission, since the National Youth Administration was producing articles for these agencies. However, it was not possible to make an estimate of what these contributions amounted to since these other Federal departments have not submitted official expenditure figures of their contributions of materials to NYA projects.
Project Supervision
The efficiency of the NYA work project program and its value to the youth depended in large measure on the quality of the supervision. Project supervisory employees, as distinguished from administrative
¹ Cosponsor contributions for fiscal years 1942 and 1943 to the defense and war production training programs could not be tabulated as in previous years since contributions of materials from other Federal agencies cannot be considered as money contributions to another Federal agency. Therefore, materials furnished by the War and Navy Departments or Maritime Commission could not be included as cosponsor contributions to NYA project operations.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
employees, were.persons in supervisory positions on NYA projects employing youth workers. They were paid upon a per diem, monthly, or annual basis from funds authorized for the operation of youth work projects. There were no extensive studies made of the qualifications of the supervisors for the particular responsibilities entailed in project supervision. Undoubtedly, there were wide variations in the training and abilities of project supervisors, especially in the first 5 years. These variations arose out of a lack of national and even State supervisory personnel standards for the different specialized project activities. State youth administrators selected supervisors in accordance with their best judgment of the supervisory needs of particular project activities, or delegated this responsibility to district or area supervisors. The degree to which cosponsors were able to contribute qualified project supervisors was a factor in the efficiency of the supervision.
In the first 5 years, only broad guides were indicated by the national office to assist the State youth administrators in the selection of project supervisors. A person chosen to supervise NYA youth employees was selected on the basis of the following general criteria:
1. A sympathetic and intelligent understanding of youth and their problems;
2. An understanding of and belief in the American way of life and its democratic institutions;
3. Ability to assist young people in their adjustment for living and working in a democratic world;
4. Knowledge of work to be supervised and ability to impart its basic content to the youth on NYA projects.
. On many projects, during this 5-year period, cosponsors donated personnel for NYA projects, particularly for construction, clerical, and library projects. The NYA maintained an over-all supervisory responsibility for these projects in order to assure validity of work experience, timekeeping, and other checks on production efficiency.
With the exception of supervision donated by cosponsors, NYA-paid supervisors were responsible for direct operation of local NYA projects. Resident centers and workshops were administered and supervised by NYA employees with few exceptions.
The men and women who were project supervisors were, in general, keenly aware of the importance of sound work experience, and took a positive interest in the youth themselves and their personal problems or maladjustments. They counseled the youth workers, arranged for related training, and advised them on beneficial leisuretime activities. In addition, they performed all the routine responsibilities of project operations, such as timekeeping, youth personnel records, and youth production records.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-194 3
99
When the development of construction and workshop projects was stressed beginning with fiscal year 1938, skilled foremen or supervisors were employed who were competent to direct more specialized operations. The possible sources of personnel were vocationally trained school personnel, persons who had received experience in manufacturing plants, and members of skilled craft unions.
In November 1940, the national office issued a manual to guide State youth administrators in the recruitment and selection of qualified shop foremen. Only a limited number of job specifications for foremen were included in this manual. In July 1942, the national office laid down specific qualifications for shop foremen which were the basis for selection of shop personnel. National regulations required that the shop foreman be a recognized tradesman in a particular trade, and accupationally competent in that particular skill. The employment specifications were designated for positions in the following types of war production training shops:
Machine.
Sheet metal.
Foundry.
Forge.
Welding.
Auto mechanics.
Radio.
Electrical.
Industrial sewing.
Woodworking.
Patternmaking.
These specifications also contained detailed information concerning foremanship responsibilities and constituted a basis for shaping foreman training programs at the regional and local levels. Owing to labor shortages of skilled tradesmen and job technicians, NYA officials encountered difficulties in securing shop foremen who could meet the particularized shop foreman qualifications outlined by the national office. National officials realized that the standards outlined served as goals rather than as rigid requirements.
Supervisory Costs²
Information is not available as to the cost of supervision on the out-of-school work program for the fiscal years 1936-39. In fiscal year 1940, the average monthly employment of nonyouth (supervisory) employees was 9,934, with an average monthly wage of $92.85. Total expenditures for supervisory labor were 16.6 percent of the total expenditure of funds for the operation of the work program during that year. Wages paid for supervision during fiscal year 1941, the year of greatest youth employment, increased to 17.1 percent of the total work program expenditures, and the average monthly employment of nonyouth employees rose to 16,052 with an average monthly wage of $101.99.
² The figures showing average monthly employment includes every nonyouth employee who was on the pay roll during the month, whether for 1 day or the entire month. Average monthly earnings are not to be confused with average monthly rates of pay. Average monthly earnings include money actually earned during a particular month by persons intermittently employed on a per diem basis, and also earnings of persons who did not work a full month.
566597—44----8
100 NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 28.—Average monthly employment of nonyouth employees and total and average monthly earnings* national summary, fiscal years 1940 through 1943
Number of Earnings
Fiscal year employees Amount Monthly
average
1940 ________________________________-________________ 9,934 $11,067,780 $92.85
1941 _______________________________________________ 16,052 19,646,062 101.99
1942 _____________________________________________________ 20,096 26,847,292 111. 33
1943 2 _ ___________________________________________ 12,328 19,326,151 142.52
¹ Total monthly earnings exclude late and supplemental pay rolls, while table 31 includes total funds encumbered for supervision.
2 June 1943 data not available, therefore the average monthly employment and total earnings are for the previous 11 months.
During the next fiscal year 1942, the average monthly employment of supervisory personnel reached 20,096 persons earning an average of $111.33 a month; 29.0 percent of the total work projects expenditures were paid for supervisory wages. The regular and the defense programs were in operation during this year and supervisory costs were obtained for each program. Under the regular program the cost of supervision amounted to 25.3 percent of the total expenditures for both programs, while the cost of supervision for the defence program was 32.6 percent of total expenditures. During fiscal year 1943, the supervisory costs reached 46.4 percent of the total expenditures for the war production training program, and an average monthly employment of 12,328 was maintained, with average earnings of $142.52 a month.³ Supervisory costs for the operation of specialized workshops and for the maintenance of resident centers under the war production training program were much higher than when local co-sponsors contributed supervisory personnel and projects were of a less specialized nature. Moreover, the costs were relatively greater because of the smaller number of youth employed during this year.⁴ Training Program for Shop Supervisors
If NYA was to give specialized work and training to inexperienced youth in preparation for entrance into defense and war industries, a program for the training of its supervisory personnel was essential.
Late in 1940, a review of the available sources of manpower indicated that a very limited number of skilled persons was available for shop supervisory positions. Since NYA shop supervisors were required to organize and manage the shop unit, prepare production schedules, supervise, direct, and train youth in their production wprk, NYA undertook to improve the training skills of its foremen and supervisors.
⁸ Under the general classification of supervision was included clerical workers, timekeepers, and other nonyouth project maintenance employees. These reduced the average monthly wage. Skilled supervisors and technicians were paid the union scale of the local community in which they were employed.
⁴ See table 31 for labor and nonlabor encumbrances, out-of-school work program, for fiscal years 1940-43.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 101
The national office prepared a foreman’s manual entitled “Training Youth in Work Habits Through Work Projects,” with a view to assisting shop foremen in meeting their problems of training workers in the work habits and attitudes essential to industrial employment. The manual outlined the foreman’s duties as a shop manager and suggested methods and techniques through explanatory graphic charts and devices for the effective discharge of his duties. Two facts were continually emphasized—the individual differences in youths’ capacities and abilities, and the importance of maintaining the worker’s interest as a basic motivating factor in the learning process.
The material was disseminated to the field through a series of 3-day regional conferences. The regional supervisors in turn conducted State and county conferences. All supervisors, including personnel loaned to NYA by co-sponsors, were encouraged to participate.
To orient NYA workers properly and to improve the quality of shop supervision, NYA officials also outlined an induction training program, which the foremen were to conduct. This program was to provide youth with information on NYA employment procedures, safety practices, attendance regulations, production items, relationship between supervisor and youth, and possible employment outlets resulting from the NYA work and training. The devices used for the induction training course were counseling, interviews, printed information, group instruction, shop bulletin boards, and factory visits.
The methods suggested for training the worker in performance of a new job involved five steps:
1. The youth worker was told the “how” and the “why” of a job;
2. The worker was first shown by the foreman how the job was done;
3. During this demonstration the “how” and the “why” of the particular operation was explained to the worker;
4. The worker then performed the assignment under the supervision of the foreman until he could execute the operation;
5. The foreman checked the wcfrker during each step of the operation.
Group instruction was suggested where the subject matter was adaptable to this type of instruction such as safety education, care of tools, care of machines, and shop cleanliness.
The progress of the youth worker was checked by the foreman on individual youth rating charts. The items included on this chart were accuracy in production, efficiency on the job, ability to follow ordinary shop procedure, observance of safety and health precautions, proper care of tools, equipment, and supplies, and personality characteristics such as ability to get along with others, personal conduct on the job, and personal appearance.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
The national office further attempted to stimulate foremanship training in March 1942 by requesting State youth administrators to analyze the foreman training needs within the State. The NYA Administrator pointed out the importance of efficient operations and the necessity for an employee understanding of the function of the project, the relationship of their particular unit to those functions, and the duties and responsibilities of their own positions in the unit. The most important immediate need was for an evaluation and improvement of foremanship at the project level.
The following subjects were presented for analysis by State youth administrators :
1. The training needs related to general objectives and problems— questions concerning the induction of the new employee in the organization and operation of the NYA program and the continued education of the established employee ;
2. Training needs which develop from special aspects of NYA work—the reasons for turnover, the amount of upgrading, and the difficulty of filling supervisory positions with qualified personnel ;
3. Training needs at the project level—the criteria used to determine the training needs for supervisors, questioned the methods used for rating foremen and asked who was responsible for the training of these foremen ;
4. The need for employee participation in the development of training activities—the methods by which employees could be persuaded to voluntarily participate in the development of a training program ;
5. The need for evaluation of training methods already in use— training programs already in operation as a base from which to build.
Shortly after requesting State administrators to conduct this survey, the national office initiated a formal training program in May 1942. Arrangements were made with the Training-Within-Industry Division of the War Manpower Commission to train a selected group of NYA supervisors in strategic localities throughout the country for the purpose of qualifying them to conduct a job-instructor-training program with NYA shop supervisors.
Within 3 months, every shop foreman employed by the NYA had been given training of the type advanced by the training-within-industry program.
The objectives of the foreman training program were to prepare NYA foremen in the discharge of their total responsibilities as production supervisors, to train new workers in quality and quantity production as quickly as possible, to avoid accidents, to avoid damage to machines and equipment, and to conserve strategic materials.
The method for achieving these objectives was broken down as follows :
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 103
1. The preparation of the foreman for introducing the NYA worker to a job by establishing a time limit for the achievement of an operation; by breaking down the job into component parts so that the NYA youth would do an operation correctly in each step; by having the necessary tools, equipment and materials available for the job; and by having the work station in proper order.
2. The foreman prepared the worker to receive the instruction by putting him at ease; by finding out what he already knew about the job; by securing his interest; and by placing him in the proper physical position for observing the job from the right angle. The foreman was instructed to tell and demonstrate to the youth how the job was to be done. This material was presented to him in small, simple doses; the key points were made clear to him and the demonstration and explanation of the job was repeated.
3. In the third step the foreman was to provide an opportunity for the youth to try out his performance by actually doing the work under foreman observation. This operation was repeated and the youth worker asked to explain the key points of operation and to explain why he was performing the task and what he was doing.
4. This performance was to be repeated until the supervisor knew that the youth was able to perform the operation satisfactorily. Thereafter, the youth worker was placed on his own responsibility to acquire the feel of the job through his own performance. If additional instruction were needed, the youth was directed to whom to go for further assistance. The foreman checked the work of the youth frequently but tapered off extra coaching as expeditiously as possible until the new worker was able to continue operations under normal supervision.
5. Where production jobs did not provide well-rounded experience in all the necessary operations, a program of “devised jobs” was developed. (A “devised job” was a term used for a special work assignment for the purpose of supplementing training not present in certain production operations, thereby giving experience in all the fundamentals of machine operations so that a well-rounded background was given to each learner.)
Further assistance was given the foremen through a program which blueprinted each job operation and specified job standards as to tolerance of work, time schedules, and complete job descriptions.
The accurate record of the number of supervisors trained from 1940 to 1942 is unavailable. However, from July 1,1942, to March 31,1943, more than 3,000 shop foremen were given the job-instructor training program.
The foregoing foreman training program was followed in fiscal year 1943 by a “shop organization program,” which embraced a review
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTBATION
of the principles and techniques of the earlier training materials and also presented a more definite concept of the responsibilities of shop management, shop production, job analysis, and specific information on the training of youth in the operations of one work station.
The “shop organization training program,” prepared by NYA’s Operations Division, was given to more than 5,000 NYA foremen by April 1$, 1943.
NYA attempted to provide qualified supervision of its shops by (1) employing the best trained foremen available within its limited budget, and (2) training those already employed.
The production efficiency of NYA shops was improved by the foreman training programs as measured by increased production and industries’ ready acceptance of NYA youth workers.
NYA Relations With Employers and Organized Labor
To be successful, a Government work program for youth had to have the active cooperation of employers and organized labor. The training of youth through a work experience program involved wages, standards of work, and production—each of which was of interest to labor and employer groups. Their views continuously influenced the administration of the National Youth Administration. There was constant awareness by the NYA officials—national, State, and local— that the cooperation of management and labor was vital to work project operations and in particular to the youth who were employed. Through these work projects, the supply of labor and its composition were being affected. The NYA attempted to fit its work program into the general positions which management and labor took in connection with methods of dealing with youth through a work activity program. It would be fallacious to infer that the NYA was successful in maintaining or developing the sustained support of either of these important industrial groups. There were constant criticisms ■^of its program, as there were of other public agency programs. Since r the NYA was a relief agency as well as an employment and training agency, it was constantly reconciling the interests of relief, employer, and labor groups in the carrying out of its program. Throughout its 8 years of operation, the NYA made every effort not to influence the hundreds of thousands of young men and women who were employed on NYA work projects in their attitudes toward either organized labor or employers. On the contrary, it was always cognizant that it was \ training new entrants for the labor market and that the youths’ employability was enhanced if NYA youth were able to adjust to the developments which, had taken place in modern industry, particularly insofar as employer-employee relations were involved.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 193 6-1943
105
The national office of the NYA did not develop a specific national program of labor relations for State administrators to follow except the general instruction or requirement that representatives of employers and organized labor be appointed to State and local advisory committees. State and local NYA officials recognized the importance of representation of these groups on advisory committees not only in order to secure cooperation in the development of work projects, but to obtain employment outlets for project youth. In certain instances, this representation was perfunctory and routine, involving only attendance at meetings and conferences. In many States, however, especially in the last 3 years of the program, State and local officials called frequent meetings of labor organizations and management groups and were successful in securing active cooperation.
There also was representation of labor and management on the NYA National Advisory Committee. At the annual meetings of this Committee, labor and management expressed their positions in regard to the national policies of the NYA.
While there was no outlined program of labor relations, an established policy of the NYA was the maintenance of the most satisfactory labor relations possible. For example, in the NYA shops the employment of skilled tradesmen as supervisors meant that the great majority of these supervisors came from trade unions. These supervisors who had worked many years at their trade or craft as a matter of course inaugurated good work habits and maintained good labor relations. The skilled supervisors were paid the rate of pay prevailing for their trade. At the local level, before establishing a NYA workshop, local NYA officials would meet with the local representatives of management and labor (who in most cases were members of the local advisory committee) and endeavor to iron out any anticipated features of the shop project which might result in criticism. As would be expected, much closer relations with management and labor were maintained at the local level than at either the State or national levels since the local level was where the work projects were prosecuted.
Relationships With Labor
The Congress of Industrial Organizations was less critical in general of the NYA than was the American Federation of Labor. The CIO did not find the work experience program for unemployed youth in conflict with organized labor, since its opinion was that NYA did not train skilled workers. The CIO approved the NYA’s policy of increasing the general employability of young workers.⁵ In general, the criticism of the CIO was that the NYA was not sufficiently extensive and should be enlarged to include more unemployed young
⁸ Lewis L. Lorwin, Youth Work Programs, prepared for the American Youth Commission (Washington: American Council on Education, 1941), ch. VI, pp. 104-117.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
people on its out-of-school work program. The CIO also took the position that NYA wage rates should be raised and that regional differentials in the NYA wage scale should be eliminated.⁶
The American Federation of Labor was more critical of the work program than the Congress of Industrial Organizations because the work performed by youth on NYA projects was considered as teaching youth skills and trades. The work program gave youth more work experience in the metal and building trades than in other crafts or industrial operations. Since these were the two dominant AFL trade unions, in which the CIO was not so interested, the AFL scrutinized and criticized these types of work activity more than did the CIO. The building trades were fearful that NYA by constructing buildings at the low wages paid NYA youth would flood the labor market with youth claiming skills as a result of NYA work project employment and would replace highly skilled workers who were working at the trade thus aggravating unemployment among skilled workers and contributing to lower wage scales. The metal trades were fearful that the preliminary training given to the youth in metal shops would break down the apprenticeship training program and provide a short cut to obtaining skills which under the apprenticeship system required from 2 to 4 years. The AFL construction and metal trades departments were in agreement as to the need of preliminary training of youth and the development in youth of sound work habits. During the last 2 years of NYA operation, the AFL became more informed as to the objectives of the NYA work program and its criticism became less vocal.
There was a tendency on the part of NYA oflicials to use the word “apprentice” loosely in terms of the type of work being performed by NYA project youth. This created misunderstanding on the part of organized labor, and on February 27, 1939, the National Adminis-trator wrote to NYA State administrators urging members of their administrative staffs and supervisors of projects to guard carefully against a loose use of this term. Apprenticeship was carefully defined in this communication, and the specific difference between “apprentice training” and the work performed by youth on NYA work projects was demarcated.⁷
There was no objection to the NYA student work progra m, which was commended by the AFL at its conventions and its continuance recommended. At its 1940 convention the AFL demanded that it be represented directly in an advisory capacity on the NYA in order to determine national policies for vocational education and apprentice training.”⁸
⁸ Ibid.
‘ Letter Y-66. Subject: Definition of Term “Apprentice,” dated February 27, 1939.
Report of the Proceedings of the Sixtieth Annual Convention of the American Federation of Labor, 1940; Washington Federation, 1941, pp. 585-587.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 107
In order to develop a more satisfactory relationship with organized labor and management, the Administrator established an office of labor relations in the national office in November 1940. The purpose of this office was to serve in a liaison capacity at the national level with the various labor unions, to interpret to labor unions the program of the NYA, and to interpret to NYA regional and State officials and local supervisors the policies of labor unions with respect to the types of work activities carried on in the NYA work program for out-of-school, unemployed youth.
As a means of developing a more cooperative relationship, a national labor advisory committee was appointed in February 1941, composed of the following representatives from the American Federation of Labor: Matthew Woll, vice president, American Federation of Labor; John P. Coyne, president, building trades department; John P. Frey, president, metal trades department; E. E. Milliman, president, Brotherhood of Maintenance and Way Employees; Arnold S. Zander, president, American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. Two formal committee meetings and several informal meetings with individual members of the committee were held. The office of labor relations made considerable progress in maintaining closer working relationships with AFL unions and served as coordinator for the National Administrator in dealing with management and labor.
Employer Relationships
In general, employer groups took no different positions toward the NYA than toward any public agency producing commodities which compete with the production of private industry. In general, the spokesmen of industry approved of the work experience training which the NYA provided through its work project program, inasmuch as there was the feeling that this increased the value of the youth to the employer. There was an opinion expressed by employers that the NYA should not pay wages comparable to those paid by private employers, so that the youth worker would have an incentive to seek and accept private employment. In small localities, employers objected to construction of public buildings or the making of improvements on public buildings by NYA because this took work away from private contractors. During the last 2 years of the NYA program, private employers and industry recruited NYA project workers and there was general acceptance of the quality of the work experience which youth had received in NYA shops. Such a favorable attitude was to be expected in view of the increased shortages of manpower throughout the country. NYA local officials directed their efforts toward a cultivation of employer acceptance of NYA project workers. The NYA adjusted its project activities under the defense and war
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
production training programs to meet the needs of defense and war ¡industries. This closer cooperation between employers and NYA officials resulted in corresponding improvements in the type of work projects conducted by the NYA and in the quality of project training in order to meet employer specifications.
Industry, like organized labor, came to understand that the production carried on in the NYA shops in most instances was made up of articles and material which in terms of industrial production were considered too small in the quantity production of any particular item to compete with industry. What affected industrial production also affected labor. If production were taken away from industry, it necessarily followed that the employment of labor would be affected. As the NYA program advanced and as labor officials and management came to know and to understand the program, they developed a high respect and regard for the attempt made by the NYA to prepare inexperienced young people for employment.
The NYA work program for youth demonstrated the necessity of close collaboration with organized labor and management. A youth work experience program could not isolate itself from the practicalities of adjustment and readjustments of its policies to those of management and labor.
V-
Out-Of-School Work Program: Facts on Youth Employed
From the beginning of the two youth programs, the CCC and the NYA, there was no expectation that the work and training needs of the millions of unemployed youth would be met. To the extent funds were available and through a flexible and extensive Nation-wide system of varied work projects, the National Youth Administration employed as many as possible of the unemployed group of young men and women in every section and area of the country and gave these youth work experience, training, and vocational guidance. This chapter presents statistics on the number of youth employed by the National Youth Administration, their wages and hours of work, labor and nonlabor expenditures, characteristics of the NYA project youth, project turnover, and duration of employment.
Employment on the Out-oj-School Youth Work Program, 1935-43
From 1935 until the end of fiscal year 1943, an estimated 2,677,000 different youth were employed on work projects operated under the out-of-school work program. Of this number, 45 percent (1,209,000) was young women. The number of youth employed varied within the limits of yearly appropriations available to the National Youth Administration.
Table 29-—Estimated number of different youth employed on the NYA out-of-school ■work program, by sex, fiscal years 1936 through 1943
[000]
Fiscal year By fiscal years Cumulative from 1936 *
Total Male ' Female Total Male Female
1935-36 2__________________________________ 200 115 85 200 115 85
1936-37____________________________________ 250 128 122 360 191 169
1937-38____________________________________ 290 147 143 516 270 246
1938-39..______---__________________________ 412 235 177 722 389 333
1939-40____________________________________ 575 324 251 1,080 590 490
1940-41___________________________________ 976 591 385 1,772 975 797
1941-42 combined programs________.______ 3 900 3 470 3 430 2,378 1,303 1,075
586 236 350
380 298 82
1942-43____________________________________ 400 231 169 2,677 1,468 1,209
¹ Unduplicated count of the number of different youth employed during period covered.
² Based on operation of the program for 6 months only.
³ Unduplicated count of the number of different youth employed during fiscal year 1942 on the regular and defense programs combined.
109
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
During the first half of fiscal year 1936, the average monthly employment was 133,730, of which 42 percent was girls. The next year average monthly employment rose to 175,974, with 49 percent young women. During the third year of operation, the average monthly employment was 149,376, with 49 percent young women. The fourth year of NYA project operation (fiscal year 1939), the first appropriation was made by Congress to the National Youth Administration in the amount of $75,000,000, with the privilege of using the previous year’s unexpended balance.¹ With an appropriation of this amount, the average monthly employment reached 227,269; of which 43 percent was girls. An increase in appropriation to $100.-000,000 ² for the fifth year of operation enabled the employment of an average of 264,460 out-of-school unemployed youth each month, with approximately the same percentage of girls employed as during the previous year.
Table 30.—Average number of youth employed per month¹ on the NYA out-ofschool work program, by sex, fiscal years 1936 through 1943
Fiscal year Total Male Female
1935-36 2______ 133,730 77,066 56,664
1936-37--- 175,974 90,164 85,810
1937-38--- 149,376 75,947 73,429
1938-39_____ 227, 269 129,378 97,891
1939-40______ 264,460 149,138 115,322
1940-41. . 326,602 182,924 143,678
1941-42 combined programs.. 239,666 128,444 111,222
Regular program______ 154,306 60,901 93,405
Defense program_______ 85,360 67,543 17,817
1942-43 3_____ 78,587 45, 302 33,285
for these yeaK°U^ aⁿ<^ employees for fiscal years 1936 through 1939; data not reported separately
² Based on operation of the program for 6 months only.
³ June 1943 data not available, average based on previous months.
For fiscal year 1941, the sixth year of operation, NYA received its largest appropriation. Congress appropriated a total of $148,499,375³ for the operation of the student work and the out-of-school programs. All except $27,600,000, which was allocated to the student work program, was expended on the work program for out-of-school, unemployed youth. This was the year when emphasis on work and training programs for defense employment was initiated as a step toward meeting the anticipated labor demands of the war period. NYA stepped up its employment to a monthly average of 326,602 out-of-school unemployed youth, with 44 percent girls.
¹ In fiscal year 1939, the WPA carried costs of administration. The unexpended balance from the previous year was at least $205,000. Of the total appropriation, $21,400,000 was allocated to the student work program. See appendix B, table 1.
² For fiscal year 1940, ERA Act of 1939 stated that not more than 5 percent of the total appropriation was to be used for administrative costs. Of the total appropriation, about $27,300,000 was allocated to the student work program.
³ Excludes all costs of administration, which were specified separately in the appropriations act.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
111
The fiscal year 1942 was one of transition from the regular work project program as previously operated to the defense work training program. In accordance with congressional stipulation, two programs were operated for unemployed out-of-school youth—a regular program which was a continuation of the previous years’ type of work activities and for which an appropriation of $85,984,000 was made, and a defense program for which $56,972,000 was appropriated for the employment of not more than 100,000 needy young persons between the ages of 17-24 in resident and workshop projects in preparation for employment in defense occupations.⁴ During this year, the regular work project program employed a monthly average of 154,306, of which 61 percent was young women, and the defense project training program employed a monthly average of 85,360, with only 21 percent female. Thus, the combined programs in operation during that year gave an average monthly employment to 239,666 youth. In view of the fact that the defense projects were designed to meet the labor needs of defense industries, relatively few young women were employed, since openings in industries for women had not yet developed to any marked extent.
The eighth and last year of operation (fiscal year 1943), Congress appropriated $49,729,000 for a war production training ^program for unemployed youth. This appropriation permitted an average monthly employment of 78,587, of which 42 percent was young women.
Through the employment of 2,677,000 different youth on a part-time basis for varying periods of work experience, NYA provided this large number of young men and women an opportunity to obtain work experience under supervision, which not only helped them in finding private employment but provided them with a small monthly wage to meet their current expenses during the interim they were seeking more remunerative private employment.
Extent Other-Than-White Youth Were Employed on Out-of-School Work Program
From the time of its establishment, NYA pursued the policy that no person was to be deprived because of race, creed, color, or national origin of any employment, position, work, compensation, or other benefits made possible under the program of the NYA. This policy of nondiscrimination was carried through in the employment of Negroes and other minorities on the work projects for out-of-school unemployed youth. A survey in February 1939 indicated that 12.1 percent of the project workers was Negroes and 1.5 percent other races.
⁴ Labor-Federal Security Act 1942, Public Law 146. See ch. II, p. 28. Of the $85,984,000 appropriated to the regular programs, approximately $16,200,000 was allocated to the student work program. Of the total amount appropriated to NYA for fiscal year 1942, the Bureau of the Budget impounded $28,400,000.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Beginning with the fiscal year ending June 30,1942, a weekly count of NYA youth workers, by white and other-than-white, was made as of the middle Wednesday of each month. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1942, other-than-white employment ranged from 13 percent on July 23, 1941, to 18 percent on May 13, 1942. Under the regular work project program, operated separately from the defense work training program during this fiscal year, the percentage employment of other-than-white youth was higher than under the defense project training program. Under the regular program, other-than-white youth constituted 13.6 percent of youth employed on July 23, 1941, and reached a high of 23.3 percent on May 13, 1942. In contrast, under the defense training program, other-than-white youth were only 10.8 percent on July 23, 1941, reached 13.9 percent on December 17, 1941, dropped to 11.1 percent in the middle of February 1942, and were up to 13.6 percent by June 17,1942. There was a higher rate of nonwhite youth employed on work projects under the regular program, since there were relatively few opportunities for employment of Negroes in defense industries at that time.
During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1943, when the war production training program was in operation, the percentage of other-than-white youth employed on this program ranged from 14.8 percent on August 12, 1942, to a high of 22.8 percent on May 12, 1943. This increase in the number of colored youth was undoubtedly due to the growing scarcity of eligible but-of-school, unemployed white youth available for NYA employment, and also to the fact that employment opportunities for other-than-white, chiefly Negroes, were developing not only in war industries but in civilian services and industries.
Humber Awaiting Assignment
Until fiscal year 1940 there were about three eligible applicants for each position available under the out-of-school work program. During that year a monthly average of 264,000 youth was employed„ but on July 31, 1940, there were 451,000 additional young people certified as eligible for NYA employment and awaiting assignments
During fiscal year 1941 there was an average monthly employment of 327,000, while on July 31,1941, there were 419,000 additional young; people certified as eligible for NYA employment and awaiting assignment.
During the fiscal year 1942, there was an average monthly employment of 240,000, but the number certified as eligible for NYA employment and awaiting assignment had fallen to 150,000 on July 31,1942. From that time on, the number awaiting assignment dropped rapidly until it reached such small numbers that recruiting unemployed youth for the war production training projects became increasingly difficult.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
113
Wages and Hours of Work
The wages paid NYA youth workers were low throughout the entire period of the program. Exclusive of fiscal year 1943, the average monthly earnings varied between $15 and $22, depending on whether the youth were employed on nonresident or resident projects. These low monthly earnings were due principally to the part-time program of work, which was the basis of the out-of-school youth work projects. During the first 4 years of the program, the youth worked approximately one-third the WPA hours required for full-time employment and were paid approximately one-third the WPA security wage. The monthly earnings were adjusted upward or downward, provided that the earnings of young persons in no case exceeded $25 a month. During the first 2 years of operation, youth were not permitted to work in excess of 8 hours in a single day, or 46 hours for each two consecutive semimonthly pay periods. Consequently, youth workers on NYA projects could not put in quite 8 full days of work a month. Projects had to be devised which provided a staggering of the work periods of the youth. Part-time work was scheduled according to unskilled, intermediate, skilled, and professional and technical work classifications. The State WPA administrator, in cooperation with the State youth director, established hourly wage rates according to occupational titles. The wage rate could not be less than the prevailing hourly wage rate in the locality of project operation.
The maximum number of hours which youth were permitted to work each month (46 hours) proved very unsatisfactory from the standpoint of maintaining valid project operations and, even more important, from the standpoint of providing youth workers with a minimum continuity of work experience. To partially overcome the handicap to effective work operations of only 46 hours of work a month, for fiscal year 1938 the maximum hours of work for NYA youth project workers was raised to 40 hours per week and 70 hours per month. The maximum 8-hour day was unchanged.
There were no further changes in the hours of work and rates of pay until fiscal year 1940, when the NYA was no longer a part of the WPA but had been transferred to the Federal Security Agency. Separate wage schedules were then established for the youth employed on nonresident projects and for those employed in resident centers. The youth employed on nonresident projects lived at home and were employed on projects during the day in their local community. The schedule of monthly earnings for nonresident workers was changed from unskilled, intermediate, skilled, professional, and technical work classifications to two general classifications of youth workers—class B and class A. The latter classification was designed
114
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
for a junior foreman and crew leader group and permitted the payment of monthly earnings $3 higher than class B workers, the youth project workers. Urban and rural wage differentials were established based on two population areas, namely, areas over 25,000 and areas under 25,000. Three wage regions were created.⁵
For youth working on projects located in the Northern and Pacific States, the basic rate was $18 a month in urban and $14 a month in rural counties. In the South Central and Southeastern States, the rate for urban counties was $14; and for rural counties, $12. In a group of States which included Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and North Carolina, the rate for urban counties was $18; and for rural counties, $14. These wage rates applied to a minimum of 80 percent of the youth, the class B workers, on projects in each State, since the regulations provided that no more than 20 percent of the youth workers could be assigned duties as junior foremen or crew leaders and receive the $3 higher monthly rate.
Resident project youth lived at the project location, and their food and lodging were provided by the NYA. On these projects, the monthly gross wage, including the cost of shelter and subsistence, could not exceed $30 a month for youth in full-time resident or $20 for part-time resident. The minimum net cash payment to the youth, in addition to the subsistence furnished (including food, lodging, sanitation, and medical and dental care), was set at $8 a month.
The wage schedule for fiscal year 1941 eliminated the urban-rural differentials. The basic monthly wage rate for nonresident workers was set at $18 for wage region I, $14 for wage region II, and $16 for wage region III. The monthly rate for junior foremen and for group leaders (class A youth workers) was increased to $6 above the basic rate for class B youth workers in the same area, but only 5 percent of NYA youth workers could be assigned to these more responsible duties. The schedule of earnings of resident youth employees was unchanged.
The monthly hours of work were increased and the maximum was placed at 100 hours a month rather than 70, the maximum for the previous 3 years.
For fiscal year 1942, the schedule of monthly earnings for noii-resident youth employed under the defense program established $25
⁸ Kwion I: Alaska, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York City, New York State, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin.
Wage Region II: Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina’ No£th Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming. ~ ^oⁿ Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
115
a month in wage region I, $24 a month in wage region II, and $22 a month in wage region III. The wage schedules for youth employed on the regular work project program were set at $21, $19, and $17, respectively, for the three wage regions. The earnings for class B youth were scheduled at the same rate as previous years. Not more than 5 percent of the nonresident youth employed on the regular program could be assigned to the junior foreman group. The hours of work for the regular program were increased to a maximum of 120 a month and a minimum of 80 hours a month, with a maximum 8-hour day. NYA workers on the defense program were required to work a minimum of 80 hours a month and a maximum of 8 hours a day and 160 hours a month. The monthly earnings for youth employed on resident projects were unchanged, except that subsistence charges were established on a basis that permitted a net payment of not less than $8 nor more than $12 to each resident employee. At this point, NYA workers were employed almost full time under a wage schedule for part-time work. For example, if a nonresident youth in wage region I under the regular program worked the maximum of 120 hours during a month and received the maximum wage of $21 for his work, he earned 17% cents an hour. If a youth employed on a defense project worked the maximum of 160 hours during a month and received the maximum monthly wage of $25, his hourly rate was a little over 15% cents.
During the fiscal year 1943, when the war production training program was operated, hours of work and training for youth employees were established within a maximum of 8 hours a day and a mini-mum of 160 hours a month. The schedule of monthly earnings for nonresident youth employees was established at the same rate as for nonresident youth employed on defense projects during the previous year, namely, $25, $24, and $22, respectively, in the three wage regions. Thus the hourly rate for the minimum monthly hours of work was slightly over 15%, 15, and 13% cents. NYA officials recognized that the hourly rate in no way approached a standard wage for comparable work, even for learners, and admitted this constituted a grossly inadequate hourly rate for production work.
The net earning rate for resident youth employees was established at $10.80 a pay-roll month, and, in addition, the resident youth employees were furnished subsistence, including such items as food, lodging, sanitation, medical and dental care, hospitalization, essential clothing, transportation, personal laundry services, recreation, and other sundry items.
Beginning with the fiscal year 1941, when the maximum hours of work a month were raised to 100, through the fiscal year 1943, when the maximum hours were established at 160 a month, there was no 566597—44---------9
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
relationship between the total hours worked and a standard hourly wage rate. The NYA had established schedules of monthly earnings which were completely unrelated to any prevailing hourly rates of pay for work of a comparable nature.
In fiscal year 1943, the NYA Administrator recognized that the prescribed monthly earnings for NYA youth were completely inadequate in relation to the prescribed monthly hours of work. On presentation of the facts by regional administrators for specific resident projects, exemptions were issued to permit a $15 monthly net wage to youth employed on resident projects, exclusive of the cost of subsistence. The National Administrator also granted exemptions on a project basis which permitted maximum monthly earnings of $40 for nonresident youth on these projects. In no instance w:ere exemptions issued except upon the recommendation of the regional administrator, with full presentation of facts which involved type of production, schedules of production, and monthly hours of work required of the youth worker. During the subcommittee hearings of the House of Representatives on the NYA request for an appropriation for fiscal year 1944, the NYA Administrator requested the approval of “Congress for payment of maximum monthly earnings of $40 to NYA workers if the program were continued. One of the weaknesses of the work program for out-of-school unemployed youth was known by NYA officials to be the low monthly earnings, which were unrealistic in relation to a standard hourly wage rate for learners. i
Average Monthly Earnings of Youth Project Workers ⁶
The average monthly earnings of youth during the first 4 years of the program ranged from $15.27 in 1936 to $18.37 in 1939. However, during this period the average monthly earnings included nonyouth labor costs, since data on youth and nonyouth monthly earnings and number of hours worked were not recorded separately for these fiscal years by the WPA.
«Average number of hours worked per month is available for nonresident youth for fiscal years r940 through May 1943 as follows :
_. , Average number of hours
Fiscal year: worked per month
1940------------------------------------------- -----------
1941----------------------------------------------ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ 57
1942 combined program____________________________________’____ 47
Regular program________.__________________________ 46
Defense program______________________________ 51
1943 (through May)______________________2_______________________ 83
The average hours worked per month by resident youth in relation to monthly earnings are not representative, since subsistence deductions were made for these years, except 1943 The resident youth lived on the project and combined related training with production and resident maintenance duties.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 117
Table 31.—Average monthly earnings of youth employed, by resident status, fiscal years 1936 through 1943, out-of-school work program
Average earnings per month
Fiscal year Total In residence Not in resi-
dence
19361 _______ ...._______________________________ $15.27 (2) (2)
1937 1 ____ __________________________-_______________-- 16.60 (2) C2)
19381 - --- - ______________________ 17.40 (2) (2)
19391 ___ --- _ ___________________________ 18.37 (2) (2)
1940_____________________________________________________________ \ 15.80 $22.10 $15.15
1941 . __________________________________________________ 15.69 21.83 14.99
1942 combined program _ _ ______ ___- ___ 16.46 20.98 15.73
Defense program ____ _ __ __________ 17.58 20.85 16.32
Regular program___________________ ■________________________ 15.99 21.20 15.47
19433_________________________.____i___________________________ 4 11.44 4 6.40 4 14.42
¹ Average earnings per month for youth and nonyouth not available, as data were not reported separately for fiscal years 1936 through 1939.
² Data not available separately for these years.
³ June 1943 data net available; average based on previous months.
⁴ Data are net earnings, excluding the value of subsistence and other services furnished.
The average monthly earnings, beginning with fiscal year 1940, represented the average monthly wages actually received by the NYA youth workers. In 1940 the average monthly wage was $15.80 for both resident and nonresident youth workers. Resident youth workers averaged $22.10 a month, and youth employed on local projects averaged $15.15 a month for 53 hours of work. The average monthly earnings varied only slightly in subsequent years .
In fiscal year 1943, the average monthly earnings for all resident and nonresident youth dropped to $11.44. Youth employed on nonresident projects averaged $14.42 a month for an average of 83 hours of work, while resident youth received only $6.40, inasmuch as cost of subsistence at the resident center was not included in net cash payments to resident workers, and the national regulations prescribed the net earning rate as not to exceed $10.80 a month.⁷
Allocation of Funds to States
The distribution of out-of-school work program funds was made to States on the basis of a youth population formula, with adjustments for local variations such as relief needs and disaster conditions (droughts, floods, etc.).
For 1 year only (fiscal year 1941) the appropriations act required the distribution of funds for the out-of-school work program to the States on the basis of the youth population of each State.
During the last year of operation, distribution of funds to the States was made on the basis of NYA workshop facilities available for the war production training of youth and the location of resident projects.
⁷ See appendix B, tables 15, 16, and 17, for average monthly earnings of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work programs, by resident status and by States, for the fiscal years 1940, 1941, 1942, and 1943.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Labor and Nonlabor Expenditures ⁸
A total of $467,586,395 was expended on the out-of-school work program during the 8 years of operation. Since NYA had no division of finance and statistics during the first 4 years, expenditures were not broken down by youth labor, supervisory, and other nonlabor items. The total amount expended for the out-of-school work program from January 1936 through June 30,1939, was $137,962,346 for youth labor and nonyouth labor.
Beginning with the fiscal year 1940, the National Youth Administration established its own finance documents, and thereafter analyses were maintained of the total amounts paid directly to NYA youth in the form of wages and of total amounts paid for supervisory labor and for other nonlabor items (equipment, supplies, materials, etc.). In fiscal year 1940, a total of $67,173,511 was expended, of which 74.6 percent involved direct payments to youth for work performed. In the fiscal year 1941, $118,994,018 was expended for the out-of-school work program, of which 53.8 percent went directly to the youth in the form of wages.
Table 32.—Labor and nonlabor encumbrances, out-of-school work program, fiscal years 1940 through 1943
Total Youth labor Supervisory labor Nonlabor
Fiscal year Amount Per- Amount Per- Amount Per- Amount Per-
cent cent cent cent
1940______________________ $67,173,511 100.0 $50,141,265 74.6 $11,174,870 16.6 $5,857, 376 ¿8
1941______________________ 118,994,018 100.0 64,050', 836 53.8 20,364', 571 17.1 34,578,611 29.1
1942 combined programs.. 96,934,212 100.0 47,932, 211 49.4 28^ 092,818 29.0 20,909,183 21.6
Regular program_____ 47,680,070 100.0 29.850,450 62.6 12 058 975 25 3 5 770 645 12 1
Defense program----- 49,254,142 100.0 18,081,761 36.7 16,033; 843 32.6 15; 138; 538 30; 7
1943...................... 46, 522,308 100.0 1 11,354, 521 24.4 21,572,823 46.4 13, 594,964 29.2
> Represents encumbrances for net wages paid youth employed, exclusive of the cost of subsistence services, which are included under supervision and nonlabor. Subsistence services contributed to the increase in supervisory and nonlabor costs. Prior to 1943, these costs were included in gross youth earnings.
In the fiscal year 1942, a total of $96,934,212 was expended ($47,-680,070 on the regular work project program and $49,254,142 on the defense training program). Of the total expenditures for both programs, 49.4 percent went to the youth in the form of wages. However, within the two programs 62.6 percent of funds expended on the regular work program went to NYA youth as wages; and under the defense program, only 36.7 percent went to the youth as wages. During fiscal year 1943, a total of $46,522,308 was expended, of which 24.4 percent went to youth workers in the form of net wages. It should be kept in mind that the funds expended for youth wages
⁸ See appendix B, tables 1 and 2 for Federal funds expended for the operation of the NYA programs.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 119
during the last year’ of operation were exclusive of the cost of subsistence services furnished at the resident centers.
During the 4 fiscal years (1940-43) for which financial data are available, the cost of supervision increased from 17 percent in 1940 to 29 percent in 1942 and to 46 percent in 1943. This is partially accounted for during the last 2 years of operation, because of the relatively little cosponsor supervision provided without cost to NYA. The major part of work project production was performed for the War and Navy Departments, which agencies did not supply supervision as extensively as under the regular program by local cosponsors. Furthermore, the emphasis on metal and mechanical shops and the maintenance of resident centers resulted in a much higher supervisory cost in relationship to the number of youth on the program. Moreover, labor market shortages necessitated the payment of higher wages to NYA skilled supervisors and technicians, who were compensated according to existing wage structures; this increased supervisory cost.
Nonlabor expenditures also changed drastically, increasing from 8.8 percent for fiscal year 1940 to 29.2 percent in 1943. The cost of materials, equipment, supplies, etc., for the defense and war training projects greatly exceeded that for projects operated prior to the defense period. Cosponsors of work projects supplied materials, space, and equipment to a much greater extent when the work projects were initiated by local cosponsoring agencies at the community level for the purpose of producing goods and services for the local community.
Table 33.—Federal funds expended for equipment, fiscal years 1936 through 1943, out-of-school work program
Federal funds
Fiscal year : expended1
1936-40 ___________________________________ _____________________$3,561,410
1941__________________________:______________ _____________________18,713,345
1942 combined programs____________________ _____________________ 4, 771,148
Regular program ----------------------- _____________________ 612,750
Defense program---------------------- _____________________ 4,158,398
1943______________________________________- _____________________ 567, 216
Grand total_______________________________ _____________________27,613,119
¹ Data for the fiscal years 1936 through 1940 are actual expenditures derived from Treasury voucher payments, but unavailable for each fiscal year. Figures for the fiscal years 1941 through 1943 are encumbrances obtained from NYA finance reports.
The extent to which NYA bore the cost of project operations is further illustrated by an analysis of the funds expended for equipment purposes from the beginning of the program. For fiscal years 1936 through 1940, $3,561,410 of NYA funds were expended for work project equipment. In fiscal year 1941, $18,713,345 of NYA funds
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
were expended to equip shops and resident projects in preparation for the defense and war production training programs. Farsighted NYA officials recognized that employment outlets for youth would be great in the mechanical and metal trades, aviation, radio, and electrical fields. Therefore, NYA purchased large quantities of equipment for the purpose of preparing unemployed youth for employment in essential defense and war occupations. With improved shop equipment and facilities, only $4,771,148 was expended in fiscal year 1942 for equipment purposes. In 1943, this expenditure dropped to $567,216, or 1.2 percent of the total NYA expenditures for the war production training program for out-of-school unemployed youth. NYA spent in all less than 6 percent of total expenditures on the out-of-school work program for project equipment from fiscal year 1936 through fiscal year 1943.
Characteristics of Project Workers
The National Youth Administration conducted studies of the characteristics of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work projects beginning with 1940. These studies obtained information on the age distribution of the youth and on employment by degree of urbanization, sex, and race. In October 1940, a comprehensive sample study was made of 33,112 NYA youth project workers which revealed, in addition to the foregoing information, the years of schooling of NYA youth, reasons for leaving school, previous work experience, and extent of private employment.⁹ Subsequent studies were less extensive and information was secured only on the age and sex of NYA workers, and on employment by degree of urbanization.
Age of Project Workers
In October 1940, the largest concentration of NYA workers was at the 19-year-age level with 26.5 percent that age. In March 1942, the largest concentration of NYA workers (23.4 percent) was at the 18-year-age level; in October 1942, the largest concentration of youth (28.2 percent) was at the 17-year-age level; and in April 1943, 31.1 percent was 17 years of age. On the other hand, the 16-year-olds were only 4.4 percent of NYA workers in March 1942 ; 5.7 percent in October 1942 ; and 23.4 percent on April 14,1943.
There was a marked change in the age composition of NYA project workers who were 21 years and over. In October 1940, 31.3 percent were in this age group ; in March 1942, 20.6 percent ; in October 1942, 15.3 percent; and in April 1943,11.9 percent.
⁸ Characteristics of Youth on the NYA Out-of-School Work Program, October 1940, prepared by the Division of Finance and Statistics, National Youth Administration, Federal Security Agency (mimeo.).
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 121
Table 34.—Age of youth actively assigned on the NY A out-of~school work program by sex, for selected dates
Apr. 14,1943 Oct. 14, 1942 Mar. 28,1942 Sample study
Age and sex Oct. 24,1940
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
All youth:
Total..__________ 51,576 100.0 53,857 100.0 168,814 100.0 33,112 100.0
16 years_____ 12,052 23.4 3,044 5.7 7,496 4.4
17 years_____ 16,037 31.1 15,165 28.2 31,706 18.8 1,717 5.2
18 years_____ 9,763 18.9 14, 276 26.5 39,442 23.4 5,879 17.8
19 years_____ 4,725 9.2 8,257 15.3 32,299 19.1 8,782 26.5
20 years_____ 2,825 5.5 4,860 9.0 23,130 13.7 6,349 19.2
21 years_____ 1,997 3.9 3,023 5.6 14,453 8.6 4,277 12.9
22 years..... 1, 454 2.8 2,160 4.0 8,800 5.2 2,867 8.7
23 years_____ 1,308 2.5 1,583 2.9 6,700 4.0 1,937 5.8
24 years_____ 1,415 2.7 1,489 2.8 4,788 2.8 1,304 3.9
Male:
Total____________ 27,133 100.0 30, 577 100.0 91,347 100.0 18,564 100.0
15 years_____ 8,446 31.1 2,199 7.2 5,304 5.8
17 years_____ 9,807 36.1 10,558 34.5 21,136 23.1 1,047 5.6
18 years_____ 4,590 16.9 8,396 27.5 22,555 24.7 3,270 17.6
19 years_____ 1,740 6.4 4,375 14.3 16,171 17.7 4,711 25.4
20 years_____ 836 3.1 2,161 7.1 11,087 12.1 3,500 18.9
21 years..... 528 2.0 1,094 3.6 6,625 7.3 2,424 13.1
22 years_____ 382 1.4 729 2.4 3,626 4.0 1,668 9.0
23 years..... 356 1.3 529 1.7 . 2,717 3.0 1,160 6.2
24 years..... 448 1.7 536 1.7 2,126 2.3 784 4.2
Female:
Total____________ 24,443 100.0 23,280 100.0 77,467 100.0 14,548 100.0
16 years_____ 3,606 14.7 845 3.6 2,192 2.8
17 years_____ 6,230 25.5' 4,607 19,8 10, 570 13.6 670 4.6
18 years_____ 5,173 21.2 5,880 25.3 16,887 21.8 2,609 17.9
19 years..... 2,985 12.2 3,882 16.7 16,128 20.8 4,071 28.0
20 years_____ 1,989 8.1 2,699 11.6 12,043 15.6 2,849 19.6
21 years..... 1,469 6.0 1,929 8.3 7,828 10.1 1,853 12.7
22 years_____ 1,072 4.4 1,431 6.1 5,174 6.7 1,199 8.3
23 years..... 952 3.9 1,054 4.5 3,983 5.2 777 5.3
24 years_____ 967 4.0 953 4.1 2,662 3.4 520 3.6
There were variations in the concentration at a particular age level between the males and females. For example, in 1940, 25.4 percent of the NYA boys was in the 19-year-age group, and 28.0 percent of the girl workers. In March 1942, 24.7 percent of the boys was in the 18-year-old age group, and 21.8 percent of the girls. In October 1942, 34.5 percent of the boys was 17 years of age, but only 19.8 percent of the girls was 17 years of age; and in April 1943, 25.5 percent of the girls was 17, and 21.2 percent was 18 years of age, while only 16.9 percent of NYA boys was 18 years of age, 36.1 percent was aged 17, and 31.1 percent was 16 years of age.
The age distribution of NYA project workers showed the change in age composition of youth available for NYA employment. Here again was an illustration of the inroads made by the military services and the demands of industry for young people, particularly young men 18 years of age and over. The NYA concentrated 73.4 percent of its workers in the age group 16 to 18 years in 1943, while only 23.0 percent was in this age group in 1940; 46.6 percent in March 1942; and 60.4 percent in October 1942. After March 1942, it became very difficult for the NYA to recruit youth between the ages of 18 and 25.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
The survey conducted in October 1940 included Negro youth in the sampling of the 33,112 young people. At that time, Negroes were 13.1 percent of the NYA project employment. There was very little difference between the ages of the Negro and white project workers as the following table reveals.
Table 35.—Median age of NYA youth, by race and sex, out-of-school work program
Race and sex: Median age Race and sex: Median age
Total_______ (years) All Negro____■____ (years)
___________20.0 ___________20.2
All white________ _________20. 0 Male_________ _________--- 20.1
Male________ ___________20.1 Female______ ___________20.4
Female______ ___________19.9
White girls formed the youngest age group and Negro girls the oldest, while white and Negro boys were the same average age.
Geographical Distribution of Youth Employment
The NYA included in its studies analyses of the number of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work program by degree of urbanization. The NYA was confronted with the task of providing a work program which suited the varying needs of the youth in different parts of the country. In order to set up projects to meet the needs of youth in the different population areas, it was necessary to take into consideration not only the area variations in the kinds of employment
Table 36.—Number of youth employed by degree of urbanization for selected dates and periods, out-of-school work program
Urbanization groups 1 Mar. 17, Dec. 16, January September December
1943 2 1942 2 1942 3 19413 1940 3
Number
Total______________________ 56,652 51,807 214,634 283,554 311,293
Under 2,500______________________ 6,620 6,116 31,472 36,221 45,068
2,500-4,999_______________________ 5,282 4,741 20,840 26i 627 29; 563
5,000-9,999______ . A___________ 8,518 8,172 29,747 39,759 35; 682
10,000-24,999.....>........ 8,105 7,245 25,803 34,184 40;830
25,000-49,999______ 5,683 27,350
50,000-99,999____________________ 5,795 6'182 20,491 25,995 26,066
100,000 and over_________________ 16,649 14,033 65,081 93,769 106; 734
Percent
Total______________________ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Under 2,500_______________ 11.7 11.8 14.7 12.8 14.5
2,500-4,999____________ 9 3 9 1 O 7
5,000-9,999_______________ l&j 15 8 V. I 9.4 9.5
IQ Q
10,000-24,999________ 14 3 14 0 io. y 14.0 11.4
19 n
25,000-49,999__________ 10 0 10 3 iz. u 12.1 13.1
Q Q
50,000-99,999___________ 10 2 HQ v. y y. 0 8.8
Q K
100,000 and over..---............. 29.4 27.1 v. 0 33.0 8.4
30.3 34.3
¹ Based on size of largest municipality within county in which youth are resident.
* Represents the number of youth under active assignment on the day of the count. Represents the number of youth appearing on pay rolls ending within the calendar month.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 123
opportunities for youth, but the quantity and quality of education available, and the race and age characteristics of youth.
Projects located in the industrial northeastern parts of the country drew on a youth population considerably different from that in the agricultural south, and different types of work experience were required to prepare youth to take advantage of local employment opportunities. The varying factors which arose between areas of industrial concentration and agricultural development had to be considered by State administrators in developing work projects to meet youth needs in widely diversified areas. The difficulty of establishing work projects in agricultural areas grew out of problems of transporting youth to project sites, and the financial inability of many rural communities to sponsor worth-while projects. As a consequence, projects for rural youth were located in villages and towns where the local communities were in a position to sponsor and contribute funds, supervision, equipment, and facilities. It is interesting to observe that there was little variation in the percentage of youth employed on the out-of-school work program by degrees of urbanization between 1940 and 1943. Youth in counties whose largest city is over 100,000 were somewhat overrepresented on the NYA.
Table 37.—Number of youth employed by degree of urbanization, sex and race, March 17, 1943, and September 1941, out-of-school work program
Mar. 17, 1943 « September 19413
Urbanization Sex Race Sex Race
groups2 Total Other Total Other
Male Female White than Male Female White than
white white
Number
Total........ 56,652 30,531 26,121 45,455 11,197 283,554 156,265 127,289 247,539 36,015
Under 2,500________ 6,620 3,545 3,075 5,635 985 36,221 21,812 14,409 33,053 3,168
2,500-4,999_________ 5,282 2,804 2,478 4,732 550 26, 627 16,667 9,960 24,709 li 918
5,000-9,999_________ 8,518 4,676 3,842 7,595 923 39,759 25,065 14,694 36,415 3; 344
10,000-24,999_______ 8,105 4,420 3,685 6,837 1,268 34,184 19, 717 14,467 30,419 3; 765
25,000-49,999_______ 5,683 2,982 2,701 4,943 740 26,999 14,390 12,609 24, 453 2,546
50,000-99,999_______ 5,795 3,326 2,469 5,020 775 25,995 13,900 12,095 22,051 3,944
100,000 and over.... 16,649 8,778 7,871 10,693 5,956 93,769 44, 714 49,055 76,439 I?; 330
Percent
Total........ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Under 2,500_____... 11.7 11.6 11.8 12 4 R R 12 R ft ft
2,500-4,999..---..... 9.3 9.2 9.5 10.4 4.9 ? 9^4 10.7 7.8 10.0 5.3
5,000-9,999_________• 15.1 15.3 14.7 16.7 8.3 14.0 16.0 11.5 14.7 9.3
10,000-24,999_______ 14.3 14.5 14.1 15.1 11.3 12.1 12.6 11.4 12.3 10.5
25,000-49,999______ 10.0 9.8 10 3 10 9 6 6
50;000-99i999_______ 10.2 10.9 9.5 11 0 9 2 in Q
100,000 and over.... 29.4 28.7 30.1 23.5 53.2 33.0 28^6 38.6 30.8 48.1
¹ Represents the number of youth under active assignment on the day of the count.
² Based on size of largest municipality within county in which youth are resident.
³ Represents the number of youth appearing on pay rolls ending within the calendar month.
124 NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Other-than-white youth, also were over-represented in counties whose largest city is 100,000 and over as is shown in table 37, and were proportionately under-represented in the other urbanization areas.
Relatively more girls were also employed by the NYA in the large cities. There was a drop of 8.5 in the percentage of girls employed in centers of large population between September 1941 and March 1943. In other urbanization areas the percentage increased except in counties with cities ranging in size from 50,000 to 99,999.
Years of Schooling of NYA Youth
The survey of 33,112 youth conducted in October 1940 revealed pertinent information concerning the years of schooling of the NYA project workers. The average NYA youth had completed 11.1 grades of school. Young women workers had gone considerably further in formal education than young men workers. The former averaged 12.1 grades; the latter only 9.9. White youth had completed 1 more year of school than Negro youth—11.3 as contrasted with 10.4. The largest number of withdrawals occurred immediately following the eighth and twelfth grades. Over 17 percent of the males withdrew after completing the eighth grade and without completing the ninth. Only 9 percent of the females withdrew at that grade. The withdrawal of both males and females was largely concentrated in the period following the twelfth grade. Over 52 percent of the females and 27 percent of the males completed the twelfth grade and did not go on to complete the first year of college. Considerable variation existed between the sexes and races in regard to college attendance. Over 5 percent of the females had completed 1 or more years of college as contrasted with but 3.4 percent of the males.
Table 38.—Percent distribution of NYA youth by highest grade completed, by sex and race, out-of-school work program
Highest grade completed All youth Sex Race
Male Female White Negro
Total_________________________________________ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Less than 7_______________________________________ 9.4 13.0 4.8 8 6 14 1
Seventh___________________________________________ 7.2 9.3 4.6 6 9 9 0
Eighth____________________________________________ 13.7 17.4 9.0 14.2 10.3
Ninth_____________________________________________ 9.4 11.0 7.4 9.1 11.7
Tenth_____________________________________________ 9.3 10.5 7.7 9.0 11. 5
Eleventh__________________________________________ 8.7 8.3 9.3 8. 5 • 10.5
Twelfth________________________________________ _ 38.2 27. i 52.1 39.7 28.0
1 year or more college__________________________ 4.1 3. 4 5.1 4.0 4.9
Median grade completed._____________________>____ 11.1 9.9 12.1 11.3 10.4
Although the median grade attainment of Negroes was less than that of whites, a greater proportion actually attended college. Nearly 5 percent of the Negroes had completed one year of college, whereas only 4 percent of the white youth on NYA had gone that far. It is
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
125
Table 39.—Educational attainment of NY A youth, by sex and race, out-of-school work program
Proportion finishing given or higher grade
Grade All youth Sex Race
Male Female White Negro
Total________________________________________ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
1 year or more college_______________________________ 4.1 3.4 5.1 4.0 4.9
Twelfth___________________________________________ 42.3 30.5 57.2 43.7 32.9
Eleventh___________ ... _______________________ 51.0 38.8 66.5 52.2 43.4
Tenth_______ . _________ ___ ______________ 60.3 49.3 74.2 61.2 54.9
Ninth.__________________________________ 69.7 60.3 81.6 70.3 66.6
Eighth____________________________________________ 83.4 77.7 90.6 84.5 76.9
Seventh_________________________________________ 90.6 87.0 95.2 91.4 85.9
possible that selective factors were at work which led to the employment on NYA of Negro youth who had more education than the average Negro youth throughout the country. Among these may be—
1. The less educated Negro might have found it easier to obtain employment. Casual and very low paying jobs were available and acceptable to him.
2. The less educated Negro might not have applied for NYA employment. This could have been especially true in areas where Negro educational opportunities were the most restricted.
3. In the selection from among those who applied for NYA employment, it was possible that a tendency existed to choose the better educated.
The October 1940 survey showed considerable variation among the regions in the median grade attained. The highest attainment was found in the Pacific region, with an average of 12.3 grades. The lowest was in the East South Central States where the average attained was only 8.9 grades. The three southern regions, as well as the West North Central, fell below the national average of 11.1 grades.
Table 40.—Median grade attainment of NYA youth, by census region, out-of-school work program
■ * Median grade Median grade
Region: completed Region---Continued. completed
U. S. total_________ _ 11.1 South Alantic 9.8
East South Central--- ________ 8.9
New England '2. 0 West South Central _ 10.7
Middle Atlantic______ ________11. 7 Mountain____________ _______12.0
East North Central--- ________11.3 Pacific______________ _______12.3
West North Central--- ________10. 9
By urbanization areas, the highest median grade attainment was 11.2 in counties whose largest city ranged between 10,000 and 25,000. There was little variation in the median grade attainment for other urbanization areas except in the rural counties where the 9.0 grade and 9.8 grade were the median grade attainments in counties whose largest city was from 2,500 to 5,000 and under 2,500, respectively.
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Table 41.—Median grade attainment of NY A youth, by urbanization, out-of-school work program
Counties, by population Median grade Counties, by population Median grade
of largest city: * completed of largest city---Con. completed
U. S. total________ ________11.1 10, 000-24, 999______ ________11.2
•------------- 25, 000-49, 999______ ________10.9
Under 2, 500________ ________ 9.8 50, 000-99, 999_._____ ________10.5
2, 500- 4, 999______ _________ 9.0 100, 000 and over---- ________10.6
5, 000- 9, 999______ ________10.9
Age at Which NY A Youth Left School
The average NYA worker left school and began his search for employment at 17.7 years of age. Males, both white and Negro, left school about 7 months earlier than females.
There was little difference between the median age at which Negro and white youth left school. The Negro youth on the average left school 1 month later than white. This difference was in the opposite direction to that which would have been expected since indications were numerous that Negro youth were seriously disadvantaged in their educational opportunities and consequently dropped out of school at an earlier age.
Table 42.—Median age at which NYA youth left school, out-of-school work program
Race and sex: Median age Race and sex---Con. left school
Total________ left school All Negro__________ (years)
(years) Median age
______________17. 7 _______17.8
All white______ --------------17.7 Male__________ _________17. 5
--- Female________ _____---_ 18.1
Male______ _____________17.4
Female____ ____*__________18.0
The greatest percentage of NYA youth left school during their eighteenth year, when 27 percent withdrew. The two next largest years were 17 and 16. These three age groups—16, 17, and 18—included 70 percent of the school withdrawals. Only 15 percent left after their nineteenth birthday. The average NYA youth employed on the out-of-school program had probably finished his secondary education.
Table 43.—Percent distribution of ages at which NYA youth left school, out-ofschool work program
Age youth left school: Percent Age youth left school---Con. Percent
Total_______________ _____100.0 16_______________________ 18.6
--- 17_______________________ 24,3
Less than 13 years_____ _____ 1.5 18_______________________ ___ 27.0
13____________________ _____ 1.4 19 and' over______________ ___ 15.2
14_____v_______________ _____ 4.4
15____________________ _____ 7.6
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
127
Urbanization Differences Among Youth Leaving School
The age at which NYA youth left school and entered the labor market was not greatly influenced by the size of the community in which they resided. Youth in more rural communities (counties in which the largest town is under 5,000 population) left about 3 months earlier than the median of 17.7 years, and youth in highly urbanized communities (counties in which there are cities of 100,000 population) left about a month later than the average. In all other communities the school-leaving age was approximately the same as that for the country as a whole.
Table 44.—Median age at which NYA youth left school, by urbanization, out-ofschool work program
Counties, by population Median age
of largest city: W sfhooJ
(years)
U. S. total_________________17.7
Under 2,500_______________________17. 5
2,500-4,999_______________________17.4
5,000-9,999_______________________17.7
Counties, by population Median age
of largest city—Con. W school (years)
10,000-24,999_____________________17.7
25,000-49,999_____________________17. 7
50,000-99,999_________________17.7
100,000 and over_________________17.3
Reasons for Leaving School
Over two-fifths (45 percent) of the NYA youth gave an economic reason as the cause of their leaving school. Twenty-two percent had no funds to continue, 9 percent were needed for work at home and nearly 14 percent felt they ought to earn some money.
Economic reasons were given more often by Negro youth as the reason for leaving school than by whites. Fifty-seven percent of the Negro youth gave such reasons, contrasted with 44 percent of the white youth. Many more boys than girls withdrew from school for economic reasons. The difference between the sexes in both races was marked.
Over 37 percent of all NYA youth gave graduation from high school as the reason for their leaving school. This evidently was the goal toward which they were striving as only 5 percent of those who graduated from high school gave economic or other reasons for not going further. Possibly more would have liked to have gone on to college but could not do so for financial reasons.
The remaining 17 percent of NYA youth gave various reasons for not continuing their education. Less than 10 percent left because they lacked interest in or had difficulty with their school work. Three percent were obliged to stop school because of poor health. Only three-tenths of 1 percent left because of “disciplinary trouble.”
Previous Work Experience of NYA Youth
Information on the previous work experience of NYA youth was not known for all the cases covered in the October 1940 study. As
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information was available for the great majority of the youth, however, an analysis of the data available gave interesting and fairly reliable information on the work background of NYA youth.
In regard to work experience, NYA youth divided themselves into two groups. The first group contained those who had never had private employment. This was the larger group, and constituted 61 percent of the total, nearly two out of every three. The second group, 39 percent, was those who had had private employment at one time or another.
Table 45.---Proportion of NYA youth never privately employed prior to NYA
assignment, by present age, out-of-school work program
Percent never Percent never
Age of youth : Privately employed Age of youth: Privately employed
Total--- __________________ 61.2 20 years------------------- 58. 2
21 years___________________ 54.8
17 years ___________________ 63.0 22 years___________________ 50.8
18 years ___________________ 63.5 23 years------------------- 48. 7
19 years ___________________ 61.2 24 years___________________ 46. 9
The older the age group the greater the proportion with some work experience. About 53 percent of those 24 years of age had experienced some private employment, whereas only 37 percent of those aged 17 had ever been privately employed.
The work experience of NYA youth varied markedly among the regions. A greater number lacked work experience in the three southern regions than in any of the other six regions of the United States. Nearly 74 percent of the youth on NYA in the East South Central States of Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi had not had the opportunity for work in private employment. The corresponding ratios for the South Atlantic and the West South Central regions were 71 and 68 percent, respectively. The regions of best opportunity were the New England and Mountain States, where only 43 and 44 percent had not had previous private employment.
Rural counties, that is, counties which contained no city over 2,500 population in 1930, afforded the least employment opportunity to NYA youth. Nearly three-fourths, 73 percent, of the youth of these counties had no previous private work experience. The data presented in the following table indicate, in fact, that the more rural the area the higher the proportion of youth who had never had any private employment. The sole exception to this tendency appeared in counties whose largest city is between 50,000 and 100,000. NYA youth in that group of counties had slightly more experience than those in the metropolitan countries.
As has been pointed out, more female than male NYA youth had never had private employment. This relative disadvantage appeared
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 129
in all the urbanization groupings. It was more apparent, however, in the more rural counties and less marked in the more urban.
Table 46.—Proportion of NYA youth never privately employed prior to NY A assignment, by urbanization, by race and sex, out-of-school work program
Counties by population of largest city Percent never privately employed
All youth Males Females White Negro
United States total........................... 61.2 55.1 68.9 61.4 60.5
Under 2,500________________________________________ 72.7 65.5 81.1 73.5 62.8
2,500 to 4,999_______________________________________ 66.2 60.5 75.8 66.9 58.8
5^000 to 9^999_____________________________________ 65.3 58.7 74.2 65.5 64.4
10,000 to 24,999_____________________________________ 63.2 57.3 72.3 62.9 64.6
25^000 to 49,999_____________________________________ 57.6 53.3 62.4 57.6 57.4
50^000 to 99,999_____________________________________ 53.4 48.4 59.8 53.1 55.0
100,000 and over___________________»_______i_______ 56.6 49.3 64.2 55.7 60.0
An urbanization pattern existed, also, relative to the employment experience of Negro and white NYA youth. In the rural areas the proportion of Negroes who had never had private employment was less than that of the whites. The reverse was true in the urban areas. There the white youth had the advantage of nongovernmental employment opportunities.
Special Groups of Needy Youth Employed
The NYA employed needy youth who had physical handicaps, yet who were able to perform work if properly placed and supervised. For a period of a little over 1 year (from the fall of 1938 until November 1939), the NYA used its facilities to train refugee youth, without any expenditure of Federal funds.
Handicapped Youth Employed on Projects
The range of physical handicaps which afflicted many youth who were referred to NYA was large—defective speech, total or partial blindness, impaired hearing, loss or impairment of some member, and spinal or other disability resulting from infantile paralysis or physical injuries. Referrals to NYA projects were made by public agencies, such as State bureaus of rehabilitation, the Red Cross, Selective Service Boards, schools, hospitals, and welfare boards. The National Youth Administration reported back to the referral agencies on types of work assignment, work performance, ability to work with others, work habits, and the general progress of the handicapped youth.
From the beginning of the program, physically handicapped youth were assigned to NYA projects, carefully tested for aptitudes, counseled, and placed on suitable work in projects with physically well
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youth. This technique was educational for both, and adjustments were quickly made. The handicapped youth gradually gained selfconfidence and the normal youth learned to respect the abilities and work accomplishments of the crippled, the deaf, the blind, and those with speech impediments.
Physically handicapped youth took part in many types of projects— Clerical, home economics, library—and were placed in machine, radio, welding, drafting, aircraft, and other shops. The work was arranged so that materials were near at hand. Often the NYA arranged for medical treatment, artificial limbs, psychiatric guidance, speech correction, and lip reading. This was done in cooperation with State rehabilitation bureaus, public welfare agencies and interested individuals who contributed money and professional services.
One resident center for physically handicapped youth deserves mention. The NYA State administrator in Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Rehabilitation, established a resident work center at the Williamsport Technical Institute. During fiscal year 1943, there were 265 handicapped NYA youth assigned to work training here in drafting, radio assembly, aviation instrument repair, lens grinding, and other suitable work. Rooms at low rates in private residences were found for them as NYA could not construct dormitories for its project youth during the war period. Ninety-five percent of these handicapped youth found jobs in private industry.
When the first war casualties came back home, some were assigned to NYA projects. Since assignments to projects of injured servicemen occurred during the last year of operations, a sufficient length of time had not passed to permit valid evaluation of the extent of rehabiht^ Those who worked on NYA projects seemed satisfied with their immediate acceptance into a working group and welcomed the work training which would prepare them occupationally in keeping with their disabilities.
Equipment and supplies were made by NYA project workers for handicapped youth in schools and institutions, many of which lacked books and desks for children with limited vision.
The National Youth Administration employed another group of sociaHy handicapped youth during the last year of operation-parolees and probationers from prisons and reform schools. These boys and girls could not be paroled directly to the NYA, and no NYA official was allowed to serve as the sponsor for any boy or girl on parole. Parolees and probationers often were placed in resident project cen-Mi^^ i“ge °! ⁶ °r ¹<>Cal commu“ty environment was
of the™ t “1 T °ther NYA y⁰Uth Were t⁰¹d nothing
of the past histories unless the paroled youth themselves confided in other project youth, and they were advised not to do so by the project
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
131
supervisor. A fresh start with supervised work experience and individual counseling helped many of these youth over difficult hurdles into gainful employment.
Refugee Youth Employed
In 1938, national NYA officials and advisory committee members met with respresentatives from the National Coordinating Committee for Aid to Refugees and Emigrants Coming from Germany, the American Committee for German Refugees, and the Committee for Catholic Refugees. While only a few refugee youth reached this country, most of them stayed in New York. The NYA, through its system of work projects, was the desirable organization to put them to work, to get them distributed throughout the country, and to help them make their adjustments with American youth—thus enabling them to learn the English language and customs easier and quicker. Very few of the refugees had any money, and in accordance with the legislative provisions governing expenditure of Federal funds, the NYA could not pay them wages for work performed or assume the costs of transportation and subsistence. Consequently, national refugee committees paid the transportation of these youth from New York to resident projects in those States willing to accept refugee youth—which were most of the States. Local organizations or individuals contributed enough money to pay the NYA wages, including costs of subsistence, and small cash allowances for the young refugee men and women. These funds were easily raised by the national refugee committees and the National NYA Advisory Committee. The NYA offered the least expensive method of providing refugee youth with a place to live while training for jobs in private industry.
In November 1939, the National Refugee Service Committee reported that a total of 85 refugee youth had been placed in NYA resident projects in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York State (excluding New York City), Missouri, and Michigan. Georgia, with 26 refugee youth, had responded most fully. At the time of that report, only 61 were still employed on NYA projects. The others had secured jobs through the efforts of local NYA advisory committees. Most of these unfortunate foreign young people adjusted themselves well to their new environment. They all had far more educational background than the NYA youth with whom they lived and worked. Practically all were J ewish, unorthodox in religion, and the majority of them spoke and wrote English. According to reports from the resident project supervisors, American youth benefited from their daily association with the refugees from Fascism.
566597—44---10
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Project "Turn-over and Duration of Employment
NYA had no fixed policy of terminating project workers, since terminations ran high due to the large numbers leaving for private employment opportunities and because of program curtailments, loss of eligibility, and disciplinary dismissals.
Since the NYA was not a placement agency, a complete check on the reasons youth voluntarily left projects was not possible. However, local supervisors and youth personnel officers were able to maintain a moderately accurate check on the movements of project workers. A continuous national summary of the number of youth terminated was maintained by the Washington office for the fiscal years 1938 through 1943. During this period, 2,800,183 youth were terminated from NYA projects. Of this number, over 42 percent was known to have left for public and private employment. About seven-eighths of those who left for other employment went to private jobs. Until 1941 public employment outlets were principally WPA and CCC employment. Thereafter, public employment was mainly in Government manufacturing establishments, such as arsenals and navy yards.
Table 47.—Number of youth terminated from projects by reason? fiscal years 1938 through 1943, out-of-school work program
Entered private and public Mili- Other Adminis-
Fiscal year Total employment tary personal trative
Total Private2 Public service reasons actions
1938________________________________ 156,849 63,201 47,980 15,221 54,063 39,585
1939________________________________ 253,807 92,540 73,299 19,241 85,372 75,895
1940________________________________ 379,040 125,003 100,637 24,366 97,192 156,845
1941................................ 736,658 357,820 324,777 33,043 15,128 130,667 233,043
1942 combined programs.........„. 935,318 370,786 341,567 29,219 15,343 259,705 289,484
Regular program_______________
Defense program_______________ 597,604 198,353 180,401 17,952 5,562 140,822 252,867
1943 (July 1942 through May 1943) ’. 337,714 172,433 161,166 11,267 9,781 118,883 36,617
Total (July 1937 through 338,511 179,056 (9 (0 19,831 115,935 23,689
May 1943).......¿1......... 2,800,183 1,188,406 888,260 121,090 50,302 742,934 818,541
¹ Total terminations include NYA youth who were terminated more than once as a result of renssign m on t to projects. ■
² Includes an estimated number of youth who left for unknown reasons
³ June 1943 not available.
⁴ Data not reported separately after July 1,1942.
For the fiscal years 1938, 1939, and 1940 slightly over one-fifth of the estimated different youth employed during those years voluntarily left and were known to have received private and public employment. The placements known to NYA officials during the fiscal year 1941 were 36.7 percent of the total number of different youth employed on work projects during that year. This percentage increased to 41.2 percent for fiscal year 1942 and 48.8 percent for the first 11 months of fiscal year 1943. During the entire 6 years, a large number of youth who left voluntarily and were classified under other personal reasons undoubtedly obtained private employment.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 19 36-1943 133
A total of 50,302 left NYA projects for the military services from 1941 through 1943.
There were 742,934 (26.5 percent) who were known to have left for personal reasons such as illness, moving to another locality, marriage, return to school, etc.
A total of 818,541 (29.2 percent) were terminated by administrative action such as loss of eligibility, disciplinary reasons, tenure, curtailment of projects, and completion or discontinuance of projects.
An analysis of types of manufacturing and nonmanufacturing employment NYA youth accepted was made for the last three fiscal years (1941 through 1943).¹⁰ During the fiscal years 1941 and 1942, more youth took employment in nonmanufacturing industries than in manufacturing industries—117,000 as contrasted with 83,000 in 1941, and 113,000 as contrasted with 101,000 in 1942. In the fiscal year 1943, the number of youth who entered manufacturing industries was two and two-thirds times the number who went into nonmanufacturing industries—96,000 in contrast to 36,000.
Youth employed on the out-of-school work program had always been required under NYA regulations to accept bona fide offers of employment. To encourage them to accept private jobs which may have been of a temporary or seasonal nature, especially before the war period, the NYA assured them of reassignment to their project work upon conclusion of the private job. Youth who were involuntarily separated because of program curtailment or conclusion of individual projects also could be reassigned to the program.
Two studies were made of the duration of NYA employment of youth terminated from the youth work defense program in May 1942 and from the war production training program in January 1943. The May 1942 analysis of 28,255 NYA youth who had been terminated during that month showed that 37.7 percent had been on the program 30 days or less, 58.8 percent 60 days or less, 74.4 percent 90 days or less, and 84.1 percent 120 days or less. The other 15.9 percent had been employed on the NYA from 120 to 345 days, although only 1 percent had been employed more than 300 days.
The analysis made in January 1943 of 25,928 youth who were termi-nated during that month showed that 43.7 percent had been on the NYA war production training projects 30 days or less, 66.2 percent 60 days or less, 83.1 percent 90 days or less, and 92.5 percent 120 days or less. The remaining 7.5 percent had been employed by the NYA over 120 days, although only 0.8 percent had been employed more than 242 days.
¹⁰ See appendix B, tables 13, 14, and 15 for number of youth who left the NYA out-ofschool work program to accept jobs in private industry and public agencies, by sex and by type of industry or employment.
• VI-
Out-of-School Work Program: Nonresident Projects
Nonresident projects were those operated in local communities throughout the country with local public and quasi-public agencies acting as cosponsors. They were planned and initiated for eligible unemployed youth residing in these localities. Nonresident projects provided work experience to youth of these communities and at the same time produced useful goods and services for the benefit of the communities. The project activities were related to the local employment outlets for youth.
There were two broad general classifications of nonresident work projects—manual and nonmanual. This chapter presents descriptions of those types of work projects on which local youth were employed, but does not attempt to go into details of internal project organization, statistical analyses, hours and earnings, or project costs.
Manual Projects¹
Manual projects employing out-of-school youth consisted of construction, conservation, sewing and all types of workshops. On these work activities, youth learned to use their hands, to build, to remodel and repair, to make clothes and household articles, to operate machines, to make products from metals, and to overhaul and repair motors. The following project descriptions do not include all the production work youth did to gain work experience, but they do reveal the diversification of the work activities and give examples of physical accomplishments.
Construction Projects
“Construction projects” is a broad classification which includes widely varied types of work activities, from ditching in order to improve drainage to the construction of court houses, schools, and airports. As was true with all types of work projects, undertakings were in cooperation with local agencies. Besides State and local governmental agencies, local cosponsors could be nonprofit organizations which would assume responsibility for furnishing construction
¹ See appendix B, table 18 for percentage distribution of youth employed on the out-ofschool work program by sex and type of projects for fiscal years 1940 and 1941; and tables 19 and 20, by sex and type of work activity for fiscal years 1942 and 1943.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
material, some supervision of the work, and maintenance of the project after its completion.
Types of construction projects included recreation centers, either new buildings or additions to existing ones; renovation and expansion of museums; wayside bus stations; sanitary privies for rural schools; repair and building of rural schools; picnic camp shelters; outdoor theaters and bleachers; bathhouses; swimming pools and diving towers ; stone or concrete bridges in parks; upstream conservation dams; roadside picnic parks, with tables for picnickers; recreation equipment.
This diversified type of construction work readily found local support in most communities. The construction program soon became nation-wide after it was determined a major project activity early in the program.
The general classification of construction projects included the following:
1. Recreational structures and facilities such as bandstands, shower and dressing rooms, bleachers for gymnasiums and athletic fields, tennis courts, swimming pools, park and playground wading pools, public golf courses, park development, etc.
2. Road and street work.
3. Airport and airway work, such as landing fields, hangars, markers, etc.
4. Conservation activities, such as levees, retaining walls, riprapping dams and river banks, irrigation and drainage, fire breaks, and observation towers.
5. Public utilities such as drinking fountains, fire hydrants, and other phases of water supply; sewage and sanitation; electrical facilities.
Construction projects at first were simple. Cosponsors were not convinced that unskilled youth could build or repair sufficiently well to justify expenditures for materials. In one West Virginia town, youth sold bonds to buy materials to build a fence around a school athletic field, and planned to retire the bonds with admission receipts from the athletic games. Thousands of youth constructed recreational equipment, such as stone fireplaces, benches and tables, playground equipment, and wading pools.
Roads were constructed and repaired, although work on concrete highways was not frequent, since WPA Was engaged in this type of highway construction, which might demand hundreds of men in one location and heavier and more costly equipment than many NYA cosponsors could furnish.
In the early NYA days, many rural schools were repaired. Some in Kentucky, for example, had never been painted. There were no Playgrounds and the rough, precipitous hills were hazardous for small
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children. In county after county, NYA youth painted school houses, graded the yards by hand, and filled in crevices. As NYA youth demonstrated that their construction work was acceptable, they were given larger public jobs.
Examples of construction work done by youth are as follows:
In April 1938, West Virginia reported the following school construction program: At San Ford, youth constructed a 24- by 32-foot bus garage with a classroom over it, using weatherboarding on the outside and poplar ceiling and hardwood floors inside. At Hanner, a 22- by 32-foot concrete block garage-classroom was built, and lumber salvaged from a demolished schoolhouse was used for the interior. At Tanners’ Fork of Steer Creek, NYA youth graded a playground and moved a 1-room schoolhouse 350 feet and put it on a new foundation. At this same village, they also demolished and moved a 1-room school 5 miles and rebuilt it so that two 1-room schools were available for a larger number of pupils. At Upper Cedar Creek, NYA graded a school ground and built a 1-room building; at Cedar Creek, a 1-room school building was demolished and moved 3 miles and rebuilt; at Wardensville, NYA boys built a 10-room high school, in 2 sections, on ground purchased by the local women’s club and deeded to the board of education; at Moorefield, Frost, Elkins, Walton, Laneville, St. George, Douglas, Mathias, Rig, and in a rural spot near Moorefield, small schoolhouses were built. At Peterson, NYA workers built a 2-room unit for the high school, with cloak rooms, and a basement with dressing rooms, toilets, and showers, and a heating unit. Near Bowden, the department of public assistance furnished materials for a county health camp which NYA built. In 1937 a cloudburst washed the school on Route 1 at Waverly off the foundation and carried it 1 mile downstream; there NYA finished demolishing it, salvaged usable materials, and carried them back to the original site where the school was rebuilt.
Florida carried on an extensive building program, including the construction of Negro school units, vocational schools and shops. From 1936 to 1942, NYA built 46 home economics, trades and industrial, and other shop units. Twenty-seven were of stone, 14 of brick, 3 of concrete and 2 of frame.
Youth also repaired libraries, hospitals, and other public buildings. During the fiscal year 1939, NYA youth built, repaired, or enlarged 277 hospitals and medical buildings. In several towns, they built courthouses and city halls.- Bridge construction and bridge repair were usual projects. Many dams and ripraps also were built.
In 1937, NYA requested the WPA Engineering Division to make a careful and thorough survey of 108 construction projects. In general, the findings were favorable. The construction program as a whole
138 NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
was rated “very good.” Most of the projects were of value to the public, and there were adequate guarantees of maintenance after completion. Some of the economies practiced were criticized, and there was occasional inappropriate use of materials. The educational value of the projects was rated “good.” The surveyors deplored those projects which limited the youth to simple manual operations and which did not stimulate the youth to good work performances. Improvements in social attitudes among the young people were noted. Little correlation of jobs with supplementary school work or special training was found. Most youth benefited from work discipline. There was little evidence that the projects displaced adult workers or increased the supply of local nonrelief labor. In several instances, the lack of support of organized labor was reported. The health and safety of the youth were well guarded. Projects were operated in an orderly fashion and equipment was properly handled and cared for.
Projects involving the expenditure of $5,000 or more for materials had to be approved by the national office. State administrators were encouraged to send all building plans to Washington, where an architect and his assistant checked general utility, materials, and design. Many NYA State offices employed architects; and cosponsors frequently contributed the services of architects. General design improved progressively.
Specific undertakings of larger dimensions existed in certain localities. An example is the ski jump tower at Berlin, N. H. This project was completed in February 1939 and was cosponsored by the city of Berlin and the Nanse Ski Club, with the cooperation of the New Hampshire State Legislature. The city furnished the necessary materials; the ski club provided technical plans and supervision of the construction work; and NYA youth performed the labor. The number of youth employed on the project varied from 50 at its beginning to 144 on the date of its completion. The main steel tower is 171 feet in height from the ground surface and supports a wooden runway 310 feet in length. Below the structural slide, NYA youth cleared an acre of heavily wooded area for the landing field, terraced space suitable for spectators, graded the hillside, constructed a mile of roadway leading to the foot of the jump, and built log cabins and tool sheds.
Demolition work undertaken by NYA was subject to prescribed regulations. Sqch work could be performed only under circumstances which insured safety to NYA workers. Projects providing for demolition work on buildings over one story in height could not be undertaken until the site had been inspected by a properly authorized safety inspector and a written approval obtained.
In 1941, NYA youth were assigned to production work for the Civil Aeronautics Administration to construct and improve flying fields,
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hangars, and airport equipment. Prior to this time, many youth had worked on public airports. In 1939, NYA youth started to build a transcontinental chain of seaplane bases extending from Maine to Key West, and along the Gulf of Mexico to Louisiana. Other networks of bases were established up the Pacific coast, in the Mississippi Valley, and in the Great Lakes region. These bases usually consisted of docks and pontoons.
Individual projects were usually small, but each separate unit was a response to a local need as conceived through community planning by responsible persons. The construction of a safety fence around a park or playground, or the building of a wading pool, lacks the spectacular effect of a ski slide, but their relative value to the community is just as significant. Following are major construction items of physical accomplishment which exist throughout the country and demonstrate the extent to which NYA youth added to community facilities.²
Work completed
Item of accomplishment1 New con- Reconstruc-
struction or tion or im-
additions provement
Public buildings
All buildings---Total_________________________________________________________
9,554 25,626
Administrative and office buildings______________________________________ 257 1,271
Educational buildings---Total___5_______________________________________ 3,710 17,930
Schools______________________________________________________________ 1,279 15,900
Libraries____________._______________________________________________ 59 362
Vocational farm shops_______________________________________________ 1,376 198
Other vocational buildings__________________________________________ 129 21
Educational buildings. ___________________________________________ 867 1,449
Charitable, medical, and mental buildings---Total_______________________ 167 672
Hospitals and infirmaries____________________________________________ 33 268
Out-patient medical buildings_______________________________________ 50 94
Charitable, medical, and mental buildings___________________________ 84 310
Social and recreational buildings---Total_________________________________
1,171 2,020
Auditoriums________________________________________________________ 44 243
Gymnasiums________________________________________________________ 183 562
Youth center buildings______________________________________________ 305 491
Social and recreational buildings_____________________________________ 639 724
Community service buildings---Total____________________________________
1,052 1,461
Canneries, markets, and exhibition buildings2_______________________ 62 129
Community service buildings_____________~_________________________ 990 1,332
Other public buildings---Total.._____________________________________ 735 715
Armories and other military buildings2______________________________ 108 200
Other public buildings____1________L_______________________________ 627 515
NYA buildings---Total___________________________________________________
2,462 1,557
Resident center buildings____________________________________________ 1,857 1,206
Nonresident NYA buildings________*________________________________ 605 351
Demolition of buildings (number demolished)2______________________ 1, 728
Improvement of grounds around public buildings (acres improved) __ 123, 723
See footnotes at end of table.
² Items of physical accomplishment were reported for the fiscal years 1937 through 1942 unless otherwise indicated by the appropriate footnote. Data excludes Connecticut, District of Columbia, Utah, and Wyoming for the fiscal year 1942.
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Work completed
1
Item of accomplishment1 New con- Reconstruc-
struction or tion or im-
additions provement
Recreational structures and facilities
Recreational structures:
Bandstands. bHTldshftlls, &nd outdoor theaters - _ _ _ ___________ 276 291
Shower and dressing room structures 1,502 1,581
Bleachers grandstands, and stadiums 1,610 4.815
Information booths, roadside and park shelters______________________ 2,728 3,306
Lifeguard towers 2___________________________________________________ 101 1
Recreational areas and facilities
Athletic fields - - -_______________________________________________________ 3,189 5,370
Tennis courts___ _ ________________________-______________________________ 3,907 5,167
Other athletic courts _______________________________________________________ 5,743 1,959
Swimming and wading pools ______________________________________________ 407 651
Archery and gun ranges __________________________________________________ 116 53
Playgrounds______________________________________________________________ 4,333 12,901
Ice and roller skating areas 2_________________________________________________ ' 229 180
Golf courses _ ________________________________ ____________________ 88 354
Roadside parks2 . .________________________________________________ 281 292
Other parks 2 (acres) ____ ____________________________________ 61,428 129,632
furniture installed in park areas _ _____________________-__________ 70.387
Hiking, ski trails, slalom courses; bridle and bicycle paths (miles)___________ 250.3 325.0
Other recreational structures and facilities 3___ _ _ _ _ _ ______________ 35
Road and street work
Highways, roads, streets, and alleys (miles)_______. _ _____________________ 3,201.5 13,726.1
Bridges and viaducts________________________________________________________ 8,131 1,842
Culverts_____. . . . ______________. _____________________ 164,747 39,161
Curbs, gutters, and guardrails (miles)_________________ _____________________ 872.4 1,405.3
Sidewalks (miles)-______ . . _____________________________________________ 657.2 334.9
Parking areas and overlooks (number)2____________________________________ 7,017 3,740
Parking areas and overlooks (square yards)4. . _____________________________ 751,885 629,467
Roadside landscaping and beautification (miles) 12,380.2
Street signs and markers placed 1,139,546
Traffic lines and zones painted (miles) 1,559.5
Other items of road and street work (number)3 1,567
Airport and airway work
Landing fields_____________ _________________________________________________ 23 58
Seaplane landing locations8..... . ......v. . _________ 113 13
Seaplane landing facilities8___________________________________._____________ 123 20
Aircraft hangars 2____________________________________________________________ 31 22
Other airport buildings______________________________________________________ 49 86
Airport and airway markers placed.. 2,623
Public utilities
Water supply:
Drinking fountains 2__________________ ..._____... . . . 613 297
Fire hydrants 2__________ _____________________ . ... 957 3,040
Sprinkler systems (miles)2_______________________________ ...______..... 11.8 1.03
Storage and power dams2_______________________________ _______________ 3 3
Storage tanks, cisterns, and reservoirs___________________________________ 551 487
Water mains (miles)2...... . 74.6 8.2
Wells2________________________________ 1,262 132
Sewage and sanitation:
Cesspools, septic tanks, and sanitary privies_________________________ 13,314 673
Garbage and trash incinerator plants'2____________________________________ 765 16
Pumping stations 2___________.’._________________________________________ 27 17
Sewage treatment plants2______________________________ 424 34
Storm and sanitary sewers (miles)_____________________ 250.9 51.6
¹ Unit of measurement is number of items unless otherwise specified.
² For the fiscal years 1941 and 1942.
⁸ For the fiscal year 1942 only.
⁴ Cumulative through June 30,1940.
⁸ For the fiscal years 1940,1941, and 1942.
Cosponsoring agencies were State, county, and city governmental agencies and departments; State and local departments of education; charitable and medical institutions; hospitals; recreational agencies; Navy Department; War Department; State and local agricultural departments; museums; and civic organizations.
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Conservation Projects
National and State officials in State departments of conservation had utilized the assistance of boys in CCC camps and were not slow in voicing their interests in the NYA out-of-school work program. At the Upstream Engineering Conference held in Washington, D. C., September 22-24,1936, the national administrator agreed to cooperate with this group and shortly thereafter notified State NYA directors to confer with local conservation representatives.
Local and State cosponsors proposed such activities as fire prevention; destruction of grasshoppers, gophers, crows, rodents, etc.; propagation £nd planting of fingerling fish in lakes, streams, and aquaria; conservation and propagation of other wild life including game birds, deer, etc.; soil conservation demonstration and watershed projects in camp areas; nurseries and research projects; prevention of erosion and control of surface run-offs on State highway right-of-ways by the construction of check dams, aprons, and retards; irrigation and flood control in parks, roadsides, etc.; checks on flow data of small streams which are tributaries to main drainage systems; demonstrations in the prevention of forest fires and waste of forests by bad timbering methods; reforestation for beautification of parks, roadsides and public building grounds, or for conservation and erosion protection.
The large construction program in connection with parks and recreational areas is not included in this section. Much of the timber which youth cut for drainage on conservation projects was used as material for park benches, tables, and other recreation equipment. NYA youth also erected and repaired buildings for the National Park Service, a work activity which was classed under construction rather than conservation.
A large NYA conservation project was carried on at the Muskingum resident center in Ohio, which opened in December 1937 with 115 youth employed. In 1938 the center was enlarged so that 400 youth from surrounding States might work in this Schoenbrunn State Park. At first the youth lived in an abandoned CCC camp. With the timber they cleared from the reservoir area, they constructed cabins, a mess hall, a recreation building, and other needed structures. The work included tree planting, timber clearance, grading to prevent soil erosion, and general flood control. The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District cosponsored this project and provided some of the technical supervision. Related training included forestry, auto mechanics, construction practices, and shop work.
In Texas, NYA youth ran terracing lines on a half million acres of land. Kansas youth ran contour lines to prevent soil erosion and preserve moisture in drought years.
142 NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Types of work done by NYA youth during such flood emergencies as the Ohio River flood in 1937 included rescue of families and stock from flood waters; evacuation of families from endanged areas; making and distributing clothing, hospital garments, and bedding for flood refugees; cooking, preparing, serving, and distributing food to refugees in emergency food stations; assisting in emergency health stations, clinics, and hospitals; assisting Red Cross, county and city health and welfare departments, and other agencies in clerical work; providing messenger service to community agencies engaged in relief work; recreational work in refugee centers; repairing cars and boats used in flood relief; taking charge of registration in health cynics and commissaries ; making boats; cleaning city streets and public buildings; repairing public records and public library books damaged by floods; transporting food, fuel, and clothing for refugees; cleaning and sterilizing quarters used by the Red Cross and the refugees; constructing temporary offices, walks, roads, bridges; constructing and equipping refugee centers; assisting in cleaning and repairing water mains and emergency telephone lines.
Major physical accomplishments of conservation projects are as follows:³
Work completed
Item of accomplishment New construc- Reconstruction
tion or or improve-
additions ment
Conservation activities 141.7
Soil and erosion control: - 33.4
Levees and embankments____________________________„ miles 103,429
Retaining walls 1____,_____________•___________________________do.. -- 265 41.6
Riprap 1 --------------------------------------------square yards 17,375 3.3
Ki verbank, snore, and stream bed improvement______________miles 295,116 11,678
Drainage and irrigation ditches, canals, channels, and pipes...do.. 17,389 1,469.3
Dams (exclusive storage and power dams)_________________________ 5,822 733
Soil erosion control..._______________________ anrAs 6,063 943
propagation of wildlife: 355,487
Bird and game sanctuaries 2______...___________________________do 50,990 30,662
Bird and game sanctuaries3___________.___________________number.. 160,859,076 254
Bird and game shelter and feeding structures 1___________ 2,575.4 1,310
Stocking, bird and game_______________________ 185 218
Fish hatcheries___________________________________________ 42,999
Stocking, fingerling fish2. 139,628
Forest conservation: 2,354
Firebreaks and firetrails______________________________________miles 18,966,523 652.4
Fire observation structures______________________ 29,101 836
Clearing and grubbing 1_______________________________ acres 72,771 8,076
Tree and plant nurseries 2___________________________ do 12,922 5,757
Tree and plant nurseries 3________________________ number 341,800
Trees and shrubs planted____
Eradication of pests1
Noxious plant eradication_______________________ acres
Insect pest eradication______________________ do ----------------
■Noxious animal eradication__________________
Other conservation facilities 4...
1 For the fiscal years 1941 and 1942.
2 For the fiscal years 1940,1941, and 1942.
3 Cumulative through June 30,1939.
4 For the fiscal year 1942 only.
⁸ Items of physical accomplishment were reported for the fiscal years 1937 through 1942 unlss otherwise indicated by the appropriate footnote. Data excludes Connecticut, District of Columbia, Utah, and Wyoming for the fiscal year 1942.
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143
The educational aspects of conservation and reclamation projects gave youth a vision of national interests, less likely to occur in other types of work activities. Technical specialists usually were in charge of projects and through them the youth workers came into contact with the best known practices, whether they involved the preparation of nursery beds for sprouting seedlings for reforestation or the “stripping” of spawn from female trout to be hatched and cultured into baby fish for restocking purposes. Likewise, the construction and manipulation of turtle traps was learned as a means of lessening the destruction of fish eggs in natural spawning beds and the loss of baby water fowl on lakes and rivers. Through such experiences, youth workers not only acquired a mechanical skill but also gained a knowledge of the importance to the nation of the work in which they were engaged.
Numerous smaller work activities were continuously in operation on conservation projects, such as running telephone lines for fire towermen, emergency fire fighting, construction of area warehouses, development of scenic views or other sites of unusual public interest, and taking wild game censuses.
Private or public jobs in conservation were not open to many NYA youth. When the related training on conservation projects included mechanical shop work, blueprint reading, and other aids to construction, workers’ employability was greatly increased. Only in a few States was extensive related training available to supplement conservation project work.
Typical cosponsors were soil conservation services, State highway departments, State park departments, State forestry departments, United States Weather Bureau, State planning boards, State water commissioners, United States Forest Service, National Park Service, United States Public Health Service, United States Bureau of Reclamation, United States Geological Survey, United States Bureau of Fisheries.
Sewing Projects
Throughout the NYA program, sewing was an important project work for girls. It ranged from sewing scrap material by hand to power sewing of heavy materials which led directly into defense and war employment. When projects were equipped so that every girl had a treadle machine to use, which was accomplished by the end of 1937 in most States, much progress was thought to have been made. An example of such an early project was at Ranger, Tex., where 42 girls made articles for resident centers, such as bedspreads, curtains, and slip covers. The girls also made uniforms and learned to knit, embroider, and crochet.
In Milwaukee, Wis., several hundred girls made and repaired
144 NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
clothes for orphanages and city welfare groups. This shop was organized in a workmanlike manner, with forewomen, timekeepers, and inspectors, and production standards were maintained.
Some of the largest sewing orders for projects in all States came from hospitals for which girls made all types of medical and surgical supplies, and uniforms for doctors, nurses, and domestic employees. The Washington office permitted uniforms and work clothes to be made for NYA youth. Many youth arrived in machine shops, automotive repair shops, and woodworking shops in clothes neither safe nor adapted for the type of work they were doing. This manufacture of NYA work clothes never became a general practice.
In Louisiana, where homecrafts were stressed, girls on sewing projects had to take 3 hours a week of related training without pay, which included clothing construction, selection of personal clothing requirements, and social etiquette. Thousands of girls took Red Cross courses in first aid and home care of the sick. Technical information for small sewing projects was issued regularly from Washington.
There was some question as to how valuable hand and treadle sewing projects were to those girls who wished to learn industrial sewing. Certainly some aptitudes were verified. It became a regular practice to graduate youth from machine to power sewing projects. When the war program advanced, power machine operators were in great demand for making uniforms and military equipment. Also youth who had received experience in operating one type of power machine could learn to operate others quickly.
In December 1941, equipment requirements for defense industrial sewing projects were issued and a project had to have a minimum of 30 industrial sewing machines. The shop was required to be equipped with single needle plain stitchers ranging from slow to fast speeds and had to have in addition such machines as necessary to make a balanced unit to fabricate articles from both light and medium heavy materials. Shops equipped to perform heavier types of work were preferred. Adequate auxiliary equipment was to be provided, including electric cutters, pressing equipment, and hand irons. Each shop had to have storage space, tables, and other physical equipment conducive to volume output. The shop supervisor must have had several years experience as production manager in a section workshop, a good knowledge of pattern making, the knowledge and ability to instruct in the best methods of operation, and a knowledge of production records and how to keep them.
Shop supervisors were also charged with organizing and teaching related training courses. The W^ashington office suggested the follow-iⁿS types of related training: operations such as facings, plackets, collar setting required by industry but possibly not included in the execution of NYA orders; operation of machines not used on NYA
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145
projects (industry would have to grant use of machines); use of machine attachments; making of specific sample articles such as parachutes, tents, sleeping bags, and uniforms made by local industry but for which NYA had no orders; care of machines and other equipment; pattern drafting; safety practices; job possibilities; employer-employee relations; trade practices and trade terms; labor legislation such as wages and hours; special laws for women, social security, and labor standards.
The work of industrial sewing projects flowed as follows, with youth employed in every operation and process: checking and storage of incoming material; cutting department; assorting and marking; cut garment storage; routing of garments to machines; working on individual parts, joining or assembly of articles; work on special machines; incomplete bundles storage (for each shift of workers); hand finishing; inspection and cleaning; pressing; double-check inspection ; finished garment storage; and packing. Workers rotated in all the above operations, and records of their performances were kept. Only qualified youth were recommended for skilled work in industry.
At San Antonio, Tex., 106 youth were assigned to a power sewing project in August 1941. All had been given manual and machine dexterity tests by the Texas State Employment Service. Eighteen were terminated from the project as a result of the tests, and new youth to be assigned had to attain marks of fair or good. Youth worked in 2 shifts, from 7 a. m. to 12 noon and from 3:30 p. m. until 9 p. m. The work stations were at electric cutters, plain stitchers, bar tack machines, flat felling machines, embroidery machines, button sewing and buttonhole machines, sergers, and steam pressers. Both shifts met daily from 12:30 to 3: 30 p. m. for related training from instructors furnished by the State Department of Education. Owing to the large turn-over of workers to private industry, production was low and consisted of these articles for 1 month from both shifts: 1,000 pairs of coveralls, 1,200 shirts, 1,400 pairs of pants, 50,000 sheets, 85,000 pillow cases; 10,000 mattress covers, and 1,600 cooks’ uniforms (trousers, jackets, aprons, caps).
While the great majority of trainees were girls, some boys, especially in large garment centers like New York or Chicago were assigned to power sewing. Negro youth were also assigned. The garment workers unions cooperated, and youth automatically matriculated in the union when they applied for private employment. There was some anxiety on the part of the unions that workers would be trained for areas where wages were below standard, such as in the South and the Mountain areas, but NYA kept the union officials informed about the establishment of projects and union representatives had access to project youth.
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A partial list of articles produced on sewing projects for the fiscal years 1937 through 1942 is as follows:
Sewing and mattressmaking products: Number produced
Garments_________________________________________________________11,285,514
Household articles, bedding, etc_________________________________ 4,632, 815
Hospital supplies________________________________________________ 30, 778, 359
Flags____________________________________________________________ 144, 781
Other sewing articles, fiscal years 1941 and 1942 only___________ 1,808,004
Workshops
NYA did not develop workshop projects as an organized program until fiscal year 1938. The first procedures did not even suggest shop activities as a possible work activity for youth.⁴ Although hand carpentry and other simple types of shop work were carried on, they were incidental to other project work. In 1937, worshops were listed under miscellaneous projects and included handicrafts, toymaking and repair, furniture construction or repair.⁵
The youth who worked on NYA had received little or no manual training in school or in their homes. Many youth were totally unfamiliar with the use of simple hand tools. The workshop program developed slowly, probably because other types of projects such as minor construction, sewing, and clerical projects were more appealing to cosponsors, and materials and equipment for these latter types of work activities were cheaper and more available in all communities-
Many vocational schools and high schools had space and equipment unused for parts of the working day and on Saturdays, but few of these were made available for NYA shop projects.
Not many girls evidenced any interest in woodworking or other shopwork, and there was almost no opportunity for them when NYA shop projects were started. Private employment opportunities for girls in this field were practically nonexistent. This resulted in the development of homemaking, clerical, hospital, and other institutional assistance projects for girls.
Even after shops were well organized, representatives of the Washington NYA office had to sell many State administrators on the inclusion of girls in shop projects. They were supposed to be “dis-tractmg, to wear clothing and shoes which made the work hazardous, to be more interested in home economics. Negro youth with their fine traditions of manual dexterity, were accepted in shop projects, With segregated shops or shifts predominating in the South i k tYIT* WaS °PP°sⁱtⁱoⁿ » “»ny localities from organized laborwluch dld ⁿot wa“‘ the brief experience, for example in a wood-
«"0 Oregon ot NYA-Spoasored Fed-
Federlfwo^^^ «d Opera««» ₒf NYA-Spormred
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147
working shop, to convince a boy that he was ready to be a carpenter’s helper. Although union members were most frequently hired as supervisors, few local unions during this early period of the program accepted membership applications from NYA youth.
In the fiscal year 1941, when NYA embarked on an extensive program of defense work, the national office made a limited survey of shops then in operation to determine what improvements were needed to give maximum training to youth and to produce needed supplies for the Army, Navy, Maritime Commission, and other defense agencies. State administrators were requested to send in data concerning equipment, space, facilities, and adequacy of supervision. The shops were then rated good, medium,, or not acceptable without additional equipment (A, B, or C). The survey showed that relatively few shops were adequately equipped for production under the defense program. Out of a total of 1,509 shops, included in the survey, only 73 were rated as class A shops, 444 as class B, and 992 (66 percent) were not acceptable for defense production work without additional equipment and general shop improvement.
In eliminating inadequately equipped shops in 1941, NYA sent out suggestions concerning an improvement in the levels of efficiency. Buildings were required to afford adequate working space, safe working conditions, and adequate sanitary facilities. If new equipment was not available, usable second-hand equipment was to be secured. New shop sites were selected in industrial areas affording good transportation facilities in order to relate the project work to industrial outlets for employment. When schools could not furnish related training, the shop foremen were required to carry this additional load. Shops were required to keep equipment working round-the-clock. Work orders had to be secured in sufficient quantity and variety to keep the youth productively employed. If necessary, machines were shifted from locality to locality, or work subcontracted between NYA shops. NYA made all possible items for its own use, such as hand wrenches, tools, and in some instances, whole units of equipment as lathes and metal breaks.
Production schedules were required in all shops in order that Army and Navy products be delivered on time.
On January 13, 1941, the National Administrator informed State administrators that there had been purchased 50 prefabricated steel buildings and the machinery necessary for their equipment.⁶ These structures and facilities were assigned to the various States in relation to anticipated labor needs of defense areas, and other local conditions. Standard machinery and equipment for the prefabricated
• NYA Memorandum, Washington Office, Original Document dated December 20, 1940, and revised January 15, 1941, sec. 2.
566597—44--------11
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
shops were designated by the Washington office. Each prefabricated shop was required to have the following appliances :
Soda-acid fire extinguisher, 1 unit.
Fire hose, 2 50-foot lengths.
Couplings, 2 sets.
Respirators, 2 units.
Filters, 5 units.
All defense shop projects had to meet certain standard specifications. As will be described under separate types of shops, the number of work stations was listed; and adequate supervision, flow of materials, production reports, and records of progress were designated. The following types of shops were eligible under the defense program; a defense shop project could be a one-type shop or a combination-type shop:
Machine.
Sheet metal.
Welding.
Foundry. Forge.
Patternmaking.
Electrical.
Aviation mechanics.
Radio.
Industrial sewing.
Auto mechanics.
Woodworking.
In 1942, the War Manpower Commission approved 53 semiskilled occupations essential to war production, for which NYA was permitted to prepare its workers. The following table gives the approximate training periods scheduled for the specific occupations:
Table 48.—Selected occupations with critical shortage of labor
Occupations NYA Approximate training
training period
1. Acetylene-bumer operators 1________:_______________________ yes 2-6 months.
2. Armature winder, all around 1_____________________________ yes Less than 2 months.
3. Boilermaker helper, assembly and erection__________ no 2-6 months.
4. Bolter-up (ship and boat building and repair) 1_________ yes 6-12 months.
5. Boring-machine operator, automatic ___________ yes Less than 2 months.
6. Bucker-up (construction, ship and boat building)______ no 2-6 months.
7. Burrer, hand 1_________________________________” _ yes Less than 2 months.
8. Centerless-grinder operator _________________________ yes 2-6 months.
9. Chassis assembler, radio_________________________ yes Less than 2 months.
10. Chipper, metal_____________________ __________ . yes Less than 2 months.
11. Coil assembler, electric______________________ . yes Less than 2 months.
12. Coil winder, production. _______________________ yes Less than 2 months.
13. Cylindrical grinder operator1_______________ yes 6-12 months.
14. Detail assemblers1_____________________________ yes 2-6 months.
15. Dynameter tester, motor L...______________ yes 2-6 months.
16. Electrical assembler ________________________ yes 6-12 months.
17. Engine lathe operator2 __________________ yes 6-12 months.
18. External-grinder operator, production1________ yes 2-6 months.
19. Final assembler, aircraft1_________________ yes 6-12 months.
20. Flanging-press operator____________________ no 2-6 months.
21. Floor assembler (machine shop) _______ yes 2-6 months.
22. Forging press operator.-.___________________ yes 2-6 months.
23. Gear-tooth grinder_________________________ no 2-6 months.
24. Gisholt-lathe operator____________________ yes 2-6 months.
25. Internal grinder operator2_______________ yes 2-6 months.
26. Lapping machine operator i____________ yes 2-6 months.
27. Mflling-machine operator2______________ yes 6-12 months.
28. Nitrating-acid mixer________________________
See footnotes at end of table.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 149
Table 48.—Selected occupations with critical shortage of labor—Continued
Occupations ”NYA Approximate training
training period
29. Oxyacetylene cutting-machine operator__________________________ yes 2-6 months.
30. Painter, boat, rough____________________________________;__________ yes 2-6 months.
31. Plate hanger (ship and boat building and repair). ______________ no 6-12 months.
32. Punch-press operator, automatic1_____________________________ yes Less than 2 months.
33. Radial-drill-press operator 1______________________________________ yes 2-6 months.
34. Radio equipment assembler, special______________________________ yes 2-6 months.
35. Riveter, aircraft1________________________________________________ yes 2-6 months.
36. Riveter, hydraulic_______________________________________________ yes 2-6 months.
37. Rivet heater_______________________________________________ ____ yes -2-6 months.
38. Rotary-surface grinder operator L.. __________________________... yes 2-6 months.
39. Screw-machine operator, semiautomatic *. ___________________ yes 2-6 months.
40. Sheet metal worker helper1__________i___________________________ yes Less than 2 months.
41. Skin man, aircraft 2„__________________________________________ yes 2-6 months.
42. Steel-plate calker______________________ ______________ no 2-12 months.
43. Still operator. .. ____________________________________________ no 2-6 months.
44. Straightener, hand______________________________________________ yes 2-6 months.
45. Straightening-press operator___________ ________________________ yes 2-6 months.
46. Tank tester (ship and boat building and repair)..._______________ no 2-6 months.
47. Thread-grinder (machine tool) 1________________________ no 2-6 months.
48. Thread-milling machine operator________________________________ no 2-6 months.
49. Turret-lathe operator_____ _____________________________ yes 6-12 months.
50. Turret-lathe operator, automatic1_______________________________ yes Less than 2 months-
51. Welder, arc1_____________________________________________________ yes 2-6 months.
52. Welder, butt1_____________________■_________________________ yes 2-6 months.
53. Yardman (ship and boat building and repair)____________________ no 2-6 months.
¹ Occupations in which women are now employed.
² Occupations suitable for women workers.
As the demand for workers in war industries increased in all labor market shortage areas, NYA training periods were reduced and youth left shops for industrial employment frequently after only 2 or 3 weeks of employment in a NYA war production training shop.
In February 1942, NYA operated more than 3,900 production units, including power sewing units, with almost 52,000 individual work stations. These units were being operated on an average of two 8-hour shifts each day. Two-thirds of the production units were made up of machine and metal working stations. The program was concentrated in the mid-Atlantic region where, with the exception of Connecticut and the west coast, defense work was heaviest. The Washington office recommended 3-shift operation, but this could not' be achieved because of the lack of sound production and, in some areas, a shortage of unemployed youth. NYA shops were urged to make as many small tools and machine parts as possible for their own use or purchase by other States to equip their workshops.
Following is a partial list of spare parts, tools, and other items which were made for NYA use in addition to other regular production:
Spare Parts, Tools, and Other Items Made in NYA Shops Machine Shop
At least two sets of centers for each lathe (if shop was equipped with tool post grinder).
A complete set of dogs for each lathe, suitable to size of lathe.
A large and a small face plate for each lathe.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
At least one spare tool post, with base and wedge, for each lathe.
At least three tool holders (one straight, one left, one right), for each lathe.
At least three mandrels, or arbors, for each type of milling machine cutter.
An extended tool holder for interior keyseating for each shaper and planer.
At least three tapered sockets or sleeves, of each size, for each drill press.
At least two tapered drifts for each drill press (for drifting drills in tapered sockets).
A quantity of blocks and hold-downs for each shaper, milling machine and planer.
An adequate quantity of suitable T-headed bolts for each planer, .shaper, and milling machine.
.Standard blocks, wedges, and chocks for each planer and shaper.
Machine Shop Tool Room
A large quantity of both outside and inside calipers, of the stiff-jointed type; sizes included the maximum capacity of any machine in the shop.
Drivers (hermaphrodite).
Screw drivers of all sizes, properly heat-treated.
Squares of all sizes.
Surface gauges.
Parallel blocks of all sizes for milling machines.
V-blocks of all sizes.
Scribers.
Chisels.
Hammer heads of all sizes, properly heat-treated.
Sheet Metal Shop Machine tables.
Trays.
Tool boxes.
Buckets, 2% gallon.
Measures, 1 gallon, % gallon, 1 quart.
Wheelbarrows.
Funnels, varied sizes.
Racks of all kinds.
Pigeonholes for stockrooms.
Shelving.
Bins.
Folding welding shields.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
151
Radio Shop
Of the 10,000 kits of a.c.-d.c. receivers and interoffice communicators purchased by the national office, 2,000 units of 5-tube a.c.-d.c. sets were delivered to the field. With the component part on hand, plus the addition of a few extra parts, the following items were made on a standby basis:
Vacuum tube-volt meters.
E. C. O. oscillators.
Variable frequency signal generators.
Interoffice communicators for Army, Navy, and other public agencies
Receivers.
All types of test equipment, as outlined in “Radio Amateur Handbook.”
In September 1942, the national office received reports that in certain areas machines were idle because of lack of sufficient production work, or because the production was not sufficiently diversified to make use of all types of machines in the shop. Supervisors were instructed to form groups of NYA youth to use idle machines for training purposes. Only scrap metal was used for this training.⁸ In order to utilize NYA shop equipment for training purposes, the National Youth Administration and the United States Army reached an agreement in November 1942 whereby Army personnel might be assigned to war production training projects provided NYA activities were not restricted or interrupted. Each such arrangement required the approval of the Washington offices of both organizations. NYA was reimbursed for the use of its facilities, personnel, and services furnished. The War Department was furnished with a list of project locations which had facilities available for use by Army trainees.⁹
It was necessary to secure priorities for most of the materials used on NYA projects during the war period. When production was for the armed forces, or the Maritime Commission, materials were secured by these war agencies. Critical tools and materials for production co-sponsored by other public agencies required priority certificates and preference ratings in accordance with the conservation orders of the War Production Board.
Under the war production training program there were three reserves of manpower which were given special consideration in preparing them for employment in war industries, namely, young women, physically handicapped youth, and Negroes.
NYA recruited girls diligently. In July 1942, girls comprised 36 percent of the total number on the rolls. In January 1943, this pro-
⁸ NYA Memorandum dated Sept. 11, 1942.
⁸ NYA Memorandum dated Nov. 26, 1942.
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
portion rose to almost 43 percent. At first NYA girls did spot welding, assembly, and inspection, which were related to the openings occurring for them in industry. As the labor shortage grew, war contractors employed them as workers in shipyards, aircraft factories, and machine shops. They were in great demand for delicate assembly of electric motors, switch boxes, panel boxes, and instrument boards, and as fuse makers and radio assemblers. The War Manpower Commission and industry sent out appeals for women. Mobilization drives were conducted in practically every shortage area to secure women willing to accept wartime employment. Although NYA did all it could to recruit young women for war production training projects, in order to prepare them for employment in esssen-tial occupations, the number of girls never reached the same proportion as boys on the program.
Draft boards, public welfare services, the U. S. Employment Service, and the State rehabilitation services recommended physically handicapped youth to NYA. Many could learn both simple and complex mechanical operations, and were readily accepted by industry if adequately trained.
During fiscal years 1942 and 1943, NYA employed Negroes in shops on a higher-than-population ratio. Wartime employment opportunities developed very slowly for Negro youth trained by NYA even though their ability and job performance were equal to the white youth. The National Administrator requested State administrators in March 1942 to give particular attention to the provision of opportunities for Negro youth in NYA defense activities, particularly in those instances where the regular program project activities had been discontinued or curtailed.¹⁰
Vocational Tarm Shops
It has been observed elsewhere in this report that resident centers were planned and established primarily for rural youth. Local cosponsors and local NYA supervisors soon discovered, however, that there were many rural youth who could not be served by resident projects because they could not or would not leave their homes for periods of several months. Nevertheless, they were in need of the type of work experience which workshops furnished, and their personal aptitudes and general environment particularly conditioned them to benefit from such an opportunity. A partial answer to the problem of developing valid work projects for needy rural youth was the construction of farm machinery repair shops and rural vocational shops in cooperation with State and local vocational authorities, which were equipped for repair service and the production of articles of useful value to the farm community. From fiscal year 1937 through 1942,
¹⁰ NYA Memorandum dated Mar. 23, 1942.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
153
a total of more than 1,376 vocational farm shops were constructed by NYA youth working under qualified supervisors and another 198 had been reconstructed or improved.
Production in vocational farm shops included the repair of farm machinery and equipment, farm carpentry, the building of farm forges, the making of metal fence posts, construction of storage bins and silos, and other wood or metal work. Articles produced went to NYA resident centers, to county agricultural agents, to rural schools, and to other municipal agencies. Youth gained needed familiarity with modem farming equipment, its use and maintenance. Only a small number of rural girls were employed in these vocational farm shops, although the work experience would have been useful when girls were needed on farms in 1942 and 1943 to run and repair tractors, to operate electric power plants on farms, and to drive milk trucks to and from markets in order that this country’s war food production would surpass all previous records of agricultural production.
The large number of vocational farm shops (approximately 400) built by NYA youth in fiscal year 1942 arose out of the defense emergency need for vocational shops to prepare rural youth for defense employment under the defense training program carried on by the public vocational schools. The building of these shops was approved and cosponsored by the State boards of vocational education. Seven out of every 10 of these shops were located in communities of 2,500 population or less.
Woodworking Shops
Up to the time of the defense emergency, carpentry and other types of woodworking were the principal shop activities in which NYA youth received work experience. Many schools needed new furniture or furniture repaired, and laboratory and recreational equipment. NYA woodworking shops met part of this need. Furniture was also built and reconstructed for NYA local offices, projects, and resident centers.
Another community need was for outdoor and indoor recreational equipment, such as playground swings, slides, and teeters; wooden park benches and picnic tables; checkerboards and pingpong tables.
For public institutions throughout the country, NYA youth rebuilt and refinished thousands of school desks and other school equipment. Almost no item within the range of woodwork shops was excluded from the war production program. Laboratory tables, recreational equipment, cabinets, desks, chairs, dressers, davenports, tables, window frames, doors are examples of NYA woodwork shop production.
Under the defense program in fiscal year 1942, woodworking shops were required to have at least 15 work stations and to include patternmaking, joinery, or some other form of woodworking approved as a
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defense occupation first by the Office of Production Management, later by the War Manpower Commission. The type of production and the hours of training also required approval of these war agencies.
Each shop was required to have as a minimum the following machines :
Cut-off saw. Table saw. Mortiser. Shaper. Sander.
Planer.
Joiner.
Band saw. Tenoner. Lathe.
For every three machine work stations, an additional station was added for bench assembly work. Hand tools necessary for all operations were required. Girls were not assigned to these projects until fiscal year 1942.
Following is a partial list of woodwork shop production items:¹¹
Item of accomplishment Number units produced and repaired
Total Produced Repaired
Lumber and lumber products:
Lumber produced (board feet)_________________________________ 52,123,604
Firewood cut (cords)________2_________________________________ 324, 769
School furniture 1_____________________________________________ 1,337,185
Household and office furniture1_________________________ 775,486
School office and household furniture2_____________________ 1,897,000
Rustic and outdoor furniture1_________________________________ 115,196
Wood signs_______________________________________________ 211,975 193,063 18,912
Window and door sashes, frames and screens1__________________ 199,737 787 127
Looms3_________ _________________________ 914 287,972 8,698
Wood containers3__________________________ 296,670 1,322,444 5,288
Other lumber products (number)3________ ______________ 1,327,732 62,297
Other lumber products (linear feet)3_____________________ 62,297
¹ For the fiscal years 1940,1941, and 1942.
² Cumulative through June 30, 1939.
³ For the fiscal years 1941 and 1942.
³ For the fiscal year 1942 only.
Such defense items as work benches, target frames, ammunition shipping cases, machine gun boxes, ammunition boxes, footlockers, and hospital chests also were made for the armed forces.
M.etal Shops
Metal shops were first developed in fiscal year 1939 and were increased in number until in 1943 there were over 600 shops in operation employing 18,800 youth as late as April 1943. Youth did sheet metal, welding, and forge work in metal shops and made products of both ferrous and nonferrous metals. If a forge shop were established as a shop unit, the Washington office required that there be 12 work stations with a minimum of 6 forges. When the equipment included a power hammer, this hammer was not counted as a work station.
¹¹ Items were reported for the fiscal years 1937 through 1942 unless otherwise indicated by the appropriate footnote. Data excludes Connecticut, District of Columbia, Utah, and Wyoming for the fiscal year 1942.
566597—44----------11
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
155
An example of a small metal shop project was at Athens, Ohio, where 68 young men were assigned to a sheet metal shop under the supervision of an instructor with 20 years of practical experience. The youth made metal furniture, filing cabinets, and other metal articles using the bending and shaping equipment, and spot-welding the sheet metal. The various types of pre-employment experience gained here were planning and lay-out of work, arc and gas welding, cutting, general manufacturing principles, and painting with brush and spray gun. Each youth was required to keep a record of the time it took him to perform each operation as part of the production scheduling training method and also to develop good work habits. Ohio University provided related training teachers for courses in aircraft structure and aircraft engines, and the University gave certificates to boys who successfully completed 6 months of related work. The community accepted this metal-working shop as the basis for vocational schools to be organized for all Athens County.
In addition to local public agencies, cosponsors were the War and Navy Departments, and Maritime Commission.
The following is a partial list of metal products made in NYA metal, forge, and foundry shops :¹²
Item of accomplishment Number units produced and repaired]
Total Produced Repaired
Metal products, ferrous and nonferrous:
Metal school furniture1_____________________________________ 146, 776 30,182 116,594
Other metal furniture1 _____________________________________ 148,565 124, 317 24,248
Hand tools, including edged tools_____________________________ 362j 045 300, 264 6L 781
Signs and name plates LL.._______________________ 299,047 270j 636 28,411
Heating and plumbing fixtures1______________________________ 58’ 686 38, 698 19,988
Lighting and electrical fixtures 1 _____________________________ 53, 881 40^ 622 13, 259
Household and hospital kitchens2____________________ 65,086 59, 755 5,331
Ornamental metal work1_____________________________________ 66^727 65’ 796 ’ 931
Wire products1______________________-________ 206j 204 204j 771 1,433
Bolts," nuts, washers, rivets, screws, etc.1______________________ 2,492,852 1, 266,419 1,226,433
Gun parts and equipment1______________________________ 2,841,240 573,379 2,267,861
Stamped and pressed metal parts1_____________ 267,366 262,812 4,554
Machine tool parts; dies, etc'.1________________________ 113' 919 103,831 10,088
Other machinery parts_____________________________________ 167, 707 151^543 16j 164
Other rough or finished machined parts1______________________ 412, 205 402, 605 9,600
Other sheet metal work (number) ___________________________ 873,611 847,839 25, 772
Other sheet metal work (linear feet)3 ____________________ 500 500
Other metal products1___________________________ __________ 2, 379,101 322,050 2,057,051
Tools or mechanical equipment constructed or repaired4_____ 274,030
1 For the fiscal years 1941 and 1942.
2 For the fiscal years 1940,1941, and 1942.
3 For the fiscal year 1942 only.
< Cumulative through June 30, 1939.
The work experience gained by youth in the production of these products resulted in quick placements of the youth in essential war employment. Turnover was exceedingly high, and youth were eager for the work and training obtained on these projects.
¹² Above items were reported for the fiscal years 1937 through 1942 unless otherwise indicated by the appropriate footnote. Data exclude Connecticut, District of Columbia, Utah, and Wyoming for the fiscal year 1942.
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"Foundry Shops
NYA operated about 40 small foundry projects or foundries in connection with metal shops in which youth acquired work experience in green sand molding, dry sand molding, core making, the melting of metals, pattemmaking, and blueprint reading. The minimum requirement for a foundry project was 12 work stations and the number of stations was determined by the size of the cupola, the auxiliary equipment, and the amount of floor space. For example, NYA technicians considered that a 2,000-pound cupola with a core-making machine, a core oven, and an adequate number of flasks and hand tools allowed 12 work stations. The following illustrates items produced in foundry units:
Casting torpedo boat ventilator cap forms.
Aluminum castings.
Brass and bronze castings.
Patternmaking Shops
Youth in mechanical shops were familiar with patterns, although few had actually made them. NYA had only a very limited number of patternmaking shops. Some 20 or 30 were established at the beginning of the defense period. To be classed as a standard patternmaking shop, 12 work stations were required. Each bench was counted a work station. Necessary auxiliary equipment included hand saw, circular saw, joiner, lathe, and adequate hand tools for the making of usual patterns. Few girls were assigned to patternmaking shops. Machine Shops
Machine shops under the defense program were about 400 in number and each shop was required to have a minimum of 21 work stations, with machines such as lathe, shaper, planer, milling machine, surface and horizontal grinder, and equipment such as sensitive drills, bench and pedestal grinding wheels, metal cutting band saws, and power hack saws. In addition to actual machine operation, other shop duties were included in regular work routines—maintenance of the tool room, operation of the small auxiliary equipment, and bench (particularly assembly) work. In no instance were two youth in any one shift assigned to the same individual machine.
NYA youth- in machine shops produced many items of mechanical apparatus and equipment. In addition, machine shops serviced other NYA shops by doing the machine repair and machining of small parts. NYA workers performed both hand and machine operations and had an opportunity to become familiar with the elements of machines, tools, and methods. The youth did lay-out and bench work, in addition to operating machines.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 19 36-1943 157
In most machine shops, a youth was trained on one machine only, and was termed a “machine operator.” Definite job outlines, usually 20 to 30 jobs, based on machine operations were set up for each machine.
Examples of apparatus and equipment produced by NYA youth in machine shops during fiscal years 1940 through 1942 are as follows:
Item of accomplishment Number units produced and repaired
Total Produced Repaired
Mechanical apparatus and equipment:
Metalworking and woodworking machinery 1------------------- 6,778 3,144 3,634
Agricultural machinery i __________------___------------ 3, 683 557 3,126
Office and household machinery i____--________________________ 2,895 639 2,256
General industrial machinery 1_________________________________ 4,401 379 4,022
13,942
31' 381
Interoffice communication systems t __________________________ 4,528 2,348 2,180
Autos trucks and tractors 2 ____________________________ 132,866 888 131, 978
Aircraft (including gliders) 1 ______________________________ 1,275 19 1,256
Boats (under 5 tons)i _______________________________ 899 258 641
154 154
Other mechanical apparatus and equipment8-------------------- 48,427 29,954 18,473
¹ For fiscal years 1941 and 1942.
'* For fiscal years 1940,1941, and 1942.
* For fiscal year 1942 only.
Aircraft Shops
In 1938 and 1939, youth in NYA automotive shops liked to tinker with airplane motors, and often they requested that related training in aviation be given them, which was occasionally accomplished by securing plane motors and equipment discarded as obsolete by the Army or Navy and municipal airports near the projects. In fiscal year 1940, NYA youth constructed for municipal airports hangars and airport equipment, such as range and boundary cones, corner markers, and windsocks. These youth were interested in aviation mechanics and the Civil Aeronautics Administration cooperated in setting up related training in this field. The youth also were engaged in construction of seaplane bases and wanted to know more about the planes which landed at the pontoons they had built. Aircraft mechanics training courses were set up for them.
In 1939 and 1940, NYA officials arranged with the CAA, the Army, and the Navy for work in airdraft sheet metal. Woodworking, welding, radio, and electrical shops performed work related to aviation. In the latter part of 1940, a number of aviation mechanic projects were organized, and by 1942 there were 35 aircraft mechanic and engine mechanic shops.
One of the earliest aviation projects was the Air Depot Resident Work Center at Middletown, Pa., cosponsored by the U. S. Army Air Corps, the Harrisburg School System, and the Pennsylvania State Department of Public Instruction. An active local advisory com
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
mittee of 30 citizens representing education, industry, and labor assisted in planning and developing this project. Each youth went through a preliminary work experience period during which he alternated NYA shop work with defense courses in the public vocational school. He worked on motors, starters, generators, fuselages, wings, radio equipment, and aircraft parts from Army and Navy stocks. In the defense training classes he learned to read blueprints, studied electricity, became familiar with trade terms, shop practices, and general aircraft production methods. When the NYA supervisor judged a boy sufficiently prepared, the youth was assigned to the Middletown Air Depot where he was employed 2 weeks of each month in one of the departments of the Air Depot on engine repair, sheet metal, machine shop, instrument repair, electrical work, propeller work, dope and fabric work. One-third of the boys were employed as clerks, stenographers, warehousemen, and general helpers, and were supervised by the regular depot staff. The time schedules and rules of regular employees were observed, although the NYA youth were paid only the small monthly NYA wage. The youth found employment in industry as beginners in machine and metal shops. A number passed civil-service examinations as general mechanics helpers and started work at $110 a month.
Another similar NYA project in 1941 was located at the Fairfield Air Depot in Dayton, Ohio, where 360 NYA youth received 6 months’ work experience in engine, instrument, or plane repair, machine propeller, woodworking, or parachute shopwork. Related training was provided by the public schools from defense training funds in blueprint reading, shop mathematics, and kindred subjects. Most of the youth obtained civilian jobs in the Army Air Corps.
In April 1942, 5 Army-cosponsored NYA aviation projects were operated in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Minnesota, California, and Texas (where girls were employed). The new air depot at Ogden requested a NYA project. Aviation projects soon had to be enlarged to accommodate the unemployed youth who wanted this type of work and to complete the production contracts on the schedules indicated by the Army or Navy. At Duncan Field Air Depot in Texas, 89 of the first group of 109 NYA youth workers found civil service jobs at the depot.
In August 1941 the national NYA office prescribed a minimum of 12 work stations for each standard aviation mechanics shop. To qualify under the defense program, shops had to give work experience on actual planes and be located near or connected with an air depot or aviation base. Youth working in other NYA mechanical shops were allowed to use the aviation shop equipment for related training up to 80 hours a month if training schedules could be arranged without interference with production work.
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159
The NYA had a small number of projects on which youth built gliders and glider trailers. The Washington office relayed to State offices the method of cooperation with the CAA in the construction of these motorless planes. For example, at the Cassidy Lake Resident Center in Michigan, a group of NYA youth was employed on a glider project involving flying, assembly, and upkeep of planes and the maintenance of the flying field itself. In Minnesota, five complete gliders were constructed for the State for use at airports throughout the State in cooperation with the State Aeronautical Commission. The gliders received CAA approval.
NYA youth also built or made additions to 23 and repairs to 58 landing fields, erected 31 aircraft hangars, and made improvements on 22 others. They built 49 other small airport buildings and improved or reconstructed 86 more.
Radio Shops
While NYA radio shop projects were never a large part of the workshop program, they were in operation from the beginning of the shop program in fiscal year 1938. By fiscal year 1940, considerable improvement had been made in the quality of the radio shops and the type of radio work done by the NYA youth employed on these projects.
In 1940, NYA was requested by military officials to train 5,000 radio operators under a shortened, intensive course. In order to have supplied the military services with this number of qualified radio operators, approximately 15,000 youth would have had to be assigned to radio projects. Equipment and supervisors were not available for such a large number of youth to perform work, such as the building of transmitters, receivers, public address systems, interoffice communication systems, electronic burglar and fire alarms, and electriceye speed recording devices. Standard Signal Corps radio courses were adapted for NYA use and distributed to all radio projects. Although employment of NYA youth as radio operators increased, NYA was never able to meet the request of the military services.
Under supervision, NYA youth built and operated a Nation-wide short-wave radio network of amateur stations. More than 31,000 radio transmitters and receivers were made in fiscal years 1940 through 1942. Many State-wide networks were built for local police departments. In Maine, spurred on by the model radio workshop at “Quoddy” Resident Center, NYA radio activity was State-wide. In April 1940, a gale and blizzard destroyed telephone and telegraph communications for a part of the State and nearby Canadian Island. The NYA “Quoddy” radio was the only link to the outside world. Messages were relayed by amateurs, and NYA-built police car transmitters carried messages to ships at sea as well as to points on land. The State of Maine also contributed $10,000 for materials for NYA to construct a State-wide police
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
network. NYA youth finished this assignment on schedule, and the completed equipment could not be distinguished from a factory job, either in appearance or performance. The first unit in this system provided for 2 fixed transmitters at Wells and Thomaston, in 15 mobile units operated with 10 watts power on 39,000 kilocycles for two-way operation to be installed in police cars.
All over the country, in their leisure time, NYA youth formed radio clubs, took part in the NYA amateur short wave network, and tinkered after hours with old radios. There can be no computation of the value of this leisure-time work.
Relatively few girls were employed on radio projects, although their employment in radio industry had always been high and was steadily mounting. Twenty-five girls in a resident center at Brenham, Tex., formed an all-girl amateur short wave radio club, and in 2 months’ time most of them had attained a received rate of eight words a minute.
Electrical Shops
NYA youth working in radio, woodworking, mechanical, and other shops learned to operate the electrical equipment in these shops. Youth also did the major part of the electrical work for NYA resident and local work centers and shops. NYA youth installed power lines, placed floodlight standards; laid police, fire, and traffic signal wire, telephone and telegraph lines. The following are representative of the extent of electrical work NYA youth performed during fiscal years 1941 and 1942:
Work completed
Item of accomplishment New construc- Reconstruction
tion or or improve-
additions ment
Electric or communication facilities: 1,116.6 846.4
Electric power lines______-___________________________________miles.. 3,030 2,276
Fire alarm and police call boxes____________________________number.. 457 2.1
Floodlight standards placed_________________:___________________do.... 43 61.8
Police, fire, and traffic signal wire___________________________miles.. 86.7 293.0
Telephone and telegraph lines_________________________________do____ 583.0
Telephone and electric lines, fiscal year 1940-------------------do....
There were very few shops devoted exclusively to electrical work. In 1942, when electrical shops were designated as a separate shop classification, there were more than 25 electrical units for the employment of a maximum of 540 youth workers. The minimum number of work stations was 12, depending on and varying with equipment, floor space, and production. For example, a shop doing motor work needed a small bench lathe, equipment for rewinding motors from fractional to 5 horsepower, and equipment to rewind both motor armatures and motor fields up to 5 horsepower. Shops which did house wiring were required to be equipped to do knob and tube work, conduit bending and installing of all types, and BX cable work.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 161
Auto Mechanic Shops
There were auto mechanic shops in every State and resident centers generally had auto mechanic shops. Work production in auto mechanic shops included removal and installation of motors, grinding valves, carbon and engine tune-up, bearings and cylinder work, piston rings and pins, exhaust and intake system, front and rear axle, clutch, transmission, steering gear, electrical system, lubrication, brakes, wheels and tire work, springs, frame and fender repair, painting, gas station services, washing and polishing bodies, and toolroom service. The NYA boys who finished this work and training were not master mechanics, but they were fairly well trained in auto mechanics. NYA cars and those belonging to other governmental agencies were serviced in these shops. While NYA had its own supervisors, often local garagemen helped supervise the youth, while keeping their eyes on likely youths for jobs.
An example of a small auto mechanic shop was one at Miami, Fla., set up in a WPA warehouse. Boys tuned up engines, replaced light bulbs, made repairs and replacements, disassembled.and reassembled engines, and made body fender repairs. They attended related training classes regularly where they received instruction and practice in problems of ignition, batteries, engine-power, individual auto parts and functions,, and other related automotive subjects. Attendance at these related training courses was continuously good.
To qualify under the defense program an auto mechanic shop had to have 12 work stations with space for at least 5 cars or trucks at one time. Each such space counted as 2 work stations. In a 12-station shop, 1 additional work station could be established in the tool room and 1 in the parts department. A shop had to have the equipment necessary to repair and overhaul as many cars or trucks as the shop accommodated.
Shoe Repair Shops
There was a small number of NYA projects set up for shoe repair and some 220,000 shoes were reported by State administrators as having been repaired in fiscal years 1937 through 1942. At Manassas, Va., for example, physically handicapped youth were taught shoe repair in an up-to-date mechanized shop. Women’s clubs collected worn-out shoes, which youth repaired for distribution to needy persons by charitable agencies. A similar shoe repair shop for Negro youths was operated in Indianapolis.
Industry Endorsement of NYA Youth
In 1943, leading war production industries, totaling about 300 in 28 States, testified concerning the training and workmanship of NYA youth. Below are some quotations frm letters received by NYA:
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NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
California Shipbuilding Corporation, Wilmington, Calif. :
Our records indicate that these men (NYA) have come to us well qualified for shipyard work, and they have proven themselves to be excellent employees. We hope your training program is to continue during the coming year and that we shall be able to count on additional men * * *
Carnegie Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa. :
We have found that NYA trained boys generally have an excellent background in work experience and in citizenship which permits their induction into our shops with a minimum disturbance to the unit and to us. They appear to adapt themselves very easily to our training activities, evidently because of their previous training.
Delco Radio Division of General Motors Corporation, Kokomo, Ind. :
Checking the records of our new employees we find several people who have had previous work experience and training offered by NYA. We find in most cases that these people are more» adaptable to their work assigned than new employees without previous training or the benefit of some vocational training * * *
Extracts of a telegram from the Independent Pneumatic Tool Company of Chicago:
We have had considerable experience with the work centers of the NYA and cannot be too enthusiastic in our praise of them.
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif. :
After observing our records, we find that your boys have without exception been above the average * * * There is no doubt that Lockheed is indebted to you and your organization for the work you have done in aid of national defense.
The Remington Arms Co., Bridgeport, Conn. :
To date we have in our employ 50 boys who have had some previous shop training under NYA instruction. Our experience with these boys has been satisfactory. By placing some with our more experienced workers and machinists, we have been able to partially fill a gap caused by our inability to obtain more experienced help.
The Trow Engine & Machine Co., Troy, Pa. :
We wish to advise that we have employed several young men in our plant who have had pre-employment training, such as conducted by your administra-tion, and find that they have a distinct advantage over young men without this training.
Nonmanual Projects ¹³
Nonmanual projects as differentiated from manual projects were white-collar work activities such as clerical and stenographic work; hospital and institutional assistance ; home economics, nursery school, and school lunch projects activity; recreational assistance; arts and
“ See appendix B, table 18 for percentage distribution of youth employed on thé out-ofschool work program by sex and type of project for fiscal years 1940 and 1941 ; and tables 19 and 20, by sex and type of work activity for fiscal years 1942 and 1943.
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crafts, library and museum work; and research and subprofessional work, such as statistical and survey assistance. In the initial years of the NY A, white-collar projects, arts and crafts, and other assistance types of work activities dominated the work program. There were so few employment opportunities for youth in manufacturing industries and trades that there was little public interest in or support of projects involving specialized shop production or construction. The non-manual projects were less complicated, and cosponsors were numerous and easily obtained. Every public agency needed clerical assistance. There were no funds for community recreational leaders, and youth were idle and needed recreational outlets. Other community services were similarly neglected. Nonmanual projects met a community need for services, and were on the whole beneficial to the youth.
Clerical and Stenographic
Until the defense work project program was well under way, the largest single project employment was in clerical and stenographic work. Many public and quasipublic offices were in great need of extra workers. NYA clerical projects were not operated with any agency which engaged in propaganda or attempted to influence legislation. No NYA youth worker could be assigned to NYA State or local offices.
Young people themselves preferred clerical work to homemaking and other “dirty-hand” projects. Whil,e NYA always stressed the value of manual labor, youth clerical projects were always in demand and cosponsors available. /
There were two general types of clerical and stenographic projects. The first type was one in which a single youth or a very small number of youth were assigned to a school principal, a YWCA, a settlementhouse office, or to a hospital clinic to perform clerical work. While the young people learned good work habits and often developed helpful personal relationships with the school principal, the YMCA secretary, or the receptionist in a hospital, supervision was often lax,, progress slow, and general standards of work and learning low. In elementary schools, a NYA worker was frequently only a messenger. Employment offices did not credit highly the work experience of this solitary NYA employee. The other type of clerical project was the larger, better-organized “pool” oif NYA clerical workers who signed in and out of offices, were required to pass aptitude and progress tests,, used good equipment, and benefited from exacting supervision and a wide range of clerical or stenographic work experience. NYA recommended the employment of at least 25 youth in each clerical project.
To qualify for placement on clerical projects required high-school education or 2 years in high school and completion of a business-school
566597—44----12
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course. While work experience was not necessary, a year’s experience could substitute for a year in school. There had to be a definite interest on the part of the youth in that type of work. Applicants had to pass aptitude tests as well as tests of skill approved by the State division of youth personnel. Youth who did not meet these qualifications and who wanted to do clerical work often were assigned to other projects and took related training until they were qualified to do clerical work. Typists, stenographers, and correspondents were required to pass standard typing and shorthand tests. Girls who could do single jobs, such as operating duplicating and calculating machines, filing, or switchboard operation were advised to take related training in courses connected with distributive occupations. Girls on projects had to maintain reasonably satisfactory relationships with their coworkers, to own or soon obtain suitable clothing, and to suffer from no physical defects or deformities which would disqualify them for private employment.
If youth did not make satisfactory progress on clerical projects, they were transferred to other types of work.
These operating principles were stressed: Regular schedules of hours and days of work, and rotation in different tasks to produce proficient office skills. Assignments included such work as the taking and transcribing of dictation from shorthand, stenotype machine, or dictating machine; typewriting, bookkeeping, filing, and indexing; preparation of materials for duplication; cutting stencils and operation of duplicating machines; clerical work, such as proofreading and other kinds of checking; keeping of records and reports; preparation of statistical data and inventories; handling of mail; operation of calculating machines; greeting of callers; arrangement of appointments ; keeping desks and offices in order; and preparation of routine business forms and papers. NYA workers were not to do current maintenance work, such as janitorial service or perform personal work for members of the office; nor could they work for any office other than the one to which they were assigned.
Before projects were approved for operation, office equipment was checked for adequacy and quarters for safety and sanitation.
Supervisors were usually furnished by cosponsors. In large projects, especially where the “pool” plan was used for rotation of work, NYA supervisors were also frequently employed. In some States, regular meetings of NYA and non-NYA clerical supervisors were held.
Before the U. S. Office of Education undertook the related training program for NYA youth, much training was done in after-hours on clerical projects. This was the only way for workers to acquire more practice on office machines. Youth often also registered in continuation and night school classes in public schools when such training was
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available. At the beginning many youth paid high prices for correspondence courses; finally project supervisors were asked to review and approve correspondence courses in order to protect the youth. After the U. S. Office of Education took over related training, youth were directed to vocational school courses, and special sessions were sometimes arranged to fit in with NYA work schedules.
Before youth applied for private office employment, they were asked to meet these standards: Passing of fairly difficult tests for speed and accuracy in typing and dictation, a reasonable rate of speed in typing tabular material, knowledge of operation of one office machine other than a typewriter, ability to prepare well-spaced and well set-up letters, knowledge of simple filing systems, acceptable handling of telephone calls, knowledge and practice of good office manners and procedures, good physical health and posture, suitable clothing and grooming, dependability, and satisfactory relationships with fellow workers.
Cosponsors were public agencies such as health departments, park departments, public schools, county tax offices; and quasipublic agencies or organizations such as the YWCA and YMCA, associated charities, and hospital offices.
Hospital Assistance
One of the most successful types of projects from the standpoints of job training, community service, and health education was the hospital project. In 2 fiscal years alone, 1941 and 1942, NYA girls assisted in 1,733 hospitals. In order to qualify for such a project, the hospital had to be a public or a non-profit-making institution and give free service to needy people. The facilities, personnel, and supervisory staff had to be of a high quality to assure proper training. NYA youth were not permitted to work in tuberculosis hospitals or in tuberculosis or isolation wards in general hospitals. In psychopothic institutions, youth had at all times to be under the immediate supervision of staff members.
In organizing hospital assistance projects, there was no attempt to give the workers professional nursing training. Cooperation of the nurses’ associations was solicited in organizing and establishing the projects. Each project had to be approved by the NYA State health supervisor. Uniforms were furnished by the hospital or NYA. In no case did NYA issue certificates of attendance or proficiency. Health examinations were given all workers. Only those willing to do “housework” on the project were accepted.
Both boys and girls were assigned to these projects, although the boys were few in number as their duties were those of orderlies.
For NYA girl hospital assistants, the following general routine and rotation of work was recommended:
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1. Orientation period of from 1 to 2 weeks during which girls acted, as messengers and became familiar with hospital lay-out and rules.
2. Four to six weeks in the housekeeping department where the work consisted of cleaning, sweeping, dusting, care of bathrooms and drains, care of some equipment including linens and furniture, removing of stains, disposal of refuse and garbage, and community sanitation.
3. Another 4 to 6 weeks’ period in the laundry and sewing room where girls mended and marked garments, and made linens and garments. They also did hand and machine laundry.
4. The trainees were then ready for more skilled work. First, many went into hospital kitchens, regular and dietary. They learned care of kitchen equipment, preparation and cooking of foods, and serving, of meals in nurses’ dining rooms and on trays. This type of experience usually lasted 4 to 6 weeks.
5. The longest period, 6 to 8 weeks, was spent in the nursing department. There duties consisted of assisting with the admission of patients; assorting and distributing mail; answering the telephone; making beds for convalescent patients; helping to feed children and adult patients; assisting, crippled patients out of bed; passing wash basins, soap, towels; filling ice bags and hot water bottles (and checking them with nurses); transporting wheel chair and stretcher patients; arranging flowers; and stand-by assistance to nurses. If the-hospital operated an out-patient department, the youth assisted with records, admissions, preparation for clinics, and care of supplies and equipment.
In a hospital employing many youth, it was found necessary to have a NYA supervisor to keep records, counsel girls, and see that rotation of work was accomplished and supervision good. Of course, each girl was given periodic physical examinations. Often meals were provided free or at nominal cost during hours of work.
The intangible benefits of hospital projects were legion. Girls improved in personal cleanliness and appearance; excellent discipline was maintained; the work, itself, was educational.
Related training was given by nurses, doctors, public health officials, or Red Cross workers. In several instances the nurses’ associations-objected because the related training was of a professional level. A change of title often helped; for example, “nutrition” instead of “dietetics,” “child care” instead of “pediatrics,” etc. Girls learned to take temperatures and pulses but they never did so .for a patient.
In the early NYA days, hospital projects started off modestly and developed into the above many-sided work experience. Resident projects were maintained in connection with only a very few hospitals;, sometimes youth employees in resident centers were assigned to hospital work for part of their stay.
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Private employment from hospital projects was high. Hospitals themselves, took youth on as nurses’ aides, office workers, and assistants in the housekeeping departments. Other institutions such as orphanages or day care centers found this work experience made desirable employees. Doctors and dentists employed NYA hospital trained youth as office assistants. Other youth went to work in restaurants and as domestics in private homes.
Home Economics, Nursery School and School Lunch Projects
A few State administrators believed that all girls should have some experience on homemaking projects, and in these states all NYA girl workers were assigned for a short period to such work before reassignment to another work activity. In many States, homemaking projects were a catch-all for those who lacked the background for clerical work and showed no aptitude for power sewing or hospital work.
Homemaking projects were housed in various ways. Often NYA rented houses and the NYA girls painted interiors, finished floors, and made or reupholstered some of the furniture and made kitchen equipment. Private homes were solicited by local NYA personnel for cast-off items, such as washing machines, old car seats for settees, xags for rugs, dishes and cooking equipment. The girls sewed curtains, made dish towels from sacks, and improvised as much as possible. Equipment ranged from fine electrical machines, occasionally loaned by public utilities, to wood, kerosene, and coal stoves similar to those used in the homes from which many of the young women •came.
Regular household routines were followed in these projects. Girls were taught to budget and market. They cleaned, laundered and ■cooked. In a few instances, gardens were planted and cared for, produce canned, and chickens raised. Almost 4 million pounds of foodstuffs were produced in fiscal years 1937 through 1940; 4% million quarts of food preserved from 1937 through 1942; and 71,000 pounds of food dried for preserving purposes. On almost every project, one meal a day was served, and youth paid the costs of the food from their own earnings.
In a few instances, local schools let their home economics rooms be used for NYA projects. Often space in local NYA work centers was provided, and girls cooked food which youth in the work center purchased. For fiscal years 1941 and 1942, NYA girls prepared and served more than 6,900,000 meals to youth on non-resident projects.
Production work was usually sewing. The cost per article produced on home economics projects was high. Instruction was given in the maintenance and repair of such household equipment as electric irons, vacuum cleaners, and washing machines, and in household
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mechanics, such as simple plumbing repair and upkeep, reconditioning window sashes, rewiring lamps or irons, and repairing electric door bells.
Supervisors with home economics backgrounds predominated in homemaking projects. Even when project work was located in hospitals or other public institutions, better results were obtained when there were NYA supervisors to cooperate with institutional instructors.
Some of the best projects were based on the principle of job rotation. For example, a girl worked for two months in a hospital kitchen; there she learned food preparation, dishwashing and cleaning. Then for an equal period of time, she was assigned to a WPA nursery school. Her next work assignment was a sewing project, often producing hospital supplies or remodeling clothes for charitable organizations. Then perhaps she went back to the hospital laundry for another 2 months.
Concentrated experience in cooking was obtained on school lunch proj ects. Girls entered these proj ects with few household skills. Often their homes lacked equipment for cleaning and had only one or two different cooking dishes.
Often girls were assigned exclusively to school lunch projects, usually under WPA. This work was more suited to NYA workers than to WPA workers as it was a part-time work activity, unless the school was large. Here the home economics teacher in the school supervised the work. NYA school students on the school work program often worked with the out-of-school youth on these projects and bridged the difficult gap between in-school and out-of-school girls. During the fiscal years 1937 through 1942, 123,165,000 school lunches were served to school children by NYA employed youth; and NYA girls helped serve, usually with WPA workers, another 20,995,000 school lunches.
In all states, NYA girls were assigned to WPA nursery schools. During the fiscal years 1941 and 1942, NYA girls assisted in 1,653 nursery schools. The most frequent complaint was that the younger women were given the brunt of the hard physical work and had little relationship with the children. They cooked, cleaned, laundered, and made up cots, but seldom participated in art work, story telling, music, nature study, or even dressing and undressing preschool children. NYA established only two or three nursery schools on its own. Cost of supervision was too high, responsibility too severe, housing and equipment too difficult to secure.
Through the 8 years of NYA, the most frequent suggestion made was to train young women for domestic employment. Local advisory committees could always get money to back such a project. While girls responded to the home economics projects, they usually refused to
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 169
take domestic employment. In a majority of States, and in all the Southern States, projects were established designed exclusively for this type of employment. Well-rounded work experiences were provided. Sometimes entire houses were rented, and the final training consisted of planning a week’s work and executing it without supervision. Certificates of skill were often given at graduation exercises-Attempts were made to apprentice girls in private homes at low wages, but NYA refused to sanction such a practice. The girls did not object so much to the wages offered for domestic service, which seldom exceeded $5 a week, as they resented the lack of freedom, the lack of' privacy as exemplified by the sharing of sleeping quarters with children of the family, and most of all, the low status a domestic holds in families. NYA did not attempt to establish standards for household employment.
States which attracted summer or winter tourists established resort workers’ projects. These States included Michigan, New Jersey, Minnesota, Florida, and the New England States. At Dowagiac and at Charlevoix, Mich., girls went to resident centers for 4 weeks in the-spring and received instruction and practice in work as maids, kitchen assistants, waitresses, cabin girls, and switchboard operators. Local projects in this same field were established at Benton Harbor, Traverse City, Grand Haven, and Manistique, Mich. In this State in 1938, 200 girls took training for resort work. Placement was practically 100 percent.
Opportunities for related training in homemaking projects were rich. In some States, girls were required to spend twice the scheduled hours on projects to earn the monthly wage because production was low. This double-time automatically took care of related training. NYA girls received instruction in household safety, hygiene and health, first-aid and home nursing. Some stayed after hours and used NYA equipment and supervision to make and repair their own clothes and the garments for their families. Manufacturers and retailers objected strongly to any instruction in self-made cosmetics, dentifrices, or soap. The most popular related training course was etiquette. Girls kept scrapbooks covering such subjects as manners,, household decoration, advice to engaged girls, and table service. Tm-provement in English was welcomed under the name of etiquette. Many supervisors used etiquette as a starting point for general educational counseling. Improvement in cleanliness and personal appearance was marked.
Private employment from homemaking projects was high. Girls obtained jobs as waitresses and counter girls, assistant cooks, dishwashers, institutional workers, domestic employees, laundry workers,, demonstrators, and saleswomen.
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Perhaps the greatest value of these projects was in the improved home lives of the girls. Many reported changed dietary habits in their families. Others regarded the work as good apprenticeship for marriage. Girls who had children in their homes benefited from the home nursing, child care, laundry, and cooking experience.
Recreational Assistance
When NYA started, it was necessary to get large numbers of youth to work quickly. Then, as today, playgrounds and recreation rooms were understaffed. Public and private agencies welcomed additional help, no matter how inexperienced. Supervision was provided by cosponsors.
Youth assisted at schools, at community houses, in story telling at libraries, in YWCAs and YMCAs, at Girls’ and Boys’ Clubs, at settlements and churches, in service clubs, in orphanages, at swimming pools (Red Cross life-saving certificates were required), in gymnasiums and auditoriums, at museums and youth centers. Outdoors, they worked on playfields and athletic fields, parks, camps, tennis courts, baseball, softball, and soccer fields, beaches and swimming pools, public golf courses, picnic areas, play streets and vacant lots, and backyards. They also assisted in staging dramatic entertainments, dancing, puppetry, music, social activities, handicrafts, hobby clubs, and pageants.
The duties of these recreational workers included supervision of playground activities, helping with dramatics, dancing, sports, administering first aid, keeping records, physical care of playgrounds, distributing and collecting equipment, care of equipment, instruction in games, refereeing games, teaching swimming and acting as lifeguards, or teaching handicrafts.
Much of the above work was beyond the capabilities and experiences of the NYA youth. They knew few sports or crafts, and lacked the self-assurance which would give them authority and leadership. Often, they stared helplessly while children fought and scrambled. Supervision was more often than not totally inadequate. Attempts were made to give youth some training, but recreational institutes held for even a small number of workers did not build the maturity demanded in this work.
In 1937, youth were gradually withdrawn from many recreational projects into other types of work, in which work experience was more conducive to private employment, where sponsors could make greater contributions of materials, and in which the limited education and •experiences of the youth were more suited. The projects under discussion here do not include the construction and repair of recreation equipment, which were done in NYA shops and had definite
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 171
manual and machine training values. There were many individualized recreational projects of which the following is an example.
In 1939, in Minnesota, NYA was asked to furnish youth for childrens’ summer camps. Eighteen young men worked at a camp near Mora, Minn., sponsored by the Citizens’ Club, at Lake Waconia Camp, run by Pillsbury Settlement, and at a Lake Mille Lacs camp sponsored by the Big Brothers’ Inc. The campers were selected by the organization and were children who could not have paid for camp life.
Arts and Craft Projects
In the beginning of the NYA program many youth were assigned to arts and craft projects, following WPA patterns, and often youth were assigned directly to WPA projects. This was due to the limited variety of NYA project work. The number of youth assigned to* these projects dwindled with the years. The Washington office employed specialists from time to time in the fields of weaving and textiles, puppetry, ceramics, metal working, woodworking, including toy repair and construction, photography, making of visual aid materials, music, and other fine and applied arts.
There were two schools of thought in the NYA regarding arts and craft projects. One believed that arts and craft should be unpaid leisure-time activities; the other thought them legitimate and valid project work. While arts and craft projects were carried on, the number of youth employed on these projects was so small that the program never reached any significant proportions.
Racial or geographic groups which had traditional skills or talents were encouraged to develop them. El Capitan Resident Project for Spanish-American girls in New Mexico stressed hand skills and arts. Attempts were made to use native materials to develop indigenous crafts, such as the palmetto leaves in Florida.
The following are selected items produced during fiscal years 1940,1941, and 1942 on projects classified as arts and craft:
Arts and craft activities :
Number of units produced
Metal craft articles___________ 24,371
Wood craft articles____________ 185,303
Textile craft articles_________ 272,188
Ceramic craft articles L 161,172
Arts and craft activities—Continued.
Number of units produced
Blueprints, graphs, maps, photographic
prints, etc_______________1,161,620
Bulletins and catalogs¹_____ 4,972,294
Other arts and craft
items---------------------1,917,190
¹ These items were produced during fiscal years 1937 through 1942.
At no time did NYA achieve a widespread, high quality arts and craft program. Youth were looking for work experience which would lead them to economic independence, and they wanted work experi-
172 NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
ence in activities which led to employment in industry or civilian services and trades.
In many homemaking projects, looms constructed in NYA workshops were used for weaving materials by the youth, highest praise being given to those creating original designs. Some projects had the single work activity of weaving.
In Kentucky, especially known for mountain handicrafts, all girls’ and some boys’ projects had types of hand work. Traditional patterns and designs were followed. If the cosponsor furnished the yarns, the products were turned back to the cosponsors. Girls outfitted nonresident and resident centers with woven rugs, blankets, and draperies. If the girls furnished their own materials, they were allowed to keep the articles they made after working hours. Boys were assigned to weaving split cane and rush chair seats. These products were used in schools, community buildings, public offices, hospitals,, and other public institutions. Employment opportunities for hand weavers were few. Possible job outlets were in various fabric departments in stores, in wholesale and jobber fabric houses, and in textile mills and yarn houses.
Posters and Silk Screen Painting
Silk screen and poster work was carried on in most States, although not extensively. Onandaga County, N. Y., had a typical project of this type. Eighteen youths worked in the school building when regular sessions were over. Two professors of painting at Syracuse University and one free-lance artist formed an advisory committee to help select youth for this work, to criticise work done, and to assist in job placements. Youth drew and painted original pictures for posters and, of course, learned letter writing. They then reproduced their originals by the silk screen process. Several of the workers from this project received jobs in local stores.
Cosponsors of this type of project were local charitable organizations, city and county health departments, schools, and other State and local agencies which publicized their programs.
Photography
Many youth had inclinations and aptitudes for photographic work. The numbers on these projects were small because the cost of equipment was high. In Portland, Oreg., as an illustration, 20 boys worked in a photographic unit equipped to handle news pictures, flash or studio, and copy work, including large projection prints, infrared and translites. Much of the work was completed in 24 hours or less. Two commercial photographers in Portland formed an advisory committee, reviewed all work done, and assisted in finding jobs for some of the boys.
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Cosponsors of photographic projects included the U. S. Biological Survey, the U. S. Customs, the Bonneville Dam Administration, and bureaus of municipal research. Cosponsors provided the materials, while NYA supplied equipment and labor costs.
Toy Construction and Repair
Every State reported toy making and repair. In many instances, it was a pre-Christmas activity in wookworking shops. Charitable agencies collected broken and discarded toys for NYA youth to repair and paint. Much new equipment such as blocks, doll beds, and small pieces of furniture was made for WPA nursery schools. In some localities, toy-lending libraries for underprivileged children were NYA-furnished and maintained.
Making of Visual Aids
Rural schools needed visual aid materials and came to NYA for them. One West Virginia project is typical. In Kenova, 11 girls gathered, mounted, titled, and packaged posters and pictures on health, safety, recreation, and State and national history. The board of education sponsored the project, while the Woman’s Club of Kenova served as an unofficial cosponsor and assisted in gathering material needed. The city donated a work room in the city hall.
Ceramics
Occasionally, separate ceramic projects were established, but more frequently they became a part of a general handicraft project. Attempts were made to discover and test suitable native clays. In Kansas, youth designed, shaped, decorated, and baked pottery table and kitchenware for NYA resident projects in several States and for Kansas State institutions. Sample dishes were sent to Washington and criticized for utility and beauty of design, durability, and general practicality and technique.
At the Turtle Mountain School in North Dakota, two Indian girls were assigned to work in pottery and the school furnished supervision. The Department Office of Indian Affairs of the Department of Interior sponsored this project.
Music
NYA music projects were operated even while employment in this profession was at a low level. Music was both a project and a leisuretime activity. NYA orchestras and choral groups were formed in a number of States. All resident projects had a music activity. In organizing a NYA orchestra, the following steps were taken: Securing of sponsorship, usually the city; provision of NYA funds for scores, some instruments, and equipment such as stands; securing a conductor, either by a small payment for his services (about $125 a month) or by
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arrangement through the cosponsor; payment of youth wages for rehearsals and performances.
Performances were given at municipal parks and halls. In the fiscal years 1941 and 1942, NYA orchestras gave 3,976 performances. Youth played for dances given by quasipublic organizations or schools. Often radio time was secured for broadcasts. With the approval of James G. Petrillo, president of the American Federation of Musicians, a series of NYA musical broadcasts was given, featuring musical contributions of various racial groups. These programs were broadcast on a Nation-wide hook-up from a dozen different cities and short-waved to South America.
The District of Columbia established music activities for Negro youth on a recreational basis with no pay. Outstanding local Negro musicians, the musicians’ union, and the Federal Music Project of WPA helped to plan the project. A supervisor and assistant were employed; the youth played the instruments required for a swing band. Instruments were acquired through Surplus Commodities and by direct NYA purchase. The program consisted of individual instruction,, group instruction, and ensemble playing. This entire group played at public gatherings for which no admission was charged.
Other Fine Arts
Almost nothing was done on NYA projects in painting or sculpturing, except as a leisure-time activity. Puppet making and manipulation were part of some NYA arts and craft projects, but not many. This was usually on a recreational basis. NYA was forbidden by law to establish, maintain, or participate in theater projects. A few stage craft projects were operated, such as the one at Stevens Point, Wis., where eight youth worked at the Central State Teachers College designing stage sets, operating and repairing stage lighting, and repairing theatrical props.
Library and Museum Projects
Official reports show that NYA youth repaired or renovated over 8,900,000 library books during the fiscal years 1937 through 1942, and cataloged more than 1,500,000 library books in the 2 years 1941 and 1942. Every State had youth employed in public libraries; supervision was undertaken entirely by cosponsoring libraries. NYA stipulated that the work performed must be more than clerical. Consequently, girls and boys issued and received books, cataloged and indexed, and performed practically all library services.
In the South and in Michigan, NYA organized and ran traveling libraries, sometimes in trailers and sometimes in cars. Rural homes and schools which had no access to libraries were able to get new books every week or two.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 175
In Box Elder County, Utah, NYA youth worked in 25 rural libraries. At Clinton, Minn., the American Legion turned over to the NYA an abandoned railroad car which had been used as a clubhouse. NYA youth rebuilt and furnished this as a library. The ground around the car was NYA-landscaped.
Hundreds of thousands of books were repaired and rebound by NYA youth. Often city-wide collections of bpoks were made. Experts discarded undesirable items and NYA reconditioned the rest to add to library shelves, which received few new books in the depression years. In Schenectady, N. Y., milk delivery trucks and wagons collected books from homes and turned them in to the NYA.
After June 15, 1939, youth were not allowed to repair public school text books. Publishers of text books had objected strenuously to this work claiming that outmoded, educational material kept in circulation impeded educational progress. This prohibition did not apply to school or public library books.
One of the most extensive library projects was located at the County Library in Greeley, Colo. In the basement of the building was a large NYA shop where youth made and repaired book shelves, files, and cabinets, magazine and newspaper racks, and all types of physical library equipment. The county furnished materials and some supervision. Girls and boys worked in every library department. The county established small branch units in other towns in the region, often in vacant stores or offices. These branch libraries were entirely staffed by NYA youth trained in the Greeley Library. NYA supervisors transported these youth to and from their work.
NYA youth manufactured and repaired Braille books for the blind. In this work, it was necessary for them to master Braille and they often taught this to the blind.
Although library projects did not lead often to employment in large libraries where specialized training was required, a few youth did secure low-paid jobs in small communities. Others required some manuual dexterity in book repair. In small communities where employment outlets were few, library projects served as a constructive work-experience.
Many States had scatterings of youth working in museums, not as custodians, but as guides, assistants in mounting and casing exhibits, or catalogers. NYA youth cataloged 1,123,000 museum articles in the fiscal years 1937 through 1942, and prepared or renovated 361,000 museum articles. NYA youth assisted in organizing museums for grade and high schools. These were usually nature exhibits of local flora, fauna, and historical items. Supervision of these projects was undertaken entirely by the school staffs.
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Research and Subprofessional Projects
All research, statistical, and survey projects required the approval of the Statistical and Research Coordinating Committee in Washington. These projects included research on local history, tax records, delinquency and parole records, traffic and safety programs, biological and agricultural and experimental assistance, and health surveys. Youth with better than average educational backgrounds participated in this work. In Wisconsin at the General Mitchell Airport, NYA out-of-school youth measured air velocities at various altitudes. This work required thousands of problems in trigonometry. It was valuable for future pilots and aviation mechanics. In several States youth assisted in aerial survey mapping, drafting, computing, photographing, and reproducing by photostat, blue print, silk screen, and dermatype with mimeographing machines.
•VII-
Out-of-School Work Program: Resident Projects
Resident projects were first developed to offset the difficulty of reaching small groups of youth widely scattered in rural areas» Through this means, youth from agricultural areas were brought together and housed at the project site.
In 1938 resident projects became a prescribed development of the out-of-school work program. A program of work camps for needy, unemployed young women had been in operation during fiscal years 1936 through 1938, when they were discontinued in favor of the program of resident projects for both young men and women.
National provisions governed the initiation and operation of resident projects, and each project had to be approved by the Washington office before it was placed in operation.
From a modest beginning, NYA had by the end of its program an extensive, efficient, and varied Nation-wide resident project operation. This chapter presents a brief summary of the work camps for unemployed women and a description of resident projects, their significance to the youth, the extent of the work performed, their management, and their leisure-time activities.
Work Camps for Unemployed Young Women, Fiscal Years 1936-38
In the summer of 1934, the Workers Education Section of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration established work and educational camps for unemployed women. Early in 1936 this program was transferred to NYA, which organized the camps for needy, unemployed, out-of-school young women between 18 and 25 years of age, with FER A providing supervision during the early months. NYA then took full responsibility for the operation of the camps. Forty-five camps, with about 3,000 girls, stretched across the country. The cost of operation was too high in relation to the size of the camps, and in the fall of 1936, the number of camps was decreased to 29 in 11 States, with 3,500 girls employed, an average of about 120 to a camp. In 1937, the number of enrollees dropped to 1,800. These were distributed in 28 camps in 21 States. Seven States had two camps each. Five States had camps for Negro girls; four States had camps for
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both white and Negro youth. Five camps were operated on an inter-State basis; the others selected only girls from within the State. Because funds for transportation to and from camps were not available, and because earnings were so low that girls could not send money home and could scarcely purchase their minimum personal requirements, difficulties in recruiting young women were experienced during the last year of operation.
Camp sites were examined for safety and health; most of the camp facilities were donated; only a few were rented at low monthly rates. Food was adequate, medical attention good, with a full-time nurse and part-time doctor in attendance at each camp. Preliminary medical examinations were given in the home communities and final physical examinations provided at the camps. Money for emergency hospitalization had to be met from private sources. NYA personnel for each camp consisted of an administrative director, work and recreation supervisors, and personal counselors who assisted in the selection of girls.
Enrollees worked periods not exceeding 8 hours a day, 40 hours a ■week, or 70 hours a month. Wages not exceeding $25 a month Were paid, from which cost of subsistence was deducted. NYA required that each girl have a minimum of $5 in cash residue each month after expenses were met. The cost per enrollee ranged from $40 to $45 a month, less than half the CCC camp costs. The camps were open year-round, and a girl stayed an average of 6 months.
The work content in these camps was always meager and the educational program was limited. The most varied work program consisted of the making of hospital supplies by hand and sewing machine, making of Braille books, assembly of visual aids for teaching purposes, some forestry service, clerical work, making of small recreational equipment for WPA and hospitals, construction of highway signs, making and repairing toys for nursery schools, making of household supplies for WPA visiting nurses and housekeepers, as well as household supplies for public institutions. The flow of materials to these camps was uneven, and production was consequently spotty.
Realizing the thinness of the camp life, a five-point curriculum was recommended by the national office:
1. Classes in English, with opportunities for simple writing and speaking, and classes or discussion groups on the social and economic problems of the communities from which the girls came;
2. Individual adjustment, counseling, and vocational guidance;
3. Household management;
4. Health education;
5. Recreation and arts and craft.
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In the fiscal year 1938, NYA officials questioned the advisability of continuing these camps. The number of enrollees had declined ; useful public work was difficult to obtain; financial compensation proved unsatisfactory to the girls; specific training and general education advantages were difficult to provide. The chief values consisted in improved physical and mental health and subsequent employ ability. In October 1937, all camps were terminated. For the 2 years the average per-capita weekly cost was $10, including approximately $2 for youth wages.
These camps provided a valuable experience in setting up the subsequent NYA resident centers. NYA officials were prepared to meet the problems existent in the administration of a combined work and living situation involving large numbers of youth. In initiating the first resident centers, NYA determined to establish them near to or in cooperation with educational institutions which permitted efficient operation as to staff and equipment. Later, resident projects also were located near towns or cities where better project work was available, related training was more diversified, and normal contacts with the community were possible.
Resident Projects
The work camps for unemployed young women were the forerunner of resident projects. In 1937, the first work centers for boys were initiated and were primarily agricultural, with 25 or 30 boys employed who worked farm land and raised crops which were turned over to local welfare agencies. The first girls’ centers seldom had more than 25 girls living together at one time, and the work performed by them was usually handicrafts and sewing, with home economics training.
There were a few large centers established in the fiscal year 1938, among which was the Quoddy resident project that provided the first large industrial-type project. On the basis of the success of these industrial-type projects, the Washington office encouraged more extensive development of this type in every State. These were usually located as near as possible to centers of employment opportunities where youth could see industry working and where industrial representatives could assist in planning production programs.
A typical resident project of the National Youth Administration employed from under 25 to more than 200 young people, who lived together at their job site and did useful work for wages. Their quarters were dormitories which were specially planned and constructed or remodeled to provide suitable living accommodations for the required number of young men or young woqaen. The young people usually prepared their own food, under the supervision of
566597—44---------13
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competent cooks and dietitians. They paid for their food, lodging, and medical care out of their earnings at the center.
The youth employed at resident projects spent a given number of hours each week working under the supervision of competent foremen and utilizing modern production methods similar to those which prevailed in private industry. A health examination prior to entrance on the project, and remedial services, provided through arrangements with local physicians and medical officers, as well as the best safety and sanitation practices contributed to the physical well-being of the youth employees.
At the typical NYA resident work center, the youth employees, through the cooperation of local school systems, had the opportunity to attend classes and to carry on educational activities related to their NYA work. Library and recreational facilities were also available for the use of the young people during periods when they were not at work.
By December 1940, there were 595 resident projects in operation located in 45 States and Puerto Rico, employing a total of 33,780 young people, of whom 14,160 were young women. The average number of youth employed a month on resident projects was 27,685 in fiscal year 1940, or 10.5 percent of the total employment.
In fiscal year 1941, the average monthly employment rose to 33,531, which was 10.3 percent of the total average monthly employment for that year. In the fiscal year 1942, the percentage of resident youth employed increased to 16.1 percent of the average monthly employment of all NYA youth, a total of 38,607 in resident projects. There were 475 resident centers operated during the year. There were 24,074 youth in 199 industrial-type projects operated under the defense program, which was 28.2 percent of all the youth employed under the defense program. On the other hand, the average monthly employment of resident youth under the regular program was only 14.533 in 302 projects, and 9.4 percent of those employed by NYA on this program.
In fiscal year 1943, the percentage employment on resident projects was 37.1 percent (29,160) of all youth employed on war production training projects. All resident projects which had not developed work programs contributing directly to defense and war production had been closed by the beginning of that fiscal year. The largest number of resident projects operating during the last year was 256.
Through an arrangement with local school systems, young people employed on NYA resident projects were given the opportunity to supplement the practical experience gained on the job with classroom instruction in technical theory which had a direct bearing on the type of work they were doing. For example, young people employed on
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automotive projects might study the theory of internal-combustion engines in their classes. They might receive instruction in shop mathematics, business English, or similar subjects. NYA youth attended these related training classes on nonpaid time, except under the war production training program in fiscal year 1943. During fiscal years 1941 through 1943, vocational teachers were made available to NYA youth under the defense funds appropriated to the U. S. Office of Education for the establishment of preemployment courses to train persons for employment in defense occupations. The local school systems were reimbursed for costs of classroom instruction to NYA out-of-school youth on the resident as well as local projects.
As far as was consistent with a well-organized production program, NYA gave individual attention to the development of resident youth by try-outs in a number of types of work. For example, young people might be employed in automotive mechanics for several months and then be transferred to a woodworking, a metalworking, or a construction project. In this way young people were able to discover through a try-out under actual working conditions the types of jobs for which they were best fitted by talent and inclination. This system enabled the National Youth Administration to perform an important vocational guidance function as a byproduct of its work experience and production activities. This system made for vocationally well-adjusted workers.
All work done by young people employed on NYA resident projects was cosponsored by some public agency, and all the products were disposed of through public agencies and institutions. For example, young people produced playground equipment for public park boards, hospital supplies for public hospitals and clinics, radio apparatus for State and municipal police networks, and various metal and mechanical objects for city governments, State governments, and national defense and war agencies of the Federal Government.
Applications for resident centers, submitted to Washington for approval, provided complete plans for any construction contemplated and included detailed facts about the following :
1. Methods of selecting youth.—Educational requirements, if any; provisions for physical examinations; explanation of program to parents and youth ; and provisions for transportation.
2. Costs.—Cost of materials to the cosponsor and NYA; supervisory costs; subsistence costs; cash payments to youth; and number of hours in pay status per month ; hourly wage rate ; total monthly earnings ; and total youth per capita cost per month.
3. The program,.—Work activities; related training; vocational guidance ; and recreational activities.
4. Social life and adjustment.—Relationship of youth to regular
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students when the project was conducted with an educational institution; provision for group government; plans for cooperative living; and other cooperative enterprises; plans for discussions of such matters as citizenship and social and economic problems.
Safety regulations were rigorous, and no resident project could be started until the physical facilities had been inspected and approved by a representative of the State safety consultant of the WPA. These embraced water supply, sewage and sanitation, and structural condition of buildings. Later, NYA safety engineers passed on all resident centers.
Resident work centers were successful from the beginning. In some States it was difficult to find cooperating schools, and in others they were not situated where it was geographically convenient for youth to come. Resident projects were also established near industrial «enters so that youth might apply for work easily and employment offices might have first-hand knowledge of the work and training in resident centers. Such resident projects might be just houses where NYA girls lived and did service work in hospitals, libraries, or public offices, and sewing and maintenance of the center; or they might be abandoned college campuses; or complete facilities, NYA built and managed.
There were a few mobile units, particularly in Illinois and Arkansas, where youth set up camps to live in while they worked. When the job was done, they packed up their tents or portable shelters and moved to the next site.
Some part-time resident centers were established where youth lived and worked for 2 weeks and then went home for the next 2 weeks. Until fiscal year 1941, a substantial percent of the resident centers were part time, and practically all of these were girls’ projects. On the whole, the full-time resident project had much more continuity of study and group-living experience and was judged more valuable to the youth.
When a resident center was large enough to accommodate more youth than could be recruited in the State, and when the equipment and supervision were particularly superior, youth from surrounding States were selected and sent to this project. These out-of-State youth had usually been in a resident center in their own State, where their particular abilities warranted continued development in a resident project offering specialized work training.
In many resident centers, student councils and self-government organizations were formed and youth elected their own representatives. Youth committees were named to handle complaints or suggestions on the work, related training, food and shelter, health, and every other project activity and routine—sometimes including Government pro
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curement of supplies and equipment. Through the self-government activities, youth gained much needed training for citizenship. Few supervisors were expert in stimulating youth self-government, and more often than not supervisors were not enthusiastic about self-government and, in particular, grievance committees. Self-government on paper was often perfect. The real test was whether or not it was superimposed by supervisors as a gesture toward self-government or motivated and carried along by the youth.
During March and April of 1940, 50 officials of the United States Army, including Quartermaster and Medical Corps officers, inspected 54 NYA resident projects employing over 5,800 youth. They made comparative ratings on their standards in the maintenance and adequacy of living quarters, mess halls, kitchens, shop facilities, management, and health. Thirty-six of the projects were for boys, 8 for girls, and 10 enrolled both sexes. This inspection gave these 54 resident projects an average rating of approximately 75, on the basis of a maximum rating of 100 points. The Quoddy project received the highest rating—91.3 points. Other selected projects were rated as
follows:
Port Townsend, Wash____________________________________________________91. 2
Woodstock, N. Y________________________________________________________90. 2
Nepaug Village, Conn___________________________________________________§9. 2
The four projects receiving lowest scores were
Murray, Ky----------------------------------------------------------- 50.9
Clarkesville, Ga_______________________________________________________52.1
Elmira, N. Y___________________________________________________________53. 1
Princess Anne, Md______________________________________________________58. 4
The findings of this inspection were placed before State administra.-tors and project managers by the Washington office, with instructions that minimum standards as recommended by these military officials were to be maintained, or the resident project closed.
Descriptions of four selected resident projects are given in the following pages. These are not representative of the average resident center. In fact, they were among the best in NYA. Most of the other resident projects were much smaller, with less physical plant and shop equipment.
1. The Weiser resident project, located at Weiser, Idaho, illustrates a resident project set up on an agricultural basis for rural youth. It was located in a rural area, and youth from agricultural areas were brought there for work and training related to farm or agricultural employment.
2. The Shakopee resident center, located at Shakopee, Minn., was also in a rural area and accommodated as a rule youth from rural areas in Minnesota. Less work directly related to agricultural em
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ployment was done at Shakopee than at Weiser, and the emphasis was to provide work experience which led to industrial employment or employment in small communities.
3. The Quoddy resident project at Passamaquoddy, Maine, was in a remote but nonagricultural area. The unusually fine physical plant facilities and equipment available at the Quoddy project enabled the development of work activities ranging from ground improvements to specialized mechanical and shop operations. This resident project was entirely for the purpose of preparing youth for urban employment, and youth, as a rule, came from urban areas.
4. The South Charleston project, located in West Virginia, was for both rural and urban youth, and because of the shop facilities available at the ordnance plant where it was located, gave excellent work experience in shop work in preparation for industrial employment.
Weiser Resident Project, Weiser, Idaho
The Weiser resident project, started in the fall of 1936, was a consummation of cooperative planning among agencies concerned with the problems of youth—the Weiser Board of Education, the Idaho State Board of Vocational Education, the State WPA division of education and recreation, and the National Youth Administration. The superintendent of the Weiser city schools was the cosponsor representative in working out details of the project operations, work, and related training.
The local school board had secured title to the campus grounds and buildings of the former Intermountain Institute, which included 700 acres of agricultural lands, two dormitories, an administration building, library, gymnasium and swimming pool, and various farm and shop units. This property was made available to the NYA for a work experience resident center for unemployed Idaho youth.
Until the fall of 1937, the project was operated as a girls’ work camp. Girls did indoor and outdoor painting and cleaning and furnished the dormitories. Inspired by the results of this early experience, the combined cosponsorship expanded the program to include boys as well as girls and opened the revised project in July 1938. The project remained in operation until the end of the NYA.
Under the coeducational program, the Weiser project provided for a 1-year work experience program in agriculture and home economics, with related training courses planned by the State board of vocational education.
During the next 2 years the work and related training were expanded to include the following:
1. Agric^tural division.—Livestock, poultry, soils, dairying, landscaping, farm business, farm mechanics, farm carpentry.
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2. Construction division.—Carpentry, concrete work, plastering, electrical wiring, plumbing, steam heating, roofing, painting, drafting, and cabinetmaking. Dormitories belonging to the original plant were refinished and furnished. The heating plants was reconditioned ; farm buildings were renovated and made serviceable. A new shop was constructed ; also a new dormitory was added which had a capacity of 150 youth. By the fall of 1940, a large dining hall, with a maximum seating capacity of 600, had been built by the youth. With this increased space, the project was able to accommodate 320 men and 80 women workers.
3. Mechanics division.—Auto mechanics, sheet metal, machine shop, electrical wiring, welding, metal cutting, and forgery.
4. C ovvmercial foods division.—Meat cutting, cooking, butchering, catering, waitressing.
5. Clerical division.—Typing, shorthand, business English, mimeographing, office procedure.
6. Homemaking division.—Dressmaking, child care, home economics, home care, and related activities.
With the establishment of defense shops during 1940-41, the Weiser location qualified on four types of units: Machine shop, sheet metal, welding, and electrical. During fiscal year 1943, the work training program was adjusted to conform with wartime needs for technical skills. Auto mechanics, radio, pipe fitting, patternmaking, and foundry were added as occupations essential to war. Such activities as nurses’ aide, commercial foods, agriculture, woodworking shop, and construction—which were not rated as essential war occupations— were discontinued. The required hours a month were increased to 160, which included both working time and related instruction. Discipline, health, and group cooperation were stressed as rudiments in a work-learning program which proved mutually beneficial to all concerned.
Safety practices and education were emphasized. State laws governed the minimum requirements for fire prevention, working conditions, including lighting, ventilating, and sanitary facilities. Safety guards, protective clothing, goggles, correct handling of tools, and the proper operation of machines were a constant part of the daily routine as well as subjects for discussion at frequent conferences. Regular inspections were the basis for maintaining minimum safety standards.
Additional activities which were considered as extracurricular included music, youth self-government, athletics, and recreation.
Shakopee Resident Project, Shakopee, Minn.
The Shakopee project was located on the Minnesota River in the town of Shakopee. Operated first as a transient camp by FERA and
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WPA, the Minnesota NYA converted it to a resident project for youth in April 1938, and it remained in operation until the NYA was discontinued as an agency. Cosponsoring agencies were the State highway department, State department of education, State emergency relief administration, State department of conservation, city of Shakopee, and Shakopee park department.
The camp was substantially constructed and included housing units, warehouses, recreational buildings, mess halls, and all necessary facilities for a self-sustaining community.
At first, the primary purpose of the project was not to directly prepare young men for private employment, but to make possible exploratory work experiences in various fields which might lead to individual self-maintenance and might better qualify young men for worth-while home and community life. Approximately 100 young workers were employed on a work program to restore an old grist mill and convert an old tavern into a museum. Both structures had historical significance as landmarks of pioneer days. Gross per capita monthly earnings were $29.90. Of this amount $20 went for subsistence, hospitalization, medical, and other services.
• A system of youth self-government simplified administration and provided valuable experience through delegated responsibility. It also demonstrated to many youth away from home for the first time the rudimentary principles of group association and accomplishment. The constitution and bylaws provided for the election of a youth mayor, a councilman from each dormitory, and one at large. The three standing committees called themselves (1) indoor and outdoor activities, (2) social activities, and (3) canteen. Eventually, the youth council was asked to review procurement procedures according to which their subsistence articles were purchased.
By fiscal year 1940, courses had been started in drafting, aviation, office practice, printing, watch repairing, cooking, and dry cleaning. In December 1939 there were 154 youth employed. More than 80 percent came from Rural Minnesota areas; 44.3 percent had less than high-school education. In November 1940 employment had risen to 195, 70 of whom were registered under the Selective Service Act.
By June 1941 shop units had been constructed and were in operation. A woodworking shop, fender and body shop, shoe shop, and aviation, drafting, and electrical shops were added. Other shops were set up a few months later to give youth work experience in machine shop, welding, radio, and sheet metal—cosponsored by the city of Shakopee.
By agreement with the State department of education, related training was offered under supervision of the Shakopee public schools.
. The types of shop-work experience prescribed for NYA youth work-erswere as follows:
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Machine shop.—General machine shop practice on lathes, milling machines, shapers, drill presses, power saws, punch presses, grinders, filing machines, contour saws, saw files, and heat-treating equipment.
Welding shop.—General welding, arc, gas, and forge.
Sheet-metal shop.—General sheet-metal shop, practice on beaders, folders, crimpers, heading and forming machines, cutters, groovers, reamers, punch presses, spot welders, shears.
Radio shop.—Installation, service, repair, and manufacturing of communication transportation equipment and receiving sets.
The following are examples of production work and the agencies for which products were made:
Articles and services
Machine shop.—Trusses, transmitter panels, hoists, motor stands, vises, hand tools, dies, replacement parts, pumps, pulleys, shafts, gears.
Welding and forge. — Jail-cell blocks, prefabricated trusses, motor test stands, shop benches, fire escapes, portable grandstands, fireplaces, truck bodies, motor-vehicle repair work.
Sheet metal.—F arm storage tanks and silos, fish rearing and feeding tanks, pails and other receptacles, filing cabinets, air ducts and ventilators, water tanks.
Radio.—Short-wave transmitters and receivers, indoor communication systems, public-address systems, hearing aids.
Disposition
U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, city of Shakopee, Soil Conservation Service, Minnesota Highway Department, NYA projects.
Municipalities, public schools, park departments, Minnesota Highway Department, U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, State reformatory.
U. S. Farm Bureau, U. S. Bureau of Fisheries, Minnesota Department of Education, U. S. Forestry Service, Soil Conservation Service, State reformatory.
Minnesota Highway Department, Shakopee High School and other schools, park boards, relief agencies, State reformatories.
Quoddy Resident Project, Passamaquoddy, Maine
In many respects Quoddy was the model resident project. It was the first to bring youth together from more than one State, and it was the major testing ground for the correlation of the NYA youths’ work experience to industrial requirements. Careful selection of youth was made, aptitudes were determined, and work was assigned to the youth in accordance with their abilities. There was follow-up by local committee members on the progress of the youth after they had left Quoddy for other" employment.
In June 1937, at Passamaquoddy Bay, Maine, the NYA took over the plant, complete equipment, and living quarters in the model vil
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lage built in connection with the abandoned tide-harnessing project. At no other site did NYA have the advantages of newly constructed shops and living quarters with excellent equipment. The project started with 250 young men of proven capabilities, selected by local committees of private citizens from NYA projects throughout the New England States, to work at the project for a 5-month period. The number was increased later to 500 white and Negro youth, selected from the entire country.
The division of testing and counseling arranged with each youth a sound program of exploratory work experience, after mental, mechanical aptitude, manipulative, and educational achievement tests had been given. During the entire period of project employment, youth received regular guidance and counseling service.
Records of each youth’s progress were kept, and upon his leaving the project, copies were given to him, the local NYA office in his community, and his local selection committee.
The Quoddy project, like many NYA resident centers, emphasized the values derived from self-government. Early in the project development, youth formed a self-governing framework. As soon as reasonably possible, following the arrival of each new group, an election was held. Youth were elected to offices as mayor, councilmen, sergeant at arms, director and secretary of public relations, and other offices with special responsibilities. This self-government body met once a week to consider suggestions for improvement of work or living conditions, to mete out punishments to youth who had disobeyed regulations, and to make general rules for group work and living. Youth committees were appointed, each of which had an adviser from the NYA senior personnel.
Leisure-time activities at Quoddy were diversified. Intra- and extra-mural sport competitions were held the year round. Youth published a bi-weekly news organ called the Quoddy Eagle, which reported on work schedules, recreation activities, and personal items. The dramatic and glee clubs and the orchestra put on variety shows. Hobby clubs were self-organized in photography, radio, leathercraft, archery, hunting, aviation, and sketching. Excursions on land and at sea were conducted every 2 weeks.
The library at Quoddy, with the widest range of books of any NYA project, was open from 8 a. m. until 10 p. m.
The health program was equal to or higher than normal requirements. Youth were given complete physical examinations, remedial treatment, and hospitalization in case of illness. Sanitation and safety were constantly emphasized.
Youth were given work experience in three or more mechanical trades. On the basis of their work records, NYA authorities and
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home-town sponsors assisted youth in obtaining private employment. The project provided types of work and fully equipped shops as follows:
Welding.
Auto mechanics.
Mechanical drafting.
Carpentry.
Plumbing.
Warehouse operation.
Surveying.
Reproduction (photography, office printing, photostating).
Map making.
Laboratory.
Commercial art.
Welfare work.
Recreation.
Medical assistance.
Library work.
Cafeteria work.
Ground improvement.
Maintenance and repair of water, heating, and sewage system.
In December 1940, Quoddy started its defense production by machining small parts for the Navy Department One-half of each day was spent by the youth in production work either in a shop or on ground maintenance. The remainder of the day was devoted to related training classes. General courses in government, hygiene, and industrial counseling also were offered all youth. English and mathematics were optional but very popular with Quoddy youth.
A total of 8,000 youth were given work experience and training at Quoddy. Ten percent of the enrollees were junior leaders, or class A workers. These were boys who had worked and lived at Quoddy for an initial 5 months and who, because of abilities and performance, were allowed to continue on the project in more responsible jobs. They assisted foremen and coordinators in instructing new youth, and their earnings were $3 a month more than the other NYA youth, or class B workers.
Until the beginning of fiscal year 1943, Quoddy was not coeducational but at that time 100 Maine girls were selected to do clerical and shop work.
In depression years private employment was difficult to secure for those youth who were prepared sufficiently well to take average jobs in industry, although local sponsors tried to locate jobs for them when they returned home. With the advent of the defense and war periods, the requirements of industries and the military services absorbed the youth with work experience. The following are some of thé employers of NYA youth prepared for defense occupations :
Bradley Field Air Depot, Windsor Locks, Conn.
Rome Air Depot, Rome, N. Y. Patterson Field, Fairfield, Ohio.
Bell Aircraft, Buffalo, N. Y. Bethlehem Shipyards, Bingham, Mass.
Glenn L. Martin, Baltimore, Md.
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Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Douglas Aircraft, Santa Monica, Calif.
Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Mass.
Curtiss-Wright, Buffalo, N. Y.
General Electric Co., Lynn Mass.
South Portland Shipyards, South Portland, Maine.
Todd Bath Shipyards, Portland, Maine.
Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N. H.
Pan-American Airways, New New York City.
South Charleston Resident Project, South Charleston, W. Va.
In November 1938, NYA made arrangements with the Navy Department to take over two small unused buildings, each approximately 130 by 300 feet in size, at the South Charleston Naval Ordnance Plant. The first youth were employed in December and were set to work moving obsolete patterns and other items stored in the buildings, cleaning and repairing them for installation as equipment machinery for the work project. By February 1939, 250 NYA boys were living and working there. Peak enrollment was reached in January 1943, when 825 youth were employed. Girls also were enrolled and did clerical and shop work. No discrimination was made in the selection of youth because of color, creed, politics, or national origin. Practically every nationality was represented in the resident group. There was no segregation of Negro workers in project work, although they had separate living quarters.
This resident center also served as a parent project for local work units in the surrounding neighborhoods, where transportation was feasible. By May 1943, the South Charleston project had served 12,000 youth from West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. NYA youth had built needed buildings in addition to the two original shops. The major construction completed by NYA youth workers (exclusive of barracks and other temporary buildings) was
1. Plumbing, heating units, all electrical work.
2. Modern 26-bed clinic, with examination rooms, laboratory, and treatment rooms.
3. Dining hall, kitchen and food storage building, in which an average of 2,200 meals were prepared and served daily.
4. Four dormitories for white youth, each with a capacity of 90.
5. One dormitory for 90 Negro youth.
6. One girls’ dormitory with facilities for 66 girls.
7. Five shop buildings, housing drafting unit, machine shop, electrical shop, gas welding and arc welding shops, pattern-making shop, foundry, sheet metal shop, radio shop.
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8. Two brick houses, originally on the project site, were reconstructed and were used for recreation and commercial classes.
9. One large frame building used for maintenance headquarters and a project library.
10. Two warehouse buildings.
11. Youth conference building of four rooms.
12. An office building of concrete and cinder blocks.
The maximum monthly earnings were in excess of the national schedule of $30 a month. The National Administrator approved an exemption which permitted a maximum monthly earnings of $40, from which $28 was deducted to cover subsistence costs, including linen, laundry, recreation, and medical care. (Exemptions were granted for a number of other resident projects to meet larger subsistence costs and to permit a higher gross wage.) When the project was fully organized and costs stabilized, the exemption was rescinded.
Youth spent 8 weeks in an orientation course, during which time health examinations were completed, aptitude tests given, and youth assigned to work and given a chance to explore a particular type of work for which they were qualified. During a 6-month stay, youth usually rotated in three types of work. If special aptitudes were evidenced, youth were permitted to concentrate in that one field.
Shops, equipment, and supervision were provided for the following production work and training:
Arc welding.—Twenty work stations, three shifts a day. Three NYA-paid foremen. Work experience preparatory to employment in eastern shipyards. The main production was welding of ship ladders for the Maritime Commission. (The Wheeling, W. Va., project galvanized these ladders.)
Gas welding.—Twenty work stations, three shifts daily. One NYA supervisor and three paid by the State vocational department under the defense training program. Work included welding in all positions.
Drafting.—Fifteen work stations, one shift daily. One NYA foreman. Blueprints were made; blueprint reading and drafting taught.
Electricity.—Twenty work stations, two shifts daily. One NYA and one vocational school foreman. Electrical repair, wiring, connecting up machines, etc.
Foundry.—Twenty work stations, three shifts daily. Two NYA and one vocational school foremen. Castings were poured; hot metals handled; moulds made; and other general foundry work done. Production consisted of casting parts for NYA machines, and torpedo-adjusting stands for Torpedo Station at Alexandria, Va.
Auto mechanics.—Twenty-six work stations, three shifts daily. Three NYA and one vocational school foremen. Repairs were made chiefly on NYA-owned cars, busses, and trucks.
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Machine shop.—Eighty-four work stations, three shifts daily. Eighteen NYA and seven vocational school supervisors. There were about nine youth to each supervisor and training was given for employment in machine tool plants. Production was entirely for the war effort.
Radio.—Fifty-one work stations, three shifts daily. Two NYA and two vocational school supervisors. Production work consisted of radio maintenance and repair and manufacture of radio equipment for the War and Navy Departments; 500 transformer units were completed for the Civil Aeronautics Patrol. A complete shortwave broadcasting unit was built for the Kenawha Valley Civilian Defense.
Clerical.—Fifty work stations, one shift daily. Youth first received training in a clerical pool, then were assigned to various offices on the project and to other Government agencies in Charleston.
Pre-cadet training program.—Fifty Army Air Corps cadets at one time worked and studied here for 3 months. They studied air corps subjects for 4 hours each day and did maintenance work an additional 4 hours. Ninety-five percent passed examinations successfully, and of the 167 who were finally on this war production training project, 100 were commissioned in the Army. One, Lt. Robert Corey, received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart for distinguished service in air battles.
Warehousing.—Received, stored, and shipped materials and finished products. Youth gained experience to fit them for warehouse employment.
Cooking., baking, mess management.—As all youth ate on the project, there was opportunity to learn all phases of cookery, serving, acccounting for messes, dietetics, and purchasing of foods. Both girls and boys were assigned to these jobs.
In the early months of the project, youth were busy building and reconditioning buildings, installing equipment, and making metal cots for all residents and for other centers. The project also made street markers, waste disposal cans, first-aid kits, and traffic counters for the State road commission and radios for the Department of Public Safety. Production of items for local and State cosponsors who furnished materials was curtailed during the defense period and eliminated when the war came.
In May 1940, the Army ordered 6,000 steel cots. This was later increased to 13,000, and every cot had to pass rigid Army inspection. This was the first of many defense and war orders. The machine shop completed 100,000 ship ladder parts for the Maritime Commission. It also made cartridge containers and 20-mm. shots for the Philadelphia Ordnance Depot and machine gun mounts for the Naval Ordnance Plant at South Charleston, as well as countless gauges, special
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dies, jigs, and fixtures for the Army, Navy, and other Government agencies. Eight percent of the machinery for this production had been salvaged from junk and put into condition by the youth themselves.
The arc welding shop completed on schedule 1,161 12»foot ship ladders for the Maritime Commission. The patternmaking and foundry units swung into production by furnishing cast iron, copper, brass, and aluminum castings, some of which were for ship ladders. The sheet metal shop made cabinets for radio converters and transmitters for the Civil Air Patrol. Three thousand brass flaps and ammunition carriers were fabricated for the Maritime Commission.
The radio unit made interoffice communicators for local and State police departments and completed 500 radio converters for the Civil Air Patrol. One of the outstanding items produced by this unit was a mobile radio unit mounted on a trailer complete with a 5,000-watt generator and a 750-watt transmitter, all self-contained, and capable of being moved at a speed of 40 or 50 miles an hour, in case of flood, mine disaster, or other emergency. This trailer, NYA-built, had accommodations for a crew of four, with full emergency and living equipment.
The supervision on all these work units was excellent. As in other NYA shops, sometimes older men who could not stand the strain of war industry and who had fine practical experience, were employed by NYA and often were more patient than younger men in supervising inexperienced youth. Safety was stressed by the employment of special safety supervisors, and youth were rated in safety. With an average enrollment of 500 youth working in machine shops, there were 251 accidents reported in one 6-month period. Only 2 were serious; 47 were cuts or burns received while cooking. Eighty-eight percent was first-aid cases, and only 28 involved loss of work time due to accidents.
The health record was also excellent. In addition to entrance physical examinations and corrective treatment, youth were given examinations when training was completed so that they could meet the health requirements of private industry. Youth from surrounding local projects also came to South Charleston for physical examinations before going to NYA induction centers to obtain private employment.
Related training classes in all specific work and in general subjects were given. The project library listed 4,000 volumes of trade, general, fictional, and educational literature, and youth borrowed 1,600 volumes each month.
Recreation opportunities were many. Athletics were placed under one competent supervisor, and 75 percent of the youth took part in some sport. Youth had access to facilities for badminton, tennis, croquet, horse shoes, and table tennis on the project site. Intramural
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teams were made up from the various shops and dormitories, and the most popular sports were basketball, softball, volley ball, and archery. The project had a glee club, a string band, and a quartet. The youth published a monthly magazine, The Armonian, taking the name from “Armor City” which they had dubbed the resident project. Weekly social events took place, and the annual social activities included the anniversary banquet, election dance, Armistice Day program, Flag Day ceremony, Easter ball, hobby show, Fourth of July program, Hallowe’en program, and boxing tournaments.
Youth formed their own government which attended to minor disciplinary problems. Every 2 months they elected a mayor, a clerk, and six councilmen. Youth also ran conference groups and discussion groups in civics and government.
Early in the program, cosponsors included municipalities, counties, boards of education, county courts, which furnished the materials for office furniture and equipment, schoolroom furniture, laboratory equipment, and other items. Later, cosponsorship was almost entirely the Army, the Navy, the Maritime Commission, and other Federal agencies.
The boys and girls who came to the South Charleston resident project often had lived in remote rural areas where work and educational opportunities were limited. They learned trades and occupations which fitted them for better industrial employment, for the military services, and for earning their own livings in the future.
Conclusion
The resident project program was initiated by NYA as an experiment. That this program proved successful is confirmed by the size to which it grew and by the number of needy unemployed, out-of-school youth who lived and worked together in these centers.
The general public, labor, industry, and education evidenced intense interest in this program; under-privileged youth received an experience in instructive group living and democratic self-government; their general health and mental attitudes were improved; youth learned respect for public property because they were required to maintain the grounds and buildings in which they lived and worked. They earned their way while they learned. Real production was intrinsic in the resident project work.
Youth had an opportunity for a varied work experience related to the requirements of general group living. NYA resident youth were trained for employment and were either placed in industry or returned with new courage to their local communities, where citizen members of local advisory committees and the U. S. Employment Service helped in finding jobs for them in order that their NYA work experience might be applied to jobs in private industry and not lost because of a long period of unemployment.
• VIII •
Out-of-School Work Program: Services to Youth
The NYA objectives with reference to youth services were (1) to-establish and to encourage the establishment of job training*counseling, and placement services for youth; (2) to encourage the development and extension of constructive educational and job-qualifying,, leisure-time activities. Throughout the program, NYA officials attempted to develop and stimulate such services for underprivileged youth, as well as youth on its own program.
NYA did not have sufficient funds for the specific purpose of setting up its own Nation-wide programs of youth services. Rather, it depended upon the cooperation which could be obtained in the local communities and the assistance of State public and quasi-public agencies, and Federal agencies such as the U. S. Department of Health, the WPA, and the U. S. Office of Education.
The principal youth services which were goals of NYA were guidance and counseling, related training, health program, and recreational services for NYA youth workers. Safety was also an essential part of the works program.
During the last 2 years of operation, NYA set up an inter-State clearance system to transfer youth from areas of labor surpluses to areas of labor shortages as a service to qualified youth on NYA and to defense and war industries.
NYA paid the administrative expense of the Federal Committee on Apprentice Training for 2 years (fiscal years 1936 and 1937) in order that the promotion of apprenticeship training might be carried on until such time as this committee was established by Federal statute.
This chapter presents a summary of the foregoing services which were part and parcel of the out-of-school work program for needy unemployed young people.
Youth Personnel Service, Guidance, and Counseling
The NYA provided personnel services to its youth as well as work by emphasizing job training, counseling, and placement services for youth. Where these services existed in the local communities, NYA made use of them; where they did not, NYA established them. NYA was a unique organization in that on the one hand it gave guidance
195
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and counseling for jobs and, on the other hand, it provided the opportunity through its work projects for a practical follow-through on the youth’s occupational choice and for further exploration and redirection if this choice changed.
Immediately after the NYA was created, the National Administrator appointed a director of guidance and placement at the national level. Guidance and placement staff members at the regional and State levels were appointed soon after. Until the end of fiscal year 1939, these staff employees provided the area and county supervisors with guidance and counseling programs and material. The actual counseling of youth was done on the local project by the NYA and cosponsor supervisors with only general national standards and methods available to them. In 1939, however, when the NYA became wholly responsible for all services performed by the WPA, the Guidance and Placement Division, with heretofore only vaguely defined functions and responsibilities, became a more functional youth employment division and by 1940 the Division of Youth Personnel was established. A complete program of youth personnel services then was placed in operation to achieve positive guidance and counseling methods at the project level. This division, in addition to guidance, counseling, and placement, assumed responsibility for selection, assignment, reassignment, and termination of NYA youth workers, which heretofore had been performed for NYA by the WPA. The NYA employment officers at the project and area levels became administratively responsible to the NYA area director, but functionally responsible to the State director of youth personnel, who was functionally responsible to the regional director. With the elimination of State organizations at the beginning of fiscal year 1943, the youth personnel officer at the project level became administratively responsible to the project manager and functionally responsible to the regional youth personnel director.
The development of youth personnel services was influenced by the youth themselves as well as by the times. During the first 4 years of NYA, project youth came almost entirely from relief families. Many had no idea as to what line of work they wanted to follow, and had made no occupational choice. Many of them had had no work experience at all.
When the employment picture was so black, it was difficult to direct youth into educational or occupational activities. The basis of the guidance program in the early years consisted largely of finding answers for these questions:
1. How did the youth spend his leisure time ?
2. What were the effects of the staggered work hours on the development of good work habits and attitudes?
'3 . How could the youth be counseled in the choice of a- job that didn’t exist ?
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4. How could long-term planning and training be done when the industrial picture was so bleak?
5. How could youth maintain skills they had acquired ?
Youth guidance was interpreted as applying to educational, recreational, social, personal, health, community, and civic opportunities. Job information and information about available community training facilities were stressed as part of vocational guidance, which contributed toward the better social and economic adjustment of the individual youth to his community and therefore to the ultimate demands of working for a livelihood. On the other hand, guidance and training had to stress the basic requirements for an effective worker, namely, good work habits and proper attitudes toward fellow workers and superiors.
In 1939, when NYA took over the duties of selection and assignment of youth to NYA projects, employment opportunities were appearing. Vocational guidance now became a principal point of emphasis. Workshop projects had been developed sufficiently to provide work experience in many trades, and was continuing to expand, with an increasing number of youth wanting assignment to these projects.
The establishment of the defense training program for NYA youth under the auspices of the Office of Education provided for much more extensive related training than heretofore possible to supplement the NYA work experience. The increased number of available training classes was an aid both to the counselor and to the youth in obtaining training related to their work experience. Health education continued to be an important phase of the counseling and work project content. An attempt was made by NYA officials to secure medical examinations for all NYA youth, not just for those obvious cases where medical attention and treatment were plainly indicated.
The progress youth made in their NYA work Was recorded and reported. Youth were reinterviewed at regular intervals and their work problems discussed. If the youth had not progressed sufficiently, after adequate job exporation and rotation, or if work habits and attitudes did not warrant further employment on NYA, they were terminated from the project.
The shift to defense and war production training caused a corresponding shift in emphasis with reference to the type of counseling and guidance given the youth. The youth were now selected on the basis of preparing them to meet job specifications set up by industry, provided to the NYA by the local offices of the U. S. Employment Service. This agency also was designated as the recruiting and referral agency for NYA youth workers. In cases where the local USES office could not fill the vacancies on NYA projects, NYA did its own recruiting, after clearance with the local USES office.
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The preparation of youth for specific industrial operations now was of major importance. The youth’s stay on the project was determined by the number of hours needed to learn a particular operation. During this period there was little time for intensive personal counseling. The aim was to direct the youth into a workshop activity for which he was qualified, inform him of the physical and health requirements set by industry, obtain the needed documentation as to birth and citizenship, and follow up on his progress in the shop. Transfer to another shop unit was arranged if an employable youth did not adjust to the particular shop activity to which he had been assigned. Job rotation as it had existed in the first years was reduced to a minimum. The youth was required to register with the USES and to keep this registration active. When the foreman judged the youth to be adequately prepared, his progress report was referred to the local USES office for placement in industry.
The following special youth personnel services which were developed did not all come at one time, but were created and developed to meet the problems of the changing situation.
'Youth Guidance Records
The necessity of interviewing each youth before assignment to a project in order to supply the supervisors with essential information regarding the youth was apparent early in the program. At first, each State office developed its own interview form, but in 1939 a standard form was made available by the national office and its use required, with additional items permissible if desired. The youth interview record included information about vital statistics, family history and background, the youth’s educatonal achievement, previous work experience, avocational interests, and occupational ambition. After a youth had been employed by the NYA, the related training courses taken were recorded on this interview card; reinterviews were recorded, and remarks or observations made by the youth’s supervisor. In 1942, selective sevice status and health were added as items on the interview card. Prior to 1939, the information gathered from youth regarding avocational interests and leisure-time activities were the principal points used by NYA counselors in arranging for recreational outlets as a chief service to youth. The information on the family background and youth’s occupational ambitions very often served as guides in establishing work projects to combine work experience and training which might result in improved living conditions in the home.
Youth Progress Report
As a rule, supervisors’ duties included a day-by-day counseling of the youth workers. The youth’s development was recorded informally on the interview blank if filed at the project or on a copy
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sent to the supervisors. A standard progress report form was developed by the national office in 1940 to be used by supervisors in recording a youth’s progress in his work. The use of these progress cards was required. Ratings of excellent, good, fair, and poor were given for production efficiency, care of tools and materials, attendance and punctuality, interest in training, attitude toward fellow workers, improvement in appearance, improvement in health, readiness for private employment, and efforts to get private employment.
The cards were checked by youth personnel staff at intervals of not more than 6 months in order to determine that the individual youth was getting the maximum benefit from NYA work. This review provided the youth personnel with a record of worker performance on projects, insured that every effort was being made to obtain private employment for youth who were ready for it, made it possible to see that youth with unsatisfactory performance records and attitudes were either transferred to more suitable work or terminated, and checked the degree to which the youth had availed themselves of related training and health improvement opportunities. This information then served as a basis for the reinterview and the continued counseling of the youth.
During fiscal year 1942 a progress report on each NYA youth was required every 3 months for youth on the regular program and at least once each month for youth on the defense program. This youth progress report was transmitted to the area youth personnel officer who reviewed it and determined what action, if any, was to be taken to further the youth’s adjustment. The area youth personnel officer discussed the problems of individual youth with the project supervisor whenever possible.
The youth’s progress report developed for the fiscal year 1943 omitted many of the items used previously and included specific information on the types of industrial operations learned in the particular workshop where the youth was assigned, the number of hours spent on each machine and each operation, a notation of any tolerances within which the youth could work, and the supervisor’s estimate of the youth’s employability.
Local NYA youth personnel officers supplied the local USES offices with the information on the progress card of individual youth, which was used by these offices in placing the NYA youth in employment for which he was qualified and prepared.
Steps in Youth Guidance
To give adequate guidance, five steps were taken with the youth, namely, (1) help the youth to evaluate himself, (2) help the youth to make a vocational choice, (3) help the youth plan his training program to achieve the vocational choice he made, (4) place the youth
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in the work he could best do, (5) follow up on the work assignment to insure results for the youth. NYA was not prepared to take care of all these steps within the framework of its own organizaton. By utilizing the available community facilities and with the help and cooperation of other governmental agencies, NYA was able in most instances to give guidance to the youth on its program to accomplish the five purposes mentioned above.
By means of an individual interview, the youth was helped to evaluate himself and to make a vocational choice compatible with his abilities and interests. Every attempt was made to place youth on a project which provided the best opportunities for acquiring work experience in an occupation in which he was interested and for which he had aptitude. Where the project facilities or operation could not or did not provide the work experience or training for a particular occupational choice, related training courses often were arranged to supplement this lack in the work experience. From 1935 to 1940ᵣ training facilities which existed in communities were used, if they were available. Where the training facilities were inadequate, the NYA encouraged the establishment of training by groups or individuals in communities. Where this could not be done, NYA set up its own training classes for NYA youth.
In 1940, when Congress first appropriated defense funds to the U. S. Office of Education for the training of NYA youth, the State public vocational officials were permitted to expend part of this money for the rental or buying of equipment. Training opportunities were then made available under the public vocational school system to a greater number of NYA youth on the regular program, especially those living in rural and small communities. The training recommended to NYA youth was usually related to the project work experience, although courses in household management, marketing, and budgeting were also made available, especially to young women.
The related training of NYA youth employed on defense projects and war production training projects was required to be related to the job they were doing in the NYA defense shop. Once a youth was assigned to a NYA shop, related training was prescribed to supplement the particular type of shop work. Neither the counselor nor the youth decided on the type of related training courses he would take.
Placement Service
The USES was the designated agency to refer NYA youth to private employment. Until 1937 few placements were made through the local USES offices. When a supervisor heard of temporary or permanent job openings, he advised youth who were considered employable to apply. Job-hunting campaigns were planned jointly by supervisors or counselors and the NYA youth. The youth were counseled
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as to proper dress, approach, how to fill out an application form properly, where the possible sources of employment might exist.
Each NYA youth was required to register with the local employment service office and advised to keep his status active by reporting for reinterview at regularly designated intervals.
Follow-Up After Placement in Industry
A follow-up on NYA youth after placement in private employment was carried on only in a few areas. Where NYA supplied trained workers upon the specific requests of specific industries or trained workers for the Army and Navy depots, this follow-up developed spontaneously out of the frequent necessary contacts between the NYA staff and the particular employer. The adjustment of NYA workers to jobs on occasion were reported to the NYA staff by employers, and these reports sometimes furnished the basis for the improvement of the project operation, training, or counseling of the NYA youth.
Group Guidance
In matters of general rules and regulations concerning NYA operation, shop procedure, safety, etc., group guidance was used. This was time-saving and often a more effective guidance procedure for getting the information across to the youth than the individual conference technique. The question and answer period served to cover the subject completely and brought out for discussion many questions which the youth had not thought of or had been too shy to ask about.
Junior Placement Offices
Before the National Youth Administration was set up, there was only one State—New York—which maintained a special division for the placement of young, inexperienced workers. Junior placement offices were first established by the National Youth Administration in cooperation with the State employment services to facilitate the placement of young people in jobs with private industry. In March 1936, the first NYA placement counselor was assigned to a public employment office. On July 1,1940, a little over 4 years later, in 187 cities of 41 States special junior employment divisions were being operated as a result of work done or methods established by NYA. These junior employment services were designed to help unemployed young people secure jobs in private industry. They were organized as units within the offices of the State employment service and used the same equipment and facilities.
Of these 187 junior divisions, 32 were established and originally financed by the National Youth Administration but were taken over by the State employment services as a regular part of their budgeted activities. In 90 of these cities, the State employment services established
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junior employment divisions with the technical assistance of the National Youth Administration, but supported by their own funds. The remaining 65 offices, which functioned within the State employment services, were partially staffed with persons paid from NYA funds.
From June 1935 through June 1940, the NYA expended close to $650,000 on junior employment services, of which about 98 percent was spent for salaries of the placement staff and the remaining 2 percent was expended for nonlabor costs.
On July 1,1940, NYA withdrew from junior placement services and the continuation of these services became the sole responsibility of the Bureau of Employment Security of the Social Security Board.
NYA pioneered in this type of junior placement, and paid part of the cost of maintaining the service, because the State employment offices were not equipped at that time to handle the job-finding problems of youth. By cooperating with the State employment offices, which furnished the necessary facilities and supervision, NYA attempted to speed up the process of moving NYA youth off its projects and into jobs in private industry.
It was a highly specialized work, requiring personnel trained in the vocational guidance and placement of youth who had never previously worked in private industry, and who therefore could not be readily classified according to regular occupation. State employment offices were being stretched to the utmost to take care of the placement of adult workers. If the NYA had not been available to perform a similar service for youth, the important service of youth guidance and placement in private industry undoubtedly would have continued to be neglected.
Aptitude Testing Program
Certain objective tests approved by the national office of youth personnel were used as guides in assigning youth to projects. Precautions had to be taken that these tests were administered properly. The result of tests alone was not considered as proof of lack of aptitude, but served as one additional tool in selection. For example, as an aid in the selection of youth for the NYA radio projects a battery of tests was given which included tests in auditory discrimination, arithmetic, and vocabulary.
In 1940, with the expansion of the shop program, and with the demand on the part of most youth for placement in these NYA shops, the Detroit Mechanical Aptitude Test was administered to test the mechanical abilities of new youth coming to NYA, those already assigned to defense shops, and also to those on the regular program who wished to transfer to these shops. An analysis of the first 13,638 tests administered to these youth revealed that 6,466 made scores showing strong probability of success in the metal and mechanical trades.
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Testing as a basis for selection and assignment to NYA projects was never used on a Nation-wide scale.
Occupational Studies
It was as early as October 1935 that the need for bringing together information regarding fields of employment, training, educational, and recreational outlets was recognized. The national director of guidance and placement authorized the employment of personnel on State staffs for the collection and preparation of industrial and occupational studies.
For all youth, regardless of their need or relief status, who had never had the chance to get assistance in the difficult task of intelligently selecting a career, NYA prepared and published more than 100 comprehensive industrial and occupational studies. In these was given a detailed description of the types of work involved in each industry and occupation, the duties, the training requirements, the job and promotional possibilities, and the wages or salaries paid. These studies were provided to those teachers or youth who wished them. In 11 States job information or occupational classes for out-of-school youth were specially arranged where the studies were analyzed and discussed, talks were given by industrial leaders of the community, and industrial movies were shown. Weekly radio programs on jobs were broadcast in 18 States, usually taking the form of talks by persons employed in the various occupational fields. And, finally, in 12 cities, where active cooperating sponsors made technical assistance available, special consultation services were set up both to analyze the preferences and talents of young job seekers and to give them information regarding possible lines of employment and training.
An outstanding contribution to the preparation of occupational studies was made by the NYA State staff of Illinois. Not only were occupational studies and briefs prepared, but collateral studies were made for NYA work experience projects which consisted of graded unit lessons in such fields as sewing, machine-shop work, wood-shop work, home mechanics, domestic services, building maintenance, park improvements, safety, first aid, and many other subjects in fields of work related to project assignments of NYA youth. These collateral studies were used to assist in project operation and planning and their primary function was to broaden the youth’s knowledge and skill in a particular field.
Relationship Between the Boreman and the Youth Counselor
Even with the establishment of the Division of Youth Personnel, which was specifically responsible for relating the work experience of NYA youth to other employment opportunities, the supervisor or foreman was the key to the on-the-job counseling and guidance of
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NYA youth. The youth personnel staff advised and guided the youth in the choice of a vocation or occupation, assigned the new NYA worker to work operations, and explained the rules and regulations governing work on NYA projects. But the foreman was the person who supervised the work done by the youth, and developed work habits and attitudes through the routine of good job performance. Close working relationships between members of the Work Projects Division and the Youth Personnel Division at national, regional, State, and project levels were of prime importance in achieving an effective guidance and counseling program. To achieve closer relationship, the National Administrator in May 1941 outlined to State administrators a procedure of working relationships between these two divisions at the area arid local levels. All area and local youth personnel workers were to keep currently informed of work projects operating or being established in their locality. Youth personnel staff was required to visit these projects personally to see what work was being done. They were directed to become acquainted with the supervisors in order that assignments to the projects might be in line with the projects’ requirements and conditions of employment. The State Division of Work Projects was responsible for informing the State Division of Youth Personnel whenever changes occurred in types or conditions of project work. In the initiation of new projects the Division of Work Projects was to consult with the Division of Youth Personnel as to the type of youth labor in the local “waiting” assignment file. Wherever a youth worker gave evidence of not doing satisfactory work on the project, the project supervisor referred the youth back to the Division of Youth Personnel with a recommendation for transfer or, if necessary, for termination.
The Division of Operations and the Division of Youth Personnel shared the responsibilities for the functions incident to the induction of youth into a job, his guidance and progress through a shop, his transfer, recommendation for employment and termination, as well as functions related to shop safety and sanitation. This joint responsibility entailed close cooperation between the members of these two divisions at all levels. At the project level, cooperation was assured since both divisions worked with youth at the work locations. Cooperation on the part of the regional and national staffs involved more than the working together of the personnel of the two divisions. It required joint planning, agreement as to procedures, and, most important, their combined efforts to relate NYA work experience to employment outlets to give the young people from NYA projects a sense of personal accomplishments, security in themselves and in their job preparation.
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Employment Induction Centers
The enormous expansion of war production facilities in highly industrialized areas and the building of new plants in localities where little or no manufacturing had been done before resulted in a demand for labor in excess of local labor supply. Many sections far removed from industrial expansion areas and with no war contracts had surpluses of workers. Other areas with a concentration of war production faced shortages of labor.
Thousands of individuals began to migrate into the labor shortage areas. This uncontrolled and undirected migration created problems in housing, feeding, and recreation which affected not only the in-migrants but also the thousands of employees already at work.
In this situation NYA was able to make a contribution to an orderly labor market process. During the defense period, NYA had established many work shops in or near manufacturing centers. These nonresident shops trained youth for local industries or for war industries within a commuting radius. At the same time NYA had available a large reservoir of trained youth in many of the southern States, in New York City, Kentucky, parts of Pennsylvania and in a number of States west of the Mississippi. The NYA youth in these areas had obtained work experience and training in machine shop, welding, foundry, and sheet metal. Since few defense contracts had been awarded to these regions, the skills of these young men were not being utilized in the defense effort. NYA youth also were receiving training in resident centers located far from manufacturing areas. Most of the youth at these centers came from communities where training facilities were not available. These youth were another source of qualified labor supply for the war effort. NYA, with its nation-wide network of projects, was uniquely -equipped and organized to facilitate orderly defense migration.
Early in 1941, Connecticut began to experience a labor shortage. Skilled and semiskilled workers were not available, nor were there sufficient numbers of unskilled workers to train for the defense occupations. In October 1941 a review of the active file by the Hartford Employment Service office showed 5,422 registrations; a year before that 11,251 workers had been registered as seeking work. An analysis of the active file revealed that actually only 142 of the 5,422 were available and referrable workers.
To help alleviate this labor shortage, NYA and the Connecticut Employment Service jointly worked out a plan for the orderly transfer and placement of qualified NYA youth from labor surplus areas to the Hartford area. The first NYA induction center thus was in
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itiated to bring NYA youth from other areas to an area where job opportunities for them had been secured.
At Nepaug Village, 15 miles west of Hartford, there was an NYA resident project with machine-shop equipment and adequate facilities for housing the NYA youth between their time of arrival and actual employment. During this period, the youth worked at the resident project. The Employment Service in Connecticut provided the NYA with job specifications and orders for the types of workers needed by employers in the Connecticut River Valley. The NYA officials in Connecticut forwarded this information to the national NYA office from where it was sent to the NYA regional and State administrators for selection of NYA youth who met the job requirements and who were willing to go to Hartford for a job. The youth selected were sent to the NYA induction center at Nepaug Village, where they remained for a period of 10 to 14 days before they were placed in industry. During this period, these youth were given work and training at the Nepaug Village project. They were interviewed by employment service officials for referral to jobs or by the employers themselves. The NYA staff assisted the youth in finding living quarters and counseled them about leisure time activities. When the NYA youth left the induction center, they had a job, a suitable place to live and enough money to live on until they received their first pay check from the new job.
By July 1, 1941, this transfer program had proved so successful that the NYA in Connecticut set up induction centers at Wethersfield, 5 miles south of Hartford, and Norwich. The work stations at these three centers were in machine shop and in sheet metal. All these centers which were supplying the Hartford industries with trained workers operated on a 3-shift basis.
After this transfer method had been successfully demonstrated by the Connecticut centers, similar reception depots or induction centers were established throughout the country in war production areas experiencing shortages of qualified labor.
By January of 1943 there were 32 induction centers located in 23 States in operation throughout the country. From July 1942, through May 1943, a total of 28,727 NYA youth from almost every State had been transferred to induction centers for placement into war industries. For example, there was an induction center on the west coast at Richmond, Calif., which brought NYA youth for employment in the shipyards. The induction center at Seattle, Wash., was adjacent to the Boeing Aircraft Co., which needed workers desperately to staff its huge “flying fortress” plant. The center at Norfolk, Va., was located near the Norfolk Navy Yard.
The States with the largest labor surpluses were those from which the largest number of NYA youth were selected for war employment.
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The States from which the largest number of NYA youth was transferred to induction centers were as follows:
Alabama______________ ________ 896 Ohio__________________ ________ 568
Arkansas _ _ 2,544 Oklahoma _________2, 733
Florida________________ ________ 670 Pennsylvania__________ ________1,031
Georgia_______________ ________ 1, 999 South Carolina_________ ________1, 001
Kentucky______________ ________ 1, 882 Tennessee_____________ ________1, 690
Minnesota_____________ x_______ 645 Texas_________________ ________2,150
Mississippi------------ ________ 1, 626 West Virginia_________ ________3,294
North Carolina_________ ________ 926 Wisconsin______________ ________ 508
A survey of new arrivals and placements made by the 32 induction centers for the period January 1943 through May 1943 revealed 11,234 new youth arrivals at the centers and a placement record of 9,075 or 82 percent of these NYA youth into war industries. Those with the largest intake and turn-over into war industries were the centers located at Richmond, Calif.; New Haven, Conn.; Mobile, Ala.; Wichita, Kans.; Baltimore, Md.; Eugene, Oreg.; West Chester, Pa.; Norfolk, Va.; and Seattle, Wash.
An analysis of the industries into which the NYA trained youth were placed showed that they fell into three major categories, namely, shipbuilding and repair, aircraft construction and repair, and the machine-tool trade. In New England, for example, the majority of youth were placed in the machine-tool industry. On the eastern coast as at Norfolk, Va., and on the southern coast as at Mobile, Ala., the greatest number of NYA youth was placed in the shipbuilding industries. On the west coast the aircraft and shipbuilding companies absorbed most of the NYA trainees from the induction centers located there. A survey of representative firms that employed NYA youth from 6 selected induction centers revealed 97 such companies.
Regulations Governing Interstate Transfer
The plan of interstate transfer of NYA youth which the NYA and the U. S. Employment Service developed was an orderly labor market recruitment and placement method.
The following regulations governed the recruitment, transfer, and placement of NYA youth:
1. The approval of the NYA regional director of youth personnel was required before any State was sefit a requisition for NYA youth.
2. Adequate opportunities for the immediate placement of transferred youth into war industries in the receiving State or in a particular labor market were to exist.
3. To assure the placement of as many youth as were requisitioned, the receiving State had to have adequate resident and shop facilities for the completion of the necessary work experience of the transferred youth. These facilities could not be made available to out-
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of-State youth if they were needed to meet the needs of the youth in that State.
4. Youth were not to be transferred from States or localities in which there existed labor market shortages with available opportunities for placement in war industries as certified by the USES.
Requisition and Clearance Procedure
The USES had the responsibility for clearing defense labor supply between States and other geographical areas of the country. The clearance for transfers of NYA youth was conducted under a modified standard Employment Service procedure, designed to meet the special problems involved in the transfer of NYA youth.
The NYA officials in consultation with the Employment Service officials determined whether the defense labor needs in that State justified the transfer of NYA youth from other States. The NYA regional director of youth personnel first sent an “informal requisition” to the NYA youth personnel officer of a particular State and to the appropriate local Employment Service office. This requisition designated the number of NYA youth needed, the job specifications, wages, hours of work, living and working conditions, and a description of the NYA project and living facilities in the area to which they were to be transferred. These requisitions covered the number of workers required to meet the labor needs in a labor shortage area for a 4- to 6-week period.
The local Employment Service office which served the NYA induction center prepared and distributed through itg interstate clearance system a labor requisition for the number and type of NYA youth needed to meet employers’ labor requirements. This order gave qualifications for particular jobs.
Simultaneously an identical order for the transfer of youth workers was sent by the NYA regional office to the NYA offices participating in the selection of NYA youth for defense or war employment in another area.
Selection of Youth for Interstate Transfer
The appropriate State Employment Service office and NYA officials determined the projects from which the transfers were to be made. The officials of the local Employment Service offices and of the local NYA projects cooperated in the selection of the NYA youth to be transferred. In selecting the youth all conditions and qualifications set forth in the requisition had to be met. Youth to be transferred had to have sufficient NYA work experience or demonstrated sufficient ability for employment in war industries at the end of the period of assignment to the NYA project. In addition, he had to be in good health and free from any temporary physical condition which might
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make travel or change to a new climate dangerous. The NYA youth had to have sufficient money on arrival at the project to pay for his room and board during the first week of private employment. He had to have a birth certificate indicating his age and evidence of citizenship and a Social Security account number card.
Prior approval was needed from the receiving State before any handicapped youth could be transferred.
Transfer of Documents and Youth Personnel Records
On the day of the youth’s departure to an induction center, the following documents were forwarded to the requisitioning project: Youth personnel record, certificate of war-production training, a statement of parental consent for resident center assignment, out-of-State transfer approval, a health examination record, and any other special information requested by the prospective employer.
Transportation
The youth’s transportation was paid out of NYA funds allocated to the NYA transferring project. The youth was furnished transportation at the same reduced rates granted to Government employees engaged in official travel.
The sending project notified the receiving project by wire of the time of leaving, scheduled time of arrival, and the name of the railroad. No youth could be returned to his home State at NYA expense within six weeks after his transfer except for emergency reasons. Interstate travel of youth employees was by day coach and by the most direct route.
Termination and Reassignment
The transferred NYA youth was “terminated from employment” by the sending project and “assigned to work” at the receiving project effective as of the hour and date of arrival at the receiving project.
Counseling
Prior to transfer, complete information about the resident center’s living and training conditions, the length of stay at the resident center before placement into the war industries was given to the NYA pros-spective transferee. He was also advised concerning the living conditions, the cost of living and the type of employment, wages, and hours of work he could expect in the community into which he was being transferred.
After the NYA youth’s arrival at the center and during his 2 weeks’ stay there, interviews were arranged for the youth with the local employment service officials for referral to employers. Often employers or their representatives came directly to the induction center to interview the applicants. Where additional medical exam-
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¡nations were required by the local industries, NYA officials arranged for them during this period. The youth was assisted in obtaining suitable housing and living quarters by the NYA staff. The youth was counseled and advised as to the recreational facilities available for leisure-time activities and directed to churches, Y’s, community and educational centers. Information about the union organization in the specific industry into which he went was given to him. The youth was again advised of a worker’s responsibilities to his employer and to his fellow workers.
The local Employment Service office referred the youth to war employment at the completion of a designated period at the induction center.
Related Training
Related training on the NYA work program may be defined as instruction, study, or practice on machines, for which no payment was made and the product of which did not go to cosponsors. Related training of an informal type started simultaneously with the work program. The object was to provide youth with fuller and more specialized training and knowledge than project work afforded. Until July 1940, this related training was carried on in all States in the following three ways: (1) instruction on the job, when the supervisor might stop production to give an individual or a group special information concerning a certain work operation; (2) instruction at the project site after work hours, which might be formal classes taught by the supervisor or supplemental work by the youth on products for which they furnished the materials and which they kept for themselves; (3) or informal after-hours work such as tearing down and rebuilding motors, and classroom instruction, usually in schools, but sometimes in settlement houses, service clubs, or WPA adult education courses.
In July 1939, NYA ruled that “youth employees may be required to participate in a program of related training, which may be included in their monthly assigned hours, provided that the total assigned hours do not exceed 100 hours per month. Within the maximum assigned houts provided herein, youth employees shall be considered in pay-roll status for the entire period during which they are under the supervision of the National Youth Administration.” This meant that young people might be paid for related training. There was quick objection from the United States Office of Education. NYA was charged with setting up another system of vocational education in the vocational education field. In September 1939, 3 months later, NYA revised its regulation and no longer permitted payment for related training.
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While related training was not required of NYA youth, it was strongly advocated. Since the list of youth waiting NYA assignments was large, in many instances those were selected who were willing to take related training. Supervisors were selected who could instruct as well as supervise production. Smith-Hughes and George-Deen funds wrere sometimes made available to pay vocational teachers for NYA classes. Funds had to be requested by State vocational authorities, and such requests were made and granted in many States. In 1938, these funds were made available for courses for NYA youth in about 15 States. In 1939, the NYA and the United States Office of Education undertook a cooperative, experimental related training program in 2 cities, Detroit and Pittsburgh, and in 2 States, Indiana and North Carolina. Classes for NYA youth taught by public school teachers were organized at the project or in the schools, related to project work, and adjusted to the available time of youth workers. The United States Office of Education cooperated in preparing some instructional material.
In Detroit, NYA youth were permitted to enter evening classes at half the regular fee. Sixty percent of the NYA youth enrolled. NYA was qualified as an employer so that the Detroit school board might be reimbursed for teachers’ salaries from Federal and State trade and industrial funds. Ten extra teachers were hired and 500 to 600 youth registered. Students received 15 hours of instruction each month. They attended school for 1 week and then remained away for 3 weeks. Classes were held in NYA work centers or in any other suitable space. Classes were ungraded and content ranged from elementary school to college. Every effort was made to avoid a schoolish atmosphere, and such usual fixtures as textbooks, lesson assignments, credits, and marks were missing. Students met around tables and chose subjects for discussion. These included:
1. The creation of jobs.
2. Occupations in a changing society.
3. Laws affecting employees.
4. Wage plans.
5. Making a job of getting a job.
6. Agencies providing leisure time activities.
7. Advantages under the American system.
8. Money management for a household.
9. The value of your name and signature.
A large part of the leaders’ time was spent in personal guidance because the objective of these courses was to increase the youths’ employability.
In Pittsburgh, the experiment was different. Eighteen hundred youth from NYA projects enrolled in 47 courses offered in public schools. Classes were held one day each week from 3:30 to 9:30
566597—44---------15
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p. m. During a half-hour supper period, meals were served at cost in the school cafeterias. It was interesting that many of the youth who found private jobs asked for the privilege of continuing these courses. The average age of the youth was 20^ years. About 38 percent had graduated from high school and had been unemployed from 2 to 5 years. The mean intelligence quotient of the group was 92. About half had foreign-born parents. They were a little older than the national NYA average and also had more school background. The board of public education provided three evening school counselors for a guidance program. They interviewed all youth. Group conferences were also held, and 52 percent of the youth voluntarily attended to hear discussion of the following subjects: Choosing an occupation, occupational preparation, studying ourselves, health, working with others, and how to keep a job. The following courses were offered:
Acetylene welding. Drafting.
Arithmetic. Electricity.
Art. Expression.
Auto mechanics. Health and hygiene.
Beauty culture. Horticulture.
Bookkeeping, advanced. Machine Shop.
Bookkeeping, beginning. Millinery.
Business English. Mimeograph.
Business mathematics. Music appreciation.
Cabinet making. Occupational guidance.
Calculating machines. Office machine practice.
Carpentry. Oral expression.
Consumer education. Paper hanging.
Cooking. Power machine operation.
Current events. Printing.
Cutting from patterns. Radio.
Dictation
In one of the Pittsburgh schools, a general course to provide education for living and working was offered. Classes were held for 3 hours on 2 afternoons each week. Textbooks were not used. Courses covered a wide range of practical subjects.
General knowledge was acquired by NYA youth as a byproduct of project work. For example, in the mountain areas of the South, white youth often could not sign their names to pay rolls. They voluntarily took instruction, somtimes from other NYA youth in reading and writing and arithmetic. Girls on homemaking projects were given varying amounts of consumer information. Occasionally, NYA college students taught related training courses to NYA project youth.
In those resident centers established in conjunction with educational institutions, a part of the cooperative agreement was that courses were to be set up for NYA youth and taught by faculty members.
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Some of the NYA youth who had high school diplomas found means to enroll in the regular student body and were dropped from the resident project.
The United States Office of Education Provided Related Training, 1940-43
On July 27, 1940, an agreement was signed by the United States Commissioner of Education and the NYA Administrator which in substance defined the functions of these two agencies, as follows:
1. Through established channels of educational administration (vocational education), the Office of Education was to exercise leadership in developing and administering federally financed programs of education, including emergency training programs (NYA).
2. The NYA was to provide and administer the funds with which to support programs of student work for full-time high school and college students, and also employment on work projects for other young people, all of whom were to be provided with related or necessary instruction under the direction of Federal, State, and local educational authorities.
3. The United States Office of Education was to be the Federal agency responsible for dealing directly with State educational systems and institutions.
4. The Federal office of the NYA was to be responsible for dealing directly with its authorized agents in the States.
5. Neither agency was to seek to secure appropriations with which to support activities within the States not strictly in accordance with the respective functions of these agencies as indicated above.
6. Costs of personnel, supplies, equipment, and other operating costs for education services for NYA youth were to be borne by the United States Office of Education.
7. The United States Commissioner of Education and the NYA Administrator assumed the responsibility for securing the acceptance of this definition of functions by the State educational officials and State NYA administrators.
8. The State NYA administrator and the State department of education were to work out jointly the nature of and plan for the work, including the location of the project. The department of education was to develop a program of education suited to the needs of the youth employed on such projects. When the State department of education decided that it was not feasible to furnish instruction other than that received during project time, the situation was to be referred to a committee of three persons, jointly selected, and this committee was to decide whether related training was to be provided and whether NYA or the State vocational education department was to give it.
The Seventy-sixth Congress made an initial supplementary appropriation of $7,500,000 to the United States Office of Education under
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the First Supplemental Civil Functions Appropriations Act, 1941, Public, No. 812, Seventy-sixth Congress, third session, for related training classes for NYA youth on regular or nondefense projects, as preemployment training courses were open to NYA defense workers in occupations essential to national defense. These defense training courses, for youth on the regular program were offered only during fiscal years 1941 and 1942, at which time the regular program of NYA was discontinued.
Administrative Organization Governing NYA Defense Related Training
On May 29, 1940, the Advisory Commission to the Council of National Defense was established to advise on the defense program then being developed, to formulate defense policy, and to serve as an advisory group to all agencies engaged in the defense effort. NYA maintained a cooperative relationship with this council in developing the NYA defense program.
As the defense program developed in magnitude, the need for an operating mechanism became apparent. On January 7, 1941, the Office of Production Management was created as the over-all coordinating defense agency within the Office for Emergency Management. A labor division of OPM was established on March 18, 1941. This division had as one of its responsibilities that of providing adequately trained workers at the right time and place to achieve production at maximum efficiency. The labor division coordinated both governmental and private activities for the recruitment, training, and effective maintenance of qualified workers in defense industries. The NYA work program was part of the defense training program and was included as one of the agencies coordinated by the OPM labor division. An executive order of January 16, 1942, abolished OPM and established the War Production Board within the Office for Emergency Management. The labor division was continued with its former duties, responsibilities, and authority for the various defense training programs in operation to effect coordinated defense training programs.
A National Council of Administrators was formed consisting of the National Administrator of NYA, the National Director of the USES, and the United States Commissioner of Education, or their designated representatives. Comparable set-ups were organized on the regional, State, and local levels with duties and responsibilities the same as those of the National Council of Administrators but limited to the area in which they operated.
The local councils gathered the data on the training needs of defense industries in their respective communities, determined where and what kind of training classes were to be established in line with
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these needs, and were vested with the authority to approve or disapprove proposals for training classes. The employment service in each community and State supplied each member of the council of administrators with the current labor demand and supply information on labor market developments, obtained from its registration and placement activities and its employer contacts. The council of administrators received and considered the recommendations of the employment service as well as proposals for training programs from other sources such as their respective advisory committees. It was their duty to establish such programs wherever a majority of the council approved. If any member of a council did not concur in a decision of the council, he could appeal to the State council through the regular channels of his State agency. A majority decision of the State council became immediately operative. The final determination on matters of defense training within the several States rested with the respective national offices of the constituent units working under the national defense training director.
In cases where the facilities of a local community were inadequate to meet the local training needs of that community, the employment service reported the potential shortage of workers to the council of administrators. The council of State administrators then arranged for the establishment of additional facilities or selected other communities which had training facilities in excess of local needs to help meet the potential shortage of workers in communities where the training facilities were inadequate.
In certain occupations in which shortages were expected to develop because of pending defense contracts, training could be given in excess of locally known needs. The number of workers given training in excess of known needs and the occupations in which such training could be given was authorized by the Director of Defense Training. NYA geared its projects and related training to the employment demands as outlined above.
Congress had appropriated moneys for five different kinds of training programs for the fiscal year 1941 to meet the national defense need. These five programs were all administered by the United States Office of Education. Two of the five applied to NYA youth: (1) pre-employment or refresher courses for unemployed persons, and (2) education and training exclusively for NYA project workers on the regular NYA program. NYA youth who worked under the NYA defense program in the machine, automotive, woodworking, aviation, radio, and metal shops could qualify for the training given under the defense preemployment program. Those NYA youth who were on productive work projects other than the mechanical and metal workshops received training under the exclusive
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NYA defense training program for the regular program. Three types of training were offered under this latter program:
1. Extension training supplementary to work experiences. This training supplemented the work experience the youth received on NYA projects;
2. Preparatory training for occupational adjustment. This training included courses in blue print reading, shop mechanics, mechanical drawing, and supplemented the work experience that the youth received on NYA projects, but which NYA could not give because it was not actual production work. This type of training was often indicated by industry as necessary for employment.
3. Instruction for civic and vocational intelligence. The courses given under this heading ranged all the way from courses in democracy, the contribution that the citizens of this democracy could make and the responsibilities they had to bear to courses in the history of the labor movement, the responsibilities of industry to labor and in turn the responsibilities of labor to industry. It also included courses on job hunting, proper appearance, approach, and the proper filling of application forms.
At this time there were many thousands of NYA youth located in rural areas who could not avail themselves of the opportunities and facilities for training that existed in the larger urban areas because of geographical and transportation difficulties. Many of these youth enrolled in the defense training courses for rural youth, as individuals and not as NYA workers.
Defense Related Training for NYA Youth Workers
Youth on defense projects were provided work experience and training directly related to defense employment. The NYA workers reported for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Each shift was divided into two parts: one part was devoted exclusively to the NYA project work under NYA supervision; the second part of the day was devoted to attending defense preemployment classes especially related to the project work performed by the NYA youth.
A period of intensive induction training was given youth with limited experience before they were put to work on the project which combined work and preemployment training. This induction training enabled the new NYA youth to produce more rapidly and efficiently, and spoilage of materials and damage to equipment was kept at a minimum.
The maximum number of hours youth might work each month on defense work projects was 160 hours, and 120 hours for youth on the regular NYA program. A 50-50 ratio of work and training was found to be the most effective type of arrangement. Since the mini-mum number of hours for youth on both programs was 80 hours, the
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remaining 40 or 80 hours were devoted as a rule entirely to training. Sometimes 60 hours of the remaining 80 hours were devoted to training and the remaining 20 allocated either to defense production or to training as was deemed best by the NYA foreman and the vocational instructor. Under the NYA war production training program, youth were required to spend a minimum of 160 hours in work and training. The same general arrangement for the scheduling of hours of work and training remained in effect for the war production training program as for the NYA defense program. The number of hours spent in training courses varied from 8 hours a month to 40 hours a month depending on the nature of the courses, availability of equipment, and the number of youth applicants.
Statistics compiled by the United States Office of Education show that total NYA enrollments in defense preemployment training classes were 328,500 from October 1940 through June 1943. Enrollments of NYA youth employed under the regular program in defense training classes totaled 729,780 for the period October 1940 through June 1942, which was when the regular program of the NYA was discontinued. As mentioned previously, NYA youth attended these classes on their own time and were only paid for time spent in actual production work on NYA projects.
There were many localities and communities where the school authorities did not have available facilities or personnel for the training of NYA youth. Also the relationship between, the schools and NYA in some communities was such that a cooperative basis of work production and training could not be worked out. This was particularly true of resident centers that were located in isolated areas. In such cases, the NYA conducted and supervised the work experience and training in its own shops. All the youth on the defense work program and the subsequent war production training program took some type of training—defense training in the public vocational schools, on-the-job training in NYA projects, or training supplied by NYA in areas where vocational school facilities were not available.
Health Program
Until fiscal year 1941, NYA had no organized health program. Every NYA supervisor was faced with staggering health problems of youth. Assignments to most work projects were made with a minimum consideration of the physical status of individual youth. Youth might have communicable diseases and spread them. Only in resident centers and on projects cosponsored by an institution which had health standards and which rendered medical services itself where youth benefited medically from NYA employment.
Every State administrator reported this deficiency in the program
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and elaborate plans were drawn up to give youth health services. For 5 years no national policy or program appeared. In individual States and communities, efforts were made to secure physical examinations and treatments. Youth, themselves, often paid for these services from their small earnings. In resident projects, a fee of 50 cents a month usually was deducted from wages to cover medical costs. Existing group hospitalization was too expensive for these low-wage earners.
The following are examples of how this sporadic health program functioned:
In Illinois in 1938, an active program of Wassermann tests was initiated. Meetings of NYA youth were held and the Wassermann test demonstrated. Most of the youth then lost any fears they might have had and took the test. During the first week in May 1938, the State Health Department sponsored a “Health Promotion Week” and 7,000 NYA youth attended meetings to discuss youth health.
In Louisiana, on every girl’s project, lectures on hygiene and health were given. Flint-Goodridge Hospital provided tuberculin tests for all Negro NYA workers in New Orleans. An attempt was made by the Public Health Department to raise relief payments to families in which youth were withdrawn from NYA work because of active tuberculosis.
In June 1939, at Manchester, N. H., WPA provided a full-time nurse for individual health guidance and for health classes in communicable diseases.
The State health department of New Jersey in 1938, in cooperation with the medical association, backed a health program which included the NYA employment of a full-time physician and assistant. This program called for physical examinations for all youth and follow-up with State and local agencies and individual doctors.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, the mayor and city council ordered the health department to give medical examinations to all NYA youth free of charge. Personnel to complete this job was never sufficient. The Ohio state department sponsored lectures on personal hygiene and venereal diseases.
In Kansas, early in 1940, resident center youth received physical examinations for 50 cents each, and plans were made to extend this service to all youth workers.
In Kentucky, early in 1940, an NYA State health supervisor was employed. County health officers gave all NYA youth physical examinations and approved or rejected youth for NYA work. Only very meager community health facilities were available for rehabilitation.
In fiscal year 1940, the NYA Administrator gathered together the health data from State administrators and consulted with the Surgeon General of the U. S. Department of Health. A program for youth
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health was outlined, and the Public Health Service worked on professional standards and practices.
Establishment of NYA Health Program
In July 1940, the Surgeon General detailed a member of the staff of the Public Health Service to the NYA to direct a program of youth health service activities. In August of that year, the NYA Administrator directed that 2% percent of work project funds be spent for a program of youth health. Physicians were appointed in each State as health consultants on a part-time basis. A lay person in each State was employed full time as a health supervisor.
The new health program had three principles: (1) Assistance in the selection of youth and their work assignments, which included the promotion of personal health and sanitary practices; (2) constructive and preventative health, as exemplified by adequate nutrition and recreation ; (3) cooperation with public health services at every level. Health Status of NYA Worh Project Youth
Standard outlines for physical examinations were sent to each State administrator. Between January and October 1941, 150,000 complete physical examinations were given NYA work project youth. The results showed that two-thirds were physically capable of any type of NYA work and that one-third had some defect which restricted the type of work to which they might be assigned. In this third, the ratio between the sexes was about equal. Negro and white youth also showed no health variations in this group.
Because of physical condition or defects, 3 percent of all youth examined were pronounced unfit for any type of NYA work. In this group there were more male than female, more Negro than white; and geographically, the largest percentages were found in the Southern and Southwestern States. Rural youth showed better health than urban.
Dental and other oral defects.—Nine-tenths of the youth examined had one or more health defects, and medical or dental services were recommended for 84 percent. When dentists assisted in the examinations, 94 percent were advised to try to procure dental treatment.
Eighty-three percent of all youth examined had one or more untreated carious teeth, and the average youth had between four and five teeth in some stage of decay at the time of examination. White boys had more carious teeth than Negro; the average for the white females, however, was lower than for Negro girls. This indicated that white girls had experienced the greatest amount of dental care. In comparison with other groups of youth, there were no marked differences in the total caries experienced, but NYA youth had more than twice as many untreated carious teeth per 100 persons as college students and
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nearly three-fourths more than high-school youth. The dental health of youth in rural and urban areas showed no great differences.
Over one-third of all youth examined by dentists had one or more oral defects other than decayed teeth. These included tartar of medium or marked degree, gingivitis, pyorrhea, etc.
Eye defects.—Sixty-four percent of the youth had unassisted normal vision in both eyes (vision of 20/20 or better) ; three-fourths had normal vision in at least one eye. A slightly larger proportion of girls had defective vision than boys. Fewer Negro than white youth had some degree of visual defect.
Twenty percent of all youth examined needed glasses. Youth in cities needed refractions oftener than rural young people.
Almost 6 percent of the youth had some eye disease, with the northern and western regions showing highest incidence.
Nose and throat defects.—Using fairly rough tests, 0.9 percent of the examinees showed some hearing impairment in one ear; and 0.4, in both ears. No area reported more than 4.1 percent hearing impairment.
Almost one-tenth showed some defect of the nose or connecting sinuses. This figure is high, because common colds in the head were included. Three and three-tenths percent suffered from chronic sinus. The most frequently appearing nasal defect was deviated septum of considerable severity.
Diseased tonsils were found in 22.8 percent of the youth, with no sex differences, but with 22.1 for white and 25.9 for Negroes. The latter was due undoubtedly to less frequent removal previously. Tonsillectomy was advised for 19 percent of all youth examined.
eight and nutritional condition.—Eleven out of every 100 youth, or 15 percent, were underweight for their age, height, and sex. Physicians recommended special diets for 12.1 percent, over half of whom needed to increase their weight. Five and five-tenths percent weighed 25 percent or more than normal, and between one-fifth and one-sixth of the diet recommedations were directed toward weight loss. Girls varied more than boys from the average weights. Negro boys had less poundage surplus or insufficiency.
Condition of the heart.—Twenty-five of every 1,000 youth had some organic heart lesion. Negro males numbered 244; white males, 22. Negro females showed the high number of 40 heart lesions per 1,000; and white females, 24. This early diagnosis permitted these afflicted young people to choose training for work which could help them attain reasonably long and healthy lives.
Tuberculosis.—It was not possible, because of lack of facilities, to give every youth a chest X-ray. A total of 13,224 were possible. In some States all youth with positive intradermal tuberculin tests were
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X-rayed. Physicians also referred others for X-ray because of particular physical findings. Sixteen of every 1,000 youth given chest X-rays showed evidence of active tuberculosis. Three of these sixteen showed advanced cases. Because of variation in preliminary tests and differences of basis for X-ray-test selection, this does not give a correct picture of tuberculosis prevalence in NYA youth. In 6 States attempts to give all youth chest X-rays were made. At the time of the tabulation of this study, 40 percent had been X-rayed Eleven youth per thousand in these 6 States showed active tuberculosis. White male youth averaged 9 per thousand; white females, 13; Negro male, 11; and Negro female, 12.
Venereal disease.—Nine and six-tenths percent of 147,813 project youths were given blood serologic tests for syphilis. In most cases only one test was made, although some of the positive and doubtful tests were repeated. One or more positive tests were reported for 16 of every 1,000 youth, and 3 per thousand were doubtful. In 1 per thousand cases, syphilis was definitely known to be present, and no test was necessary. Thus the average incidence of syphilis was 2 percent.
Young men and women 21 to 24 years old showed twice as many cases of infection as those 16 to 20. Only 6 white youth per thousand showed positive tests, while 71 per thousand among the Negroes reacted positively. In both races, females showed a slightly higher rate than males. The South showed the greatest number of syphilis cases.
NYA lacked sufficient facilities even for the inadequate methods of diagnosis of gonorrhea, and the statistics presented here are the result of routine physical examinations and laboratory tests only for those thought to be infected. One white male and two white females per thousand were reported to have gonorrhea, as compared with 14 Negro males and 6 Negro females. This is not a true picture of the existence of this disease, because laboratory testing was available in such a small number of cases.
All in all, 17 of every 1,000 youth needed treatment for some venereal disease. These were mostly Negro youth (73 of each 1,000 versus 5 white youth per 1,000). Recommendations for treatment in general were larger in urban than in rural areas, and the greatest numbers of those venereally infected lived where clinical facilities were the most meager.
Hookworm. infection.—In the Southern States, where hookworm is frequent, examination of the feces was included in the physical check-up. Thirty-four thousand such examinations were made and 9.5 percent infection noted. Thirteen and nine-tenths of the male youth had hookworms, 9.7 percent of the white girls, 6.1 percent of
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Negro males, and only 1.3 percent of female Negroes. Boys were more likely to get hookworm because of greater exposure. The lower rate among Negroes was explained in two different ways: That the epidermis of the Negro offers more resistance to penetration of the worm; or that generations of exposure have built up greater resistance. Most doctors recommended treatment for all youth with hookworm infections.
Other diseases and dysfunctions.—The foregoing are only the outstanding diseases, impairments, and conditions brought out by physical examinations of NYA youth. In addition, inguinal hernia was discovered in 16 of every 1,000 males and 1 of every 1,000 females. Other types of hernia were found in 4 of every 1,000 youth. Physicians prescribed hernia repair for 17 of every thousand males and 2 of every 1,000 females.
Defects of the skin, often acne and fungus diseases, were tabulated for 182 per 1,000 youth. Treatments at the rate of 14 per thousand were recommended.
Some mental or nervous defects, difficult to measure, were present in 34 of every 1,000 youth examined. Fear of examination may have accounted for the 10 of each thousand listed as extremely nervous. Mental retardation was attributed to 12 youth per thousand, but only 3 per thousand were considered marked. Sex and race differences were slight, but consistently higher for females than males and higher for white than Negro youth of both sexes.
Health Examinations
Physical examinations were given on the project site, in doctors’, offices, in clinics, and in hospitals. Each State administrator decided how much money was to be spent on examinations. In New York City, in 1942, the average cost was between $1.50 and $2. In resident centers, the cost ran about $2. These examinations were more extensive and thorough than in most cases. The average cost probably ran about $0.75 per examination.
The majority of youth testified that their NYA examinations were their first contacts either with doctors or dentists.
Follow-up Health Examinations
Because there were many gaps and lacks in available health services in various communities, and because it was necessary for the NYA to have legal authority to expend funds for medical and dental care, Congress was asked to authorize the expenditure of NYA money for medical and dental treatment of youth. In April 1941, the House Subcommittee on Appropriations approved the use of NYA funds for medical examinations, but not for medical care except for acute illness or injury in resident projects. Accordingly, NYA had to ex
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plore every source possible in each community. The following offered medical and dental facilities and personnel for physically needy youth:
(1) Local agencies.—NYA personnel fine-combed every local agency for remedial physical treatment for youth. Overburdened clinics found their waiting rooms more crowded. In emergencies, NYA supervisors frequently guaranteed payment of doctors’ and hospital bills, themselves. School health departments were usually inadequate for their own jobs and could not even assist with examinations. The most difficult cases were the youth who were not poor enough to be classified as on relief or as patients for clinics and whose resources would not permit them to pay for private medical and. dental care.
(2) State, county and city public health, departments.—Greatest cooperation and specific help were secured through public health departments. Few had clinical facilities. Public health departments were especially helpful in cases of tuberculosis, hookworm, and venereal disease clients.
(3) State medical and dental societies.—When physicians were employed by NYA, state professional societies made recommenations. NYA administrators presented health problems to these groups. In almost all states, full cooperation was not obtained from these societies. In 1940, the Section of Medical Preparedness of the Journal of the American Medical Association, published an article titled, “The National Youth Administration Contributes to the National Health,” in which this conclusion was made:
The cooperation of the medical and dental professions will be necessary to enable the NYA health program plan to succeed. As the various NYA State administrators approach officials and committees of State medical and dental societies, it is hoped that the representatives of the two professions will keep in mind that the NYA health program is primarily a practical health education effort aimed at influencing the future health practices of a group of young, out-of-school unemployed persons who will usually remain in NYA employment for only a short period.
The method of attempting to accomplish this purpose will be through imparting health information, acquainting and introducing the young people to the public and private health facilities available in their own State and community, and finally by exposing them to rehabilitative health services obtainable from the private practitioner either on the youth’s own initiative or through NYA supplementation as may be indicated.¹
The health services which the NYA youth, unused to any type of medical or dental experience, could obtain on his own initiative were scant, but this semiapproval from professional groups meant that few overt objections would hamper the inadequate health program.
¹ “The National Youth Administration Contributes to the National Health,” Journal of the American Medical Association, Dee. 21, 1940, vol. 115, pp. 2185 and 2186.
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NY A Health Care
At large nonresident work centers, such as in Astoria, Long Island, and in Chicago, NYA established clinics of its own, both dental and medical, at the project sites. Staff doctors were employed. It is interesting to note that these facilities were usually located in cities where general clinical opportunities were best. The small town or rural project could afford no such luxury.
In several states dental and medical trucks and trailers were equipped and manned by NYA. In the fiscal year July 1, 1941, through June 30, 1942, the following mobile units were NYA purchased or made and NYA operated:
North Carolina: Mobile chest X-ray unit and mobile dentist unit;
New Jersey: Portable chest X-ray unit:
Missouri and Kentucky (these two States shared equipment) : Mobile chest X-ray units. In May 1942, the Missouri X-ray unit was declared surplus by the State and transferred to the United States Public Health Service for special work in connection with industrial hygiene in war industries;
Oklahoma: Completely equipped dental trailer.
Resident centers afforded the best opportunities for sound health programs. Of approximately 400 resident projects operated in 1941-42, each center had some form of health services as follows:
About 50 large centers maintained separate infirmaries equipped, maintained, and staffed by NYA. Centers like Quoddy, Maine, and South Charleston, W. Va., employed full-time physicians and dentists. Other smaller centers employed part-time medical and dental personnel.
About 150 resident centers maintained small clinic and isolation rooms in some building on the project. They usually employed a part-time doctor or nurse.
The other 200 resident centers had to use entirely the medical, dental, and hospital facilities of their communities. When the center was established in cooperation with an educational institution, the facilities of that institution were usually available to NYA youth. Other centers used Federal or local hospitals for emergency cases.
In the centers employing full-time nurses, decreasing days of absence from work because of illness were reported. This is the type of general comment made by youth workers on resident projects: “I’ve gained weight.” “I have improved my outlook on life.” The report of supervisors often contained such statements as: “A long outstanding handicapped condition removed and consequent employment in industry has resulted.”
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Health Education
In 1941, a series of negotiations was conducted by the national NYA health office and the U. S. Office of Education for specific health education materials. Several manuscripts Avere prepared and issued. The NYA national health office sent to all States health education materials such as posters, booklets, and pamphlets. In order to give youth important health information, informal methods were developed and tried by NYA staff members.
The health examination, itself, was a great chance for education and experience showed that the three following methods wTere effective:
(1) Pre-examination education and counseling.—Young people feared that the results of the examination would be used against them, that they would be hurt, that their sense of modestry would be offended. Women doctors were frequently employed to examine girls and Negroes for Negro youth. There was not one instance of objection to physical examination because of religious prejudice. When youth applied for NYA jobs the value of the physical examination was stressed and frequently literature was handed out. In some instances, particularly for minors, the consent of parents or guardians • w’as necessary and this stimulated health discussion at home and recitals of family medical histories. Staff members sometimes held youth meetings at the projects with doctors and dentists and public health officials leading discussions. Youth saw health posters in offices and at project sites. In some areas, 30 to 35 percent of the young people failed to report for their physical examinations. Supervisors then tracked dowm rumors and held individual sessions with youth to explain the process further. • ’
(2) The type of examination given.—NYA tried to employ physicians who were particularly interested in this type of work. Examinations were complete so that the youth could be acquainted with every major body function. The average time for each examination was thirty minutes. The examinations were held, when possible, in pleasant, professional surroundings so that the youth knew the values of cleanliness, promptness, and became familiar with some medical equipment. Supervisory personnel in daily contact with the youth were often included in the examining program. Examination records were available to the youth and health personnel, but were not available to other personnel. This confidential nature of the findings pleased the youth, although it sometimes inspired fear in the project supervisors.
(3) Health personnel and youth relationships.—When examinations were going on, youth met a number and variety of health per
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sonnel. In general, the contacts with doctors were not as productive as they might have been. Some physicians thought the examinations superfluous and others frankly said they had never before examined many comparatively well people.
The most effective follow-up was the consultation with field nurses. About 82 percent of the youth reported for such consultations. When parents accompanied the youth, it was discovered that they were almost always willing to pay or help to pay for needed remedial work. In New York City, where skilled medical social workers were used for counseling and referral, it took an average of four consultations per youth to arrange for remedial programs.
In the resident centers, again, the health education program bore the most fruit. Through their daily experiences and by counseling, youth learned important facts about nutrition, bodily cleanliness, care and prevention of illness and injury, dental hygiene, environmental hygiene, physical fitness and recreation, control of communicable diseases, proper habits of sleep, and proper clothing.
In general, the defects of the NYA health education program were the divided authority between NYA and the U. S. Office of Education which retarded progress; the time was too short to develop high-quality educational techniques; and the fluctuating nature of the NYA program itself. A 300 to 400 percent annual turn-over of youth and inadequate funds made results far from ideal.
On the credit side, youth themselves showed an eager desire for good health and knowledge of how to attain and maintain it. The number of health agencies willing to experiment with new groups and programs grew. The value of a health program for manpower for the war and production machines was demonstrated.
Youth Recreation Service
Youth employed on a part-time basis, as under the NYA program, and youth who had no jobs at all were left with many leisure hours at their disposal. The home of the average relief or low-income family was crowded and bare; there were too few recreational areas or community centers nearby. Commercial amusements cost money which these youths did not have. Young people in the depression were rich in leisure time and poverty-stricken in outlets.
NYA never succeeded in working out a broad, satisfying recreation program. Lack of funds, space, facilities, supervision, and community interest was general. Schools as a rule did not open their gymnasiums, auditoriums, playgrounds and athletic fields to out-of-school youth. NYA staff members negotiated with semiprivate agencies for use of their equipment and other facilities. Settlement houses responded well. YWCAs and YMCAs were willing to help, but NYA youth could not pay even their low fee for use of recreational facilities.
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NYA projects sometimes provided recreational outlets for other youth and children in the community. As an example, in preparation for the “soap box derby” held annually in Akron, Ohio, NYA shops were open to children and NYA youth assisted them in planning their “jalopies” and supervised their work. As a result, NYA youth were asked by the city to assist with the running of the “derbies.”
One of the best recreation programs was in the State of North Carolina. The State Department of Public Education and the NYA ’jointly planned and put it into action. An advisory committee consisted of representatives of the State Department of Public Instruction, the State Board of Health, the City Recreation Department, the State Department of Conservation and Development, and the University of North Carolina. Its duties were to assist the NYA recreation supervisor to locate for use existing recreational facilities, find local recreational leadership, secure local support in the planning and execution of festivals, exhibits, pageants, and athletic contests, and relate the NYA recreation program for out-of-school youth to all other State programs. The objective of this State-wide program was to develop a variety of recreational outlets for idle youth. Through this program opportunities were provided for participation in a variety of physical activities essential to sound bodily growth and development of physical skills, in competitive games or sports, and in informal activities of youths’ own choosing, such as arts and crafts, dramatics, music, and nature-study.
State recreation personnel in North Carolina visited local, nonresident projects and helped supervisors and related training instructors to plan programs for lunch hours which included board and card games, arts and crafts, and other less vigorous physical activities. Such pastimes plus athletic games also were organized for after-work hours. Where youth could take part in recreation activities on the project site, participation was large. Parties, wiener roasts, dances and other social events were possible once or twice a month. NYA youth brought non-NYA partners for these social occasions. The North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction assigned a specialist in social recreation and dramatics to arrange recreational programs for nonresident project workers. This specialist acted as an adviser and assisted in securing cosponsors for projects which made recreational equipment. Without official State support, such a broad recreational program as that of North Carolina could not have been initiated by NYA. Many States considered public recreation a superfluous expenditure of funds, and public treasuries, depleted by the depression, could not afford the burden of recreational programs for underprivileged young people.
In the resident centers, the recreation programs were on a much higher level. Both active and passive types of recreation were en
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couraged. Many athletic sports and hobbies and arts and crafts were a daily part of the resident center schedules—baseball, basketball, football, tennis, handball, dancing, music, dramatics, hobby clubs, camera clubs, handicrafts, excursions, movies, forums, and the printing of small publications and news sheets. If the resident center were large enough, with 100 or more youth, the following successful practices were established:
1. Assignment of a recreational director to insure continuous recre-. ational programs and supervision.
2. Designation of a building for recreational purposes, or if the center was large enough, the construction by the youth of a gymnasium and auditorium.
3. A posted schedule of recreational activities.
4. Periodical meetings of youth committees on recreation.
5. Organization of athletic and cultural competitive events within a center or between centers and with community organizations.
6. Extensive instruction programs to teach youth to play musical instruments.
7. Stimulation of hobby interest through exhibits and contests.
8. Discussion forums at wThich youth and discussion leaders talked about subjects such as fields of employment, personal and public health, current economic and social problems, community, national and international situations.
9. Establishment of libraries for quiet, private, leisure-time reading, with books loaned by State library extension divisions and with magazines and newspapers.
10. Parties, hikes, picnics, and other social activities.
11. Community singing, orchestras, bands, choruses.
12. Dramatic or minstrel shows.
13. Conferences with individual youth, especially with those who were shy about participating in recreational activities, so that all youth in the centers wTould enjoy some phase of recreation.
Efforts were made to encourage participation of NYA youth in the life of the community, such as attendance at a local school game or use of public park facilities. Often resident centers held open house for citizens of the local community. Parents were invited to visit youth at centers, and girls often cooked mealg for their parents, bearing the costs of the food themselves.
In many towns and cities where space was difficult to secure, NYA built youth community centers. Fine stone, brick, and wood buildings dot Oklahoma, West Virginia, and many other States. Frequently NYA work projects were operated in these buildings. NYA provided space in these centers for small gymnasiums, auditoriums, classrooms, kitchens, occasionally day nurseries or medical units. Often they
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served the entire community for civic uses, cultural programs, and recreation. Where these centers were built, local youth had indoor and outdoor recreation space. With the demise of the NYA, communities which contributed materials and supervision acquired these buildings.
When Negro or Mexican youth were employed on the same project with white youth, they took part in the same athletic teams, just as they ate at the same tables, except in the South. When segregation was practiced in resident centers, Negro youth used the same recreational equipment and had the same supervision as white boys and girls.
Some resident centers were coeducational. Then the youth ate together, table seating arrangements were changed frequently so that new friendships might be made. Resident dances were held over week ends. In one resident center in Arkansas, a model'four-room home was set up, and each 2 weeks four different girls ran this home. They invited boys for meals and social events, under supervision.
In spite of the efforts of local NYA representatives, there were very few, if any, organized recreational programs which were continuous from year to year Where programs were developed, they seldom lasted long because of the lack of sustained community support.
Safety and Compensation
Until the end of fiscal year 1939, WPA was responsible for the safety and compensation program for NYA youth. This meant that WPA safety experts inspected project plans before they were approved, regularly inspected operating projects, handled accidents and property damages, and carried on a limited safety campaign. For these WPA years, there are no separate NYA compensation claims statistics.
In fiscal year 1940, NYA set up its own safety program. Each State appointed a qualified safety inspector whose duty it was to inspect safety conditions on projects, report hazardous conditions, make recommendations for improvements, see that local and Federal safety regulations were followed, investigate accidents and submit records of accidents.
Beginning with fiscal year 1941, Congress stipulated that NYA turn over a specified amount of its appropriation to the U. S. Compensation Commission to cover compensation claims resulting from personal injury or property damage because of project operation. Personal injuries received on the project or in traveling to and from work in NYA cars, busses, or trucks and also in common carriers were subject to compensation. Administrative employees were covered for accidents incurred while at work, but not while traveling to and from projects. There are no complete statistics on the number of compensation claims. In 1941, 20,000 accidents, the majority of them
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minor, were reported for compensation. As the Compensation Commission allowed a maximum of 66% percent of a youth’s monthly earnings for permanent or partial disability, such as loss of an eye or member, the compensation paid NYA youth injured on the job was very small. Finally, the U. S. Compensation Commission ruled that any accident adversely affecting the future earnings of a minor or learner (NYA youth were classified as learners) was compensable, which permitted a higher compensation rate for permanent or partial disability. After this ruling was made, one youth was paid $1,300 for a serious disability.
In the larger workshops, a safety superintendent was employed. State NYA safety engineers recommended that youth in individual shops elect safety committees to function in all aspects of safety and sanitation .
Specific safety regulations were made for more hazardous work in quarries, gravel pits, and excavations ; in construction, especially with scaffolding; in woodworking and other mechanized shops; and in sewing and cooking projects. Each project supervisor was required to have a first-aid certificate and the majority of youth were required to take Red Cross First-Aid courses.
In leisure-time activities, safety precautions were also observed, although NYA was not responsible for injuries received when youth were not at work. There could be no swimming without a life guard at hand. Tetanus injections were administered by a doctor after cuts and scratches. On the project, the water supply was analyzed for purity, and only certified milk was purchased or sold to youth on projects or at NYA recreation centers.
Each workshop project had to have proper safety equipment, such as goggles, helmets, machine safety devices. Regulations were in effect governing lifting, lighting, ventilation, and sanitation.
Fire prevention was a constant problem. Where valuable equipment or production was housed on NYA property, night and day watchmen were employed.
Resident center youths were not covered by compensation insurance when they were in dormitories, at meals, or engaged in any activities incidental to their residence, when spectators or participants in recreational activities; or when aw’ay from the project for personal reasons or without permission. In no case was the employee entitled to compensation if injury or death were caused by willful misconduct or intention to bring about injury or death to himself or another, or in any accident received while intoxicated. The U. S. Compensation Commission ruled that students employed under the student work program were not covered by accident insurance, as these youth were not NYA supervised.
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Apprentice Training
At the time the NYA was created, there was widespread acceptance that the closest relationships should be maintained between the Federal Committee on Apprentice Training and the new NYA. The Federal Committee on Apprentice Training was created by Executive Order No. 6750—C, on June 27, 1935, for the purpose of maintaining apprentice training programs under the NBA codes. It was administered by the U. S. Department of Labor, with funds provided by the NRA.
When the NRA was declared unconstitutional, on August 11, 1935, the President transferred the Apprenticeship Committee functions to the NYA, which had as one of its responsibilities the promotion of apprenticeship. The NYA paid for the costs of administering the operations of the Federal Committee on Apprentice Training until August 1937, at which time the functions of the Committee were transferred to the Department of Labor. Subsequently, the Congress appropriated funds to the Department of Labor for continuation of the activity of the Federal Committee on Apprenticeship.
The NYA at no time assumed any administrative supervision of the Federal Committee on Apprentice Training but only provided funds for its continuance. The value of the support of the NYA was in maintaining the functions of the Committee until such time as they were authorized by Federal statute.
Among the first instructions sent to State directors by the Executive Director of the National Youth Administration was a definition of apprenticeship and a statement of the policies which had been established by the Federal Committee with regard to apprenticeship. In these instructions, the distinctions between apprenticeship and other forms of “learning through doing” were pointed out.
State NYA directors were requested to assist in promoting the services of the State apprentice committee in the following ways :
1. By regular attendance at State committee meetings.
2. In talks with civic, educational, employer, and employee groups by stressing the desirability of cooperating with the State apprentice committees.
3. By helping impress the youth of the State with the vital importance of having all trade-learning arrangements approved by the State committee on apprentice training.
4. By frequent conferences with members of State committees to ascertain activities which can be undertaken in the interest of apprentice training.
5. By interpreting the needs of the youth of the State to the apprentice committees.
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In the States where there were apprentice committees, the NYA State youth director was asked by the Secretary of Labor to serve as a member of the State committee. A representative of the Washington office was appointed to the Federal Committee.
After the transfer of the Federal Committee on Apprentice Training to the Department of Labor by Congress, working relationships were maintained until the liquidation of the NYA.
Summary and Conclusions
The National Youth Administration was created in the middle of a decade of national nonproductiveness. The wheels of industry had slackened. The clamoring needs of a great segment of the population for work were unmet, and despair dwelt in the hearts of men. Millions of the Nation’s youth were caught at the bottom of the ladder, unable to take the first step toward adulthood.
The first years of economic and social depression were filled with intermediate measures to alleviate the distress of family groups. Thus the problems of youth were subordinated to broader implications of the financial and social depression. Finally, leaders in education, industry, labor, and Government became acutely aware of what was happening in Europe, where Fascism had progressed alarmingly and youths’ aggressive energies wTere being exploited by ruthless leaders determined to use the world-wide economic disturbances to their own ends. The Nation’s leaders recognized that the widespread idleness of youth was fraught with grave social consequences.
No American citizen wanted a “domestic fuehrer” to consolidate the Nation-wide discontent of the youth and use this restlessness for undesirable changes in the American way of life. Five million unemployed youth in 1933 represented a potentially dynamic situation which could not be ignored. The first Nation-wide step in the recognition of the youth problem was taken in 1933 with the establishment of the CCC, which raised the hopes of young people desperately eager for a chance to assume their normal responsibilities in life. In 1935, in further consideration of this major national problem, the President of the United States created the National Youth Administration, because “the Nation could ill afford to lose the skill and energy of these young men and women.” The President reconfirmed the basic concept of American opportunity when he said that “they must have their chance at school, their turn as apprentices, and their opportunities for jobs—a chance to work and earn for themselves.”
To this end, and without any of the implications of regimentation already demonstrated by Germany and Italy, NYA was initiated to provide opportunities to needy young men and women for the continuance of their education and to gain needed work experience. This youth program was operated in accordance with democratic principles of decentralization so deeply ingrained in our American way of life.
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NYA was in operation 8 years, from June 26, 1935, to June 30, 1943. A total of $662,300,000 was expended, of which $467,600,000 went for the payment of wages for the employment of needy, unemployed, out-of-school youth and $169,500,000 in wages to needy young persons in order that they might continue their education. This expenditure of Federal funds enabled the employment of 4,800,000 young people, of which 2,700,000 were given work experience and training on work projects producing useful goods and services and over 2,000,000 were school, college, and graduate students on work in public and semipublic non-profit-making institutions.
The types of w’ork which these youth performed were at no time dictated by NYA officials, except as related to defense and war needs. In the case of the out-of-school work program, projects were initiated when State or local public agencies cosponsored projects of benefit to the community and to the youth who were to be employed. These public cosponsors contributed $61,600,000 in materials, supplies, and supervision. The resident projects brought together rural and urban youth in an environment of work activity and cooperative living which they helped to maintain through their own earnings and which were supervised by persons who endeavored to relate on a practical basis a living and work experience under adequate living and working conditions. Individual youth were physically and mentally rehabilitated and were prepared for assuming normal responsibilities of adulthood.
The out-of-school work program not only provided financial assistance to almost 3 million needy, unemployed, out-of-school youth, but also initiated definite measures to improve the health of the youth employed, and to give them work experience which developed good work habits and work responsibilities in preparation for employment in a variety of services and occupations. They were given related training of both a general and specific kind which supplemented their on-the-job experience. Guidance and counseling services were provided to assist youth in selecting work for which they were qualified and to adjust to work demands. Assistance was also given in finding employment after the youth had learned the fundamentals of a particular type of work. NYA directed its youth workers to healthy recreational outlets, organized and promoted recreational projects, and built additional recreational facilities.
The out-of-school work program was based on the judgment that work, though more costly in money outlay, was definitely preferable to direct relief benefits. Payment of wages for wTork performed unquestionably gave youth a sense of security and of confidence in their ability to produce. The 500-odd resident projects operated by NYA provided youth with a basic work experience in group living and
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democratic self-government. The varied work experience which youth received on these projects, as well as the individual'responsibilities of contributing to the requirements of general living, produced an individual assurance which these underprivileged youth would probably never have obtained in the particular community circumstance in which they had lived.
The extensive placement of NYA youth into private employment opportunities and the acceptance of these youth as well-trained workers by their employers was a further indication of the validity of the work experience which they had obtained on NYA work projects.
Not only did the student work program help over 2 million students to continue their education in schools, colleges, and universities, but the work performed by these students enabled the educational system to operate more efficiently when institutional budgets were curtailed because of depression conditions. The development of planned work programs for students, integrated with the needs and interests of both the students and the schools, helped to remove the cloistered atmosphere from general education by giving many students a practical work experience and by developing an awareness on the part of educators of the value of combining work and educational experience. The student work program was a significant new method of helping to realize the American goal of educational opportunity for all. By making payments direct to students in return for work performed, a systematic effort was made to increase the future employability of these students through providing work experience and through the development of basic work habits and attitudes which helped them later in obtaining employment and in advancing them in their chosen fields.
Of primary significance to the carrying out of democratic principles was the consistent attitude of NYA officials toward nondiscrimination. Conscientious efforts were made to give Negroes and youth of other equally important minority groups opportunities for obtaining work experience and for continuation of their education. NYA was fully cognizant that democratic ideals and institutions might only be maintained by providing opportunities for minority participation in a Federal program.
The fact that NYA trained thousands of youth in machine operations for employment in essential defense and war occupations was added proof of its foresight in ready adjustment of its approach to work experience needs of the untapped reservoir of untrained youth.
Through a system of local nonpartisan and voluntary advisory committees, and through the employment of skilled supervisors, NYA prepared its youth workers for adjustment to the requisites of modern industry.
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The decentralized administration of NYA permitted flexibility in initiating projects which were planned in accordance with local community employment outlets and local community needs. The delegation of responsibility to the educational institutions participating in the student work program in the selection of needy students and the planning and supervision of the work which these students did was further evidence of the success in decentralization of NYA administration. Throughout its eight years of existence, NYA administered its programs for youth in accordance with accepted concepts of State and local determination and exercised broad administrative controls only with respect to fiscal control and youth eligibility requirements.
When the crisis of war arose, the people of the United States faced the fact there could be no half-way measures in the waging of successful warfare. An enormous expenditure of life and matériel was demanded. How incongruous that the value of youth should be at a premium in a war period. Their physical strength and hardiness, their courage, their daring, and their aggressiveness are the backbone of modern mechanized warfare. Great responsibilities have been assigned to youth in this fateful war and they have assumed their role with unflinching courage. As to the future, each responsible citizen must consider long and well what will be in store for youth— their future place in the social and economic order.
The lessons of the past need reviewing so that future measures taken because of the needs of youth for work and education can be used in shaping the action required for the best social ends of the next generation. Each responsible citizen must realize that the social and economic order may become periled if sufficient employment opportunities are not achieved to absorb youth into the economic and social fabric of the Nation. The hopes of the coming generations cannot be jeopardized.
It has not been the purpose of this report to indicate what may be desirable government, labor, industrial, or agricultural programs for youth in the future. This requires continued planned study. The extent of employment for the total labor force will have direct consequences for youth ready to'assume responsibilities of adulthood. The extreme disparity in existing school opportunities will present another immediate test of the capacity of this Nation to act in the post-war era. The Nation cannot afford to neglect the development of programs for mental and physical fitness for youth, for adequate recreational facilities, and for extensive vocational guidancé and placement. Basic public actions and attitudes must consider the needs of its youth.
APPENDIX A
National Committees
Members of the NYA National Advisory Committee
(Fiscal years 1986-43)
The Hon. Adolph Augustus Berle, Jr., Assistant Secretary of State, Department of State, Washington, D. C.
Mrs. Mary McLeod Bethune, president, Bethune Cookman College, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Director, Division of Negro Affairs, NYA).
Miss Selma Borchardt, vice-president, American Federation of Teachers, 1741 Park Road NW., Washington, D. C.
Mr. Frank L. Boyden, Headmaster, Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, Mass.
Mr. Howard S. Braucher, secretary, National Recreation Association, 315 Fourth Avenue, New York City.
Mr. Louis Brownlow, director, Public Administration Clearing House, 850 East Fifty-eighth Street, Chicago, Ill.
Dr. W. W. Charters, director, Bureau of Educational Research, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
Dr. Glenn Cunningham, director of student health, Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa.
Mr. Henry Dennison, president, Dennison Manufacturing Co., Fram-ingham, Mass.
Amelia Earhart, deceased.
Miss Esther Ekblad, member, National Junior Council Farmers Educational and Cooperative Union of America, Salina, Kans.
Mr. Kenneth Farrier, deceased.
Mr. William E. Green, president, American Federation of Labor, 901 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, D. C.
Mr. George Harrison, grand president, Brotherhoo'd of Railway and Steamship Clerks, Brotherhood of Railway Clerks Building, Cincinnati, Ohio.
Mr. James R. Herrington, Jr., NYA Resident Center, College Park, Ga. (NYA youth).
Mr. Sidney Hillman, president, The Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, 15 Union Square, New York City.
Rev. George W. Johnson, director, department of education, National Catholic Welfare Conference, Washington, D. C.
Dr. Mordecai Johnson, president, Howard University, Washington, D. C.
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Dr. Charles H. Judd, head, department of education, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
Dr. Dexter M. Keezer, president, Reed College, Portland, Ore.
Mr. Carroll M. Leevy, International and Inter-racial Fellowship, 1831 Taylor Street, Columbia, S. C. (Negro youth).
Dr. Ernest H. Lindley, deceased.
Mr. Bemarr MacFadden, publisher, Newark, N. J.
Bishop Francis J. McConnell, resident bishop, Methodist Church New York Area, 150 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
Mr. Thomas J. McInerney, deceased.
Rev. Edward Roberts Moore, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, 485 Madison Avenue, New York City.
Mrs. Elinor F. Morgenthau, third vice-president, Washington Self-Help Exchange, 2211 Thirtieth Street NW., Washington, D. C.
Miss Louise Morley, conference secretary, International Student Service, 8 West Fortieth Street, New York, N. Y.
Dr. Elizabeth Morrissy, professor of economics, College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Baltimore, Md.
Mr. Thomas Neblett, War Labor Board, Washington, D. C.
Mrs. Julia O’Connor Parker, financial secretary of local, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 500 Boyleston Street, Boston, Mass.
Mr. James G. Patton, national president, Farmers’ Educational & Cooperative Union of America, 1441 Welton Street, Denver, Colo.
Dr. Clarence Poe, editor, Progressive Farmer, Raleigh, N. C.
Dr. David deSola Pool, Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, 99 Central Park West, New York City.
Mr. Mervyn Rathborne, secretary-treasurer, California State C. I. O. Council, San Francisco, Calif.
Miss Agnes Samuelson, Secretary, Iowa State Teachers Association, 415 Shops Building, Des Moines, Iowa.
Miss Mae K. Sargent, Catholic Welfare Bureau, 333 West Second Street, Los Angeles, Calif.
Dr. William F. Snow, special consultant, United States Public Health Service, 464 Riverside Drive, New York, N. Y.
Mr. Charles W. Taussig (chairman), president, American Molasses Co., 120 Wall Street, New York City.
Miss Rose Terlin, YWCA, New York City.
Mr. M. W. Thatcher, general manager, Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association, 1923 University Avenue, St. Paul, Minn.
Miss Florence Thorne, director of research, American Federation of Labor, 901 Massachusetts Avenue NW., Washington, D. C.
Dr. David E. Weglein, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Baltimore, Md.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 239
Mr. Owen D. Young, chairman of the board, General Electric Co., 570 Lexington Avenue, New York City.
Dr. George F. Zook, president, American Council on Education, 744 Jackson Place, Washington, D. C.
NYA National College Work Council Members (1942—43)
Dr. S. L. Crawley, director of personnel, Colorado State College of Education, Greeley, Colo.
Dr. Walter C. Eells, executive secretary, American Association of Junior Colleges, Washington, D. C.
Mr. Lewis Jackson, dean, City College of New York, New York City.
Dr. Roben J. Maaske, president, Oregon College of Education, La Grande, Oreg.
Dr. Roscoe Pulliam, president, Southern Illinois Normal University, Carbondale, Ill.
Dr. James H. Richmond, president, Murray State Teachers College, Murray, Ky.
Dr. Gould Wickey, secretary, Church Related Colleges, Washington, D. C.
Dr. George S. Miller, vice president, Tufts College, Medford, Mass., representative NYA regions I and II.
Dr. Levering Tyson, president, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa., representative, NYA region III.
Dr. Joseph Rosier, president, Fairmont State Teachers College, Fairmont, W. Va., representative, NYA region IV.
Dr. B. L. Stradley, dean, College of Liberal Arts, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, representative, NYA region V.
Dr. C. E. Ragsdale, school of education, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., representative, NYA region VI.
Dean R. C. Beaty, chairman, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., representative NYA region VII.
Mr. Cyril W. Grace, president, Mayville State Teachers College, Mayville, N. Dak., representative, NYA region yill.
Dr. M. L. Wardell, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla., representative, NYA region IX.
Dr. L. H. Hubbard, president, Texas State College for Women, Denton, Tex., representative, NYA region X.
Dr. Hari Douglass, head, department of education, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo., representative, NYA region XI.
Dr. A. S. Raubenheimer, dean, College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, University Park, Calif., representative, NYA region XII.
240
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
NY A National School Work Council Members (1942—43)
Mr. Paul E. Elicker, executive secretary, National Association of Secondary-School Principals, 1201 Sixteenth Street NW., Washington, D. C.
Mr. A. C. Flora, Superintendent of Schools, Columbia, S. C.
Dr. Paul B. Jacobson, chairman, principal, University High School, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
Mr. Paul A. Rehmus, superintendent of schools, Lakewood, Ohio.
Mr. Irvin E. Rosa, superintendent of schools, Rochester, Minn.
APPENDIX B
Supplementary Tables
Table 1.—Federal funds expended* for the operation of the National Youth Administration programs, fiscal years 1936 through 1943
Funds trans-
Adminis- ferred to
Out-of- Student tration and Treasury
Fiscal year Total school work work pro- printing Department
program gram and binding and U. S.
Compensation
Commission
1936_________________ $39, 255, 491 $15, 209,751 $24,045, 740 (2) (’)
1937_______________ 63,391,102 35,394, 243 27,996,859 (9 (»)
1938__________________ 52, 231,814 33, 536, 759 18, 695,055 (2) (3)
1939_____________ 75, 204,937 53, 821, 593 21,383,344 (2) (3)
1940______________ 99,394, 671 67,173,511 27, 254, 294 $4,966, 866 (3)
1941___________ 155,060, 599 118,994,018 27, 521,673 7,521,194 $1,023, 714
1942 combined programs_________________ 121,175,182 96,934, 212 16,180, 392 6,873,133 1,187,445
Regular program____________________
Defense program____________________ 69,152,891 47, 680,070 16,180.392 4, 455,428 837,001
1943_____________________ 52,022, 291 49, 254,142 2,417,705 350,444
Grand total_______________________ 56, 608,085 46, 522. 308 6, 461,497 3, 205,491 418,789
662, 321,881 467.586, 395 169,538,854 22, 566,684 2,629.948
¹ Data for the fiscal years 1936 through 1939 are actual expenditures derived from Treasury voucher F‘gUreS for the flscal years ¹⁹⁴⁰ thro^h ¹⁹⁴³ are encumbrances obtained from NYA finance
, ² K.uⁿ^r e^peⁿd?d for administration for fiscal years 1936 through 1939 were included in amounts expended by the Work Projects Administration.
³ Data not available.
B § > b
w a U o »
3 co o > f
co
CO w o
I
«O w
to
Table 2.---Analysis of funds expended1 for the operation of the National Youth Administration programs, fiscal years 1940 through 1943
Item Fiscal year 1940 Fiscal year 1941 Fiscal year 1942 Fiscal year 1943
Amount Percent Amount Percent Amount Percent Amount Percent
Grand total______________________________________________________ $99,394,671 100.0 $155,060,599 100.0 $121,175,182 100.0 $56,608,085 100.0
Out-of-school work program, total-------------------------------------- 67,173,511 67.6 118,994,018 76.7 96,934,212 80.0 46,522,308 82.2
Youth labor___________________________________________________ 50,141,265 50.5 64,050,836 41.3 47,932,211 39.6 2 11,354,521 20.1
Supervisory labor______________________________________________ 11,174,870 11.2 20,364,571 13.1 28,092,818 23.2 21,572,823 38.1
Nonlabor________________________________________________________ 5,857,376 5.9 34, 578,611 22.3 20,909,183 17.2 13, 594,964 24.0
Regular program, total_____________________________________________ 67,173, 511 67.6 118,994,018 76.7 47,680,070 39.4
Youth labor__________________________________________________ 50,141,265 50.5 64,050,836 41.3 29,850,450 24.6
Supervisory labor_______________________________-______________ 11,174,870 11.2 20,364, 571 13.1 12,058,975 10.0
Nonlabor____________________________________..________...._______ 5,857,376 5.9 34,578,611 22.3 5,770,645 4.8
Defense program...------------------------------------------------- 49,254,142 40.6 46,522,308 82.2
Youth labor_________________________------_____.....__________ 18,081,761 14.9 2 11,354,521 20.1
Supervisory labor______________________________________________ --- 16,033,843 13.2 21,572,823 38.1
Nonlabor______________________________________________________ 15,138, 538 12.5 13,594,964 24.0
Student work program_________________________________________________ 27,254,294 27.4 27,521,673 17.7 16,180,392 13.4 6, 461,497 11.4
Administration_________________________________________________________ 4,966,866 5.0 7, 521,194 4.9 6,873,133 5.7 3,205,491 5.7
Transferred to Treasury Department and U. S. Compensation Com- (’) --- 1,023,714 .7 1,187, 445 .9 418,789 .7
mission ______________________________________________________________
1 Data for the fiscal years 1940 through 1943 are encumbrances obtained from NYA finance reports.
2 Represents encumbrances for net wages paid youth employed exclusive of the cost of subsistence services which are included under supervision and nonlabor.
3 Data not available.
242
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 3.—federal funds expended^ for the operation of the NYA out-of-school ■work program, and the NYA student work program by states, fiscal years 1936 through 1943
Out-of-school Student work
State or Territory Total work pro- program
grams 3
Grand total_______________________________________ $637,125,249 $467, 586, 395 $169, 538,854
Alabama________________________________ ______ 13, 355,463 10,346, 294 3,009 169
Arizona____________________________ ________________ 2,388,785 1, 617,853 770, 932
Arkansas_________________ ____________ _______ ______ 11, 469, 535 9,440,882 2,028 653
California________________ _ _ __ __________ 25, 540,495 15, 778,045 9, 762' 450
Colorado________________________________ 6,335, 712 4, 214, 530 2 121 182
Connecticut_________________ __________ 6,096,294 4, 779,994 1, 316 300
Delaware___________________ ... _ _________ 794,928 618, 877 176 051
District of Columbia_____________________________„ 2, 722,847 1/645,835 1; 077, 012
Florida_______________ _. _ _________ _ 8, 895, 529 6,961, 507 1, 934 022
Georgia________________________________________ _ 16, 745, 685 12, 757,985 3, 987 700
Idaho________________________________________________ 3, 699; 096 2, 753,488 945, 608
Illinois ______________________ _ _________ 37,823, 595 27, 919, 697 9, 903 898
Indiana.. ________. ______________ _______ _ 15,033, 162 10, 792,031 4, 241’ 131
Iowa___________________________ ________________ 10,430,981 7,059’ 562 3, 371,419
Kansas______________ ________________________ 11, 786,665 8, 172’ 570 3,614 095
Kentucky________________________________ 15, 931, 988 12,373, 021 3,558,967
Louisiana__________________________________ 12,039,066 9,146, 955 2,892, 111
Maine__________________________. 6,013,173 5,189, 564 823,609
Maryland__________________________ 5,855,109 4, 262, 578 1, 592,531
Massachusetts______________________________ 18, 323, 284 13, 691, 656 4, 631 628
Michigan____________ ________________ 23, 589; 071 17; 292,385 6. 296, 686
Minnesota_______________ __________ 14, 317,097 10, 312,393 4 004 704
Mississippi_________________________ 10; 71L 364 8, 481,479 2, 229 885
Missouri--- _______________________ 17,443,876 12, 647, 546 4 796 330
Montana_________________________ 3, 637, 294 2,433, 767 1 203 527
Nebraska__________________... _ 6,844,132 4,634,045 2 210 087
Nevada_____________________________ 373, 742 239, 477 134 265
New Hampshire_____________ _ 2,262’ 020 1, 696,440 565 580
New Jersey______________■__________ 16; 575,102 13,197, 522 3, 377 580
New Mexico_________________ 3’ 603’, 289 2,893,197 710 092
New York City.--- _ _______ 31,955,554 22, 356, 272 9 599 282
New York (excluding New York City)3 28,855,977 22,036,808 6, 819,169
North Carolina______ ____ 16,053,173 11, 900,484 4 152 689
North Dakota________________ 5, 267, 558 3, 629, 758 1,637 800
Ohio_______________________ ______ . 30, 730,130 22, 254,810 8 475 390
Oklahoma___________________ 18, 344’, 832 13, 353, 201 4 991 631
Oregon______________ _______ 4,217; aoi 2, 725,922 1 491 379-
Pennsylvania ___________________ 47,998, 272 36 019 468 11 978 804
Rhode Island___________ _______ 2, 909,109 2,131’, 058 778 051
South Carolina_________ 9,493, 594 6,927 730 2 565 864
South Dakota_______ _______ 5, 954,102 4 053, 891 1 900 211
Tennessee_______________________ 13, 202, 254 9 556 520 3 645 734
Texas________________________ 32,077, 850 23 518’ 180 8 559 670
Utah_________ ________ ________ 3.889,104 2 442 202 1 446 902
Vermont__________ ________ 1, 519,891 1’ 053 471 466 420
Virginia_________________________ 11 845 142 8 699 891 3 145 251
Washington______________ 8, 254,199 5 619 597 2 634 602
West Virginia_______________ 13, 371, 541 io’ 875’ 793 2 495 748
Wisconsin___ ___________ 16, 661, 265 12 099 203 4 562 062
Wyoming__________ 1, 239 956 914 784 325 179
Alaska____________.______________ 34,651 16,140 18, 51'1
Hawaii__________ 326 899 67 371 259 528
Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands 2,123,’ 819 1 821 969 301 850
Not allocated to specific States 4_____ 160,697 160^ 697
1
¹ Data for fiscal years 1936 through 1939 are actual expenditures derived from Treasury voucher payments. Figures for the fiscal years' 1940 through 1943 are encumbrances obtained from NYA finance reports.
Includes Federal funds expended for the operation of the regular out-of-school work program and the youth work defense program during fiscal year 1942.
³ Includes Federal funds expended in New York City during fiscal year 1943.
⁴ Includes Federal funds expended which were not allocated to specific States.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 193 6-1943 243
Table 4.—Number of NY A administrative employees¹ and total and average monthly earnings, fiscal years 1940 through 1943
Grand total Field
Fiscal year W ashing-
Number Amount Average ton office Total State Regional
monthly offices Office
1939
July____________________________ 1,814 $277, 722 $153.91 181 1,633 1,633
August _______________________ 1, 905 290,401 152.44 189 1,716 1, 716
September____________________ 1,928 294,095 151.09 192 1,736 1,736
October_________ . ___________ 1,963 296,266 150.39 195 1,768 1,768
November.____________________ 1,948 298,096 150. 82 199 1,749 1,749
December__________________ 1,965 298,200 150. .41 205 i;760 1,760
1940
January________________________ 1,977 299,119 150. 08 203 1,774 1, 774
February______ ____________ 1/961 288,908 145.07 199 1,762 1,762
March_________________________ 1,968 281,091 139.60 197 1, 771 1,771
April__________________________ 2,050 287,476 137.58 196 1,854 i;854
May___________________________ 2,050 288i 873 138.81 198 i; 852 1,852
June___________________________ 2,091 293,567 138; 21 206 li 885 1,885
July _______________________ 2,120 303, 985 141.29 201 1,919 1,900 19
August________________________ 2' 115 311,943 135.21 207 1,908 1,888 20
September__________________ _ 2,142 315; 418 135.80 227 i; 915 li 894 21
October________________________ 2, 289 329; 615 144.85 242 2,047 2,021 26-
November_ _ ___________ __ 2, 691 389; 079 144.65 266 2; 425 2,385 40
December ____ ______ 2; 931 432,933 146.24 279 2; 652 2,611 41
1941
January_____ _______ 3,038 455,678 146.14 306 2,732 2,684 48
February .. .. _____ 3^ 198 475; 750 146.68 320 2; 878 2,830 48
March_______ _________________ 3/261 489; 750 146. 98 328 2,933 2; 869
April ________________________ 3,486 529; 121 149. 70 360 3; 126 Si 052 74
May 3, 633 570,197 153.65 380 3,253 3; 173 80
June_________ ______ 3,730 591,874 155.79 394 3; 336 3,248 88
July ________________________ 3,503 537,376 147.83 387 3,116 3,027 89
August _______________________ 3, 206 527,302 156.84 379 2; 827 2; 735 92
September--------------------- 3,105 505, 710 157.39 380 2; 725 2,638 87
October________ _____________ _ 3,018 493, 370 158.36 364 2,654 2,571 83
November_____________________ 2^960 487', 795 159.70 352 2, 608 2,524 84
December____ _ ____________ 2; 622 449, 619 159.27 324 2; 298 2,216 82
1942
January ______________ 2,418 414,620 ■161. 39 302 2,116 2,046 70
February_____ _______________ 2,349 386,017 159.48 295 2; 054 i;988 66
March________________________ 2; 314 395,146 165. 33 305 2; 009 1,943 66
April _____________ ____ 2; 270 393, 731 168.12- 288 1,982 li 918 64
May__________________________ 2,284 395; 131 169. 95 293 1,991 li 927 64
June--------------------------- 2,196 391,254 170. 33 294 1,902 1, 837 65
July ________________________ 1, 377 296, 057 172.32 290 1,087 1,087
August _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ 1,054 233,075 184.98 258 796 '796
September_____________________ ' 967 209,846 190.77 244 723 723
October_______________________ 936 198, 877 194.98 231 705 705
November _ _ _ 931 198, 970 201.49 232 699 699
December___ ___ ______ 919 192,674 200.39 222 697 697
1943
January ___________ ______ 918 214,849 223.22 218 700 700
February _ _ ________- - - 882 212,720 231.47 213 669 669
March _ _ ___ ____ ______ 880 208, 930 231.76 205 675 675
April _ ____________ 882 210, 931 233.72 200 682 682
May - _____ ______ 918 219; 360 236.89 202 716 716
June._______________________ 916 220,773 236.25 206 710 710
,i Number of administrative employees in pay status on the last day of the month.
560597—44---------17
244
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 5.—Number of students employed on the student work program and total earnings by month, United States and territories, September 1935 through May 1943
Number of students employed Earnings
Month School College Graduate School College Graduate
Total work work work Total work work work
program program program program program program
1935
September----- 34,924 26,163 8,700 61 $221,210 $141,489 $79,286 $435
October_______ 183.594 75,033 104,969 3,592 1,652,834 391,276 1,197,875 63,683
November_____ 234,450 118,273 111, 500 4,677 2,094,889 618,659 1,385. 286 90,944
December_____ 282,829 159,158 118,453 5,218 2, 394, 570 837,940 1,456,897 99,733
1936
January....... 320,522 196,509 118,575 5,438 2, 528, 315 1.025,921 1,400,349 102,045
February______ 359, 559 231,802 122, 396 5,361 2,865, 222 1,241,786 1, 520,082 103, 354
March_________ 392,975 262,824 123, 357 6,794 3,098,859 1,409, 356 1, 555, 307 134,196
April__________ 416,948 281,498 128,055 7,395 3, 295,017 1,526,850 1,624, 506 143,661
May__________ 401,344 266,763 127,827 6, 754 3, 579,684 1, 543, 249 1,890, 703 145, 732
June___________ 214,603 127,121 80,932 6,550 1,841,990 700,870 1,020,021 121,099
July---....... 239 239 790 790
August---...... 1,707 7,076 7,076
September_____ 62,969 52,155 10,730 84 341, 543 224,162 116,084 1,297
October_______ 341, 583 207,954 128, 771 4,858 2, 518, 444 943,473 1, 477, 459 97,512
November_____ 400,253 257, 475 137, 250 5,528 3,127,131 1, 241,860 1, 754,847 130,424
December_____ 412, 210 270, 464 136,572 5,174 3,138,856 1, 308,823 1, 707,765 122,268
1937
January_______ 418,721 276,584 136,733 5,404 2,977, 550 1, 288,119 1,568,884 120, 547
February______ 428,818 283, 738 139,541 5, 539 3,236,888 1,358,525 1, 753,901 124, 462
March_________ 442,100 294,456 142,127 5,517 3, 326,448 1,414,636 1,787,090 124,722
April---------- 443,986 297,871 140,699 5,416 3, 362,653 1,456,068 1, 780,225 126,360
May---------- 425,694 280,427 139,841 5,426 3,653,116 1, 503,870 2,015,375 133,871
June___________ 249,826 153,168 92,382 4,276 1,996,086 797,911 1,102,908 95,267
July___________
August........ 36 36 144 144
September..... 36,581 31,758 4,688 135 163,822 120,128 41,135 2, 559
October------- 244,648 155,793 86,831 2,024 1,601,617 646,118 923,438 32,061
November_____ 284, 535 189,180 93,037 2,318 1,984,964 834,887 1,108,988 41,089
December_____ 304,923 205,998 96,390 2,535 2.065, 215 904,174 1,115,055 45,986
1938
January....... 310,699 212,471 95,725 2,503 2,002,857 906,478 1,051,697 44,682
February______ ----- 321, 361 220,616 98,177 2,568 2,176,043 971, 270 1,159,108 45, 665
March---....... 328,159 226,466 99,071 2,622 2,213,161 998,799 1,167,558 46,804
April__________ 335, 508 233,766 99,144 2,598 2, 265,167 1,034,455 1,182,922 47,790
May---------- 330, 202 227,837 99,826 2,539 2, 416,290 1,087.817 1, 280,610 47,863
June........... 220,070 142,420 75, 716 1,934 1, 555,809 664,997 856,695 34.117
July___________
August........ 1,812 1,790 22 5,814 5,776 38
September----- 49, 520 42,401 6,863 256 214,030 147, 654 62,256 4,120
October_______ 323,300 220, 709 99,851 2,740 1,988,090 889, 736 1,054, 547 43,807
November_____ 365,145 251, 789 110,186 3,170 2, 417, 561 1,046, 355 1, 314,299 56,907
December.--- 373, 680 260,240 110,402 3,038 2,426, 304 1,079,'665 1, 291.403 55,236
1939
January....... 373, 518 261,980 108, 543 2,995 2,275,059 1,056, 417 1,165,722 52,920
February______ 383,081 268,948 111, 122 3,011 2, 467,957 1,108, 741 1, 305,102 54,114
March_________ 381,920 269,370 109,690 2,860 2,457, 559 1,118, 209 1, 286, 736 52,614
April.......... 385,759 272,792 110,068 2,899 2, 505,649 1,152,391 1,300,033 53,225
May__________ 373,732 262,074 108,924 2,734 2,505,404 1,134, 487 1, 318,990 51, 927
June........... 281,116 186, 308 92,619 2,189 1,944, 272 827,847 1,077,034 39,391
July___________ 42 14 28 __________ 389 77 312
August_________ 1, 323 1,321 2 5,021 4,991 30
September.... 70,129 61, 282 8,690 157 306,766 229,222 74,550 2,994
FINAL REPOST, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
245
Table 5.—Number of students employed on the student work program and total earnings by month, United States and territories, September 1935 through May 1943—-Continued
Number of students employed Earnings
Month School College Graduate School College Graduate
Total work work work Total work work work
program program program program program program
1939---Continued
October........... 363,548 253.782 107,049 2,717 2,401,160 $1,094,244 $1,256, 291 $50,625
November_________ 424,484 303.691 117,905 2,888 2,965,275 1,379,054 1,524,691 61,530
December.,_______ 435,793 315,615 117, ?86 2,892 2,974, 549 1,420,097 1,493, 415 61.037
1940
January........... 438,342 319,745 115,741 2,856 2.863,345 1,414.355 1,389,822 59.168
February.......... 457,414 333, 890 120,552 2,972 3,126,122 1, 509,814 1, 554,099 62,209
March____________ 474, 504 348, 625 122,898 2,981 3, 279,780 1,603,987 1,611,735 64,058
April_________..... 483, 627 356, 555 124, 395 2,977 3,385, 794 1,671, 588 1,649,305 64,901
May______________ 478,392 349,248 126.306 2.838 3,442, 300 1,669,502 1,708,471 64,327
June____________... 314, 539 212,647 99, 657 2,235 2,321,283 1,008,933 1,263,813 48, 537
July_______________ 456 454 2 2,180 2,153 27
August____________ 1,272 1, 272 5,231 3,979 3,979 44,064
September......... 24,546 19,177 138 107,586 61,288 2,234
October........... 353,332 248,152 102, 592 2,588 2, 246,687 1,013, 514 1,189,616 43, 557
November_________ 441,456 316,831 121, 491 3,134 3, 078, 617 1, 414,391 1, 603,891 60,335
December_________ 450,667 327.492 120,176 2,999 3,107, 852 1,475,603 1,573,363 58,886
1941
January........... 443,900 324,006 116,986 2,908 2,767,868 1,354,262 1,359,248 54,358
February__________ 461,427 337,042 121,366 3,019 3,159.141 1,501,159 1, 598,766 59, 216
March_____________ 473, 277 347,719 ^22, 586 2,972 3, 279, 327 1,577,705 1,642,964 58,658
April.............. 480,286 353,511 123,843 - 2,932 3, 347,841 1,640, 561 1,648, 544 58,736
May______________ 463,850 337, 431 123, 582 2,837 3, 378, 566 1,609,179 1, 711,814 57, 573
June_______________ 358,361 257,960 98,302 2,099 2,582,455 1, 293, 262 1, 248,760 40,433
July............... 5,370 5,083 263 24 25,787 22,031 3,272 484
August_______4____ 338 338 4,681 43 1, 350 1, 350 43, 299 573
September.___;.... 34, 216 29,492 151,366 107,494
October______2.... 2/4,917 195, 207 78, 230 1,480 1,739,882 805, 899 908, 541 25,442
November_________ 342, 641 245, 629 94, 744 2,268 2, 375, 632 1,082, 856 1, 247, 297 45, 479
December_________ 335,119 241, 212 91,765 2,142 2, 301,493 1,061,366 1,193,920 46, 207
1942
January___________ 306, 858 218,693 86,364 1,801 1,847,930 850,841 963,203 33, 886
February__________ 257,244 175, 642 79,765 1,837 1, 684,151 670, 530 979,328 34,293
March............ 248,130 167,682 78, 704 1,744 1,681,192 654, 702 993, 390 33,100
April______________ 238,411 161,367 75,462 1,582 1,647, 759 648,193 968,866 30,700
May.............. 216,753 143,106 72,146 1,501 1, 565,888 596,865 939,467 29,556
June______________ 133, 111 84,483 47,686 942 941,090 366,308 559,069 15,713
July_______________ 16.860 7,917 8,943 ---------- 149, 708 31,760 117,948 ..........
August
September........ 1,830 883 947 ....------ 10,916 3,337 7,579 ---
October___________ 52,262 24, 212 28,050 .......... 424, 550 96,408 328,142 ---
November_________ 81,050 45,144 35,906 705, 249 202,740 502, 509
December_________ 86,787 51, 417 35, 370 726, 734 232, 538 494,196
1943 91, 698 58, 415 33,283 664,893 256, 748 408,145
January___________ 94,827 60,700 34,127 --- 775, 204 286,625 488,579
February__________ 97,828 63,041 34,787 797,151 301, 479 495,672
March.............
April______________ 97,117 63,979 33,138 816,707 316,212 500,495
May.............. 88,509 57, 743 30,766 758, 267 292,009 466,258
June
¹ June 1943 data not available.
246
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 6.—Number of schools and college and graduate institutions participating in the NY A student work program, by States, academic year 1939—40
State or Territory Total Schools Colleges and
universities
Grand total___________________________i_________________ 29,999 28,301 1,698
Alabama . _______ - ______________________________________ 1,326 1,299 27
Arizona _________ _____________________________________ 86 81 5
Arkansas ___ __ ____________ _ _______________ 668 644 24
California _ _ ______ ________ ______ 576 487 89
Colorado ____________________________________________________ 371 354 17
Connecticut _. .. - . - ______________________________ 143 119 24
Delaware .. . ________________________________________ 50 48 2
District of Columbia______ _______________________________ --- 46 34 12
Florida . ________________________________________ ____________ 676 661 15
Georgia _________________________________________ ___________ 875 825 50
Idaho ____________________________________________________ 191 182 9
Illinois _________________________________________ ___ _ 1,091 1,013 78
Indiana ___- ___________________ ________ _____________ 781 ' 741 40
Iowa - _________________ -- - ___________ ______________ 963 899 64
Kansas. _____________________________________________________ 758 712 46
Kentucky____________________________________________________ 791 759 32
Louisiana ________________________ 810 787 23
Maine________________________________________________________ 234 218 16
Maryland_______________.____________________________________ 210 182 28
Massachusetts . _________________________________________ . 422 370 52
Michigan_____________________________________________________ 850 807 43
M innesot a___________________________-----____________________- 561 524 37
Mississippi ________________________________________________ 768 730 38
Missouri ___________________________________________________ 935 875 60
Montana___________________________________________________ 207 196 11
Nebraska_____________________._______________ ______________ • 594 571 23
Nevada ______________________________________________________ 38 37 1
New Hampshire______________________________________________ 107 99 8
New Jersey__________________________________________________ 305 272 33
New Mexico ______________________________________________ 241 234 7
New York City_____________________________________._________ 254 200 54
New York (excluding New York City). _____________________ 905 850 55
North Carolina_____________________________________________ 1,393 1,338
North Dakota________________________________________________ '473 460 13
Ohio_________________________________________________________ 1,277 1,209 68
Oklahoma __________________________________________________ 996 949 47
Oregon . ______________________ _____________________________ 290 266 24
Pennsylvania ____. . . _____________ . ._____ 1,309 1,221 88
Rhode Island. ______________________________________________ 69 63 6
South Carolina-. __________________________ ________________ 918 884 34
South Dakota _. __________________________ _____________ 393 377 16
Tennessee__________________________________________________s.j 646 603 43
Texas______________ __________________________________________ 2,663 2,579 84
Utah_________________________________________________________ 115 104 11
Vermont__________________ J_________________________________ 108 95 13
Virginia______________________________________________________ 942 901 41
Washington ______________________ _________ _____________ 347 323 24
West Virginia________ __ ______________________ ___________ 404 383 21
Wisconsin. _____________ _________________________________ 652 570 82
Wyoming____________________ ___________ _________;______ 92 91 1
Alaska_______________________________ ____________________ . 1 (9 1
Hawaii________________________ ___________________________ 32 31 1
Puerto Rico__________________________________________________ 46 44 2
1 Data not available.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
247
Table 7.—Average number of students employed per month ¹ on the NYA student work program, by States, academic year 1939—40
School work College work Graduate
State or Territory Total program program work
i program
Grand total_____________ ________________ 438,015 317,346 117,834 2i 835
Alabama. _. ______ ____ ______________________ 10,069 8,141 1,924 4
Arizona____________ ________ ___________________ . 1,945 1, 371 ' 564 10
Arkansas_________________________________ ______ 6,485 5, 335 1,149 1
California________________________________ ____ 20,085 11,086 8,600 399
Colorado_________________________________________ 5,176 3,820 1, 329 27
Connecticut_____________________________________ 2,987 2,190 676 121
Delaware________________________________________ 507 377 130
District of Columbia______________ ______________ 1,662 667 892 103
Florida ____. ____ _______ ________ 5,282 4,113 1,162 7
Georgia__________ _______________________ ... 11^678 8,839 2,750 89
Idaho___________________________________________ 2,400 1,647 745 8
Illinois________________1_______________________ 2< 654 18,131 6,271 252
Indiana__________ . _________ _________________ Hi 220 7,825 3,345 50
Iowa_____ _________________________________ .. 7,690 4,689 2,926 75
Kansas.__________________________________________ 9^466 6,812 2,633 21
Kentucky _________ 9,162 7,329 1,833
Louisiana_______ ____________________________ _ 7,496 5,035 2^440 21
Maine. __________ . __________ ________________ 1,986 1, 397 ' 589
Maryland ___________________-____________ 3,540 2,318 1,187 35
Massachusetts________________ __________________ lli 591 8^519 2,934 138
Michigan________________________________________ 16,006 11,299 4,511 196
Minnesota ___________________________________ 9,891 6,992 2,874 25
Mississippi _____________________ ________________ 7, 460 5,458 2,000 2
Missouri..____ . _____________ _______________ 12, 535 9, 222 3,282 31
Montana ______________________________________ 2,981 2,263 718
Nebraska____________________________________ 5,867 4,254 1,601 12
Nevada _ ______ ______ _________________ ____ 301 213 88
New Hampshire____________ __________________ 1,120 592 522 6
New Jersey ___________________________________ 10,152 8,305 1,836 11
New Mexico_____________________________________ 1,880 1,425 ' 449 6
New York City _ _______________________________ 23,805 16,490 6,931 384
New York (excluding New York City)___________ 17,152 12,695 4^360 97
North Carolina._________________________________ 10i 287 7,065 3^190 32
North Dakota __________ _____________________ 4,815 3,790 1,023 2
Ohio____________________________________________ 21, 388 15,712 5.586 90
Oklahoma ____ ____________._______________--- 13,190 10,184 2,969 37
Oregon ___i___ _________________________ 3,474 2,101 1,361 12
Pennsylvania___________________________________ 32,159 25i 231 6,728 200
Rhode Island . ________ ___________________ 1,860 1,294 ' 554 12
South Carolina ________________________________ 7,466 5,782 1(683 1
South Dakota ____ ______________ 6,208 5,438 770
Tennessee______________________________________ 10,405 8,244 2, 111 50
Texas _______ . ___________________________ 21,151 14,900 6,211 40
Utah..._____ _______________________________ 3,748 2,159 1,578 11
Vermont.. ____________________________________ 1,186 730 454 2
Virginia _________________________________-______ 7,593 5,119 2,445 29
Washington __________________________________ 6,379 4,307 2,019 53
West Virginia ____ _________________________■___ 7,409 6,043 1,343 23
Wisconsin ___ ___________ _______ _ 12,598 8,786 3,713 99
Wyoming_______________ ______________________ 793 ' 565 225 3
Alaska___________________________________________ 49 32 17
Hawaii __________ _____________________________ 821 607 206 8
Puerto Rico________________________________--____ 805 408 397
¹ The student work program operated on a school-year basis; average number of students employed per month were based upon a 9-month academic year.
248
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 8.—Average number of students employed per month¹ on the NY A student work program, by States, academic year 1940-41
Graduate
State or Territory Total School work College work work
program program program
Grand total________________________________ 439,149 318,953 117, 349 2,847
Alabama___________________ 10, 783 8, 844 1 935 4
Arizona_________________________ 1,941 1, 344 590 7
Arkansas___________________________ 6,638 5,534 1,104
California_______________________ 20,808 IL 577 8,800 431
Colorado___________________________ 4^ 790 3,428 1,348 14
Connecticut_______________________ . 3,001 2,138 732 131
Delaware______________ ___ ' 563 435 128
District of Columbia___________________ 1,597 707 805 85
Florida_______________ 4^971 3, 801 169 1
Georgia____________________________ . 12’ 059 9, 321 2,637 101
Idaho____________.... 2,397 1,642 748 7
Illinois____________________________ . 25, 466 18,999 6,211 95ft
Indiana__________ IL 582 8, 222 3, 291 69
Iowa___________________ 8,050 5,134 2,837 79
Kansas___________________________ 9,078 6,284 2,773 21
Kentucky_________________________ 8,818 7,024 1, 794
Louisiana___________ 8,495 5’ 783 2, 669 43
Maine______________________ 2,148 1,569 579
Maryland________________________ 3,982 % 782 1,170 30
Massachusetts_________________________ 11, 508 8,386 2,940 182
Michigan_____________________ . 15,823 11,157 4, 500 166
Minnesota______________________ 9,851 6,919 2,903 29
Mississippi________________________ 7, 725 5,690 2 030 5
Missouri_____________________________ . 924 9,502 3 381 41
Montana__________________________________ 2, 918 2,106 811 1
Nebraska______________________ 6,184 4,493 1,684 7
Nevada_____________________________ 300 204 96
New Hampshire_____________________ - _ 1,280 724 546 10
New Jersey_____________________ 9^ 707 7,940 1, 759 8
New Mexico_______________________.. 1,969 1,438 525 6
New York City___________________ 25,017 18,077 6,636 304
New York (excluding New York City)_________ 15, 751 11,639 4, 027 85
North Carolina._ . ... 11,038 7,771 3,197 70
North Dakota__________________ 4,351 3,390 957 4
Ohio_____ 20, 554 15,066 5 396 92
Oklahoma____ 13,353 10,232 3,121
Oregon________ 3,686 2,412 1 262 12
Pennsylvania_______________ 29,694 23,236 6,298 160
Rhode Island . 1, 798 1,234 559 5
South Carolina... . ... 7, 282 5, 564 1,696 22
South Dakota.. 5,458 4,703 755
Tennessee_______ 10,681 8,455 2,153 73
Texas__________ 21,307 14,951 6 311 45
Utah_________ 3,502 2 028 1,452 22
Vermont________ 1,186 732 453 1
Virginia_______ 8, 731 6,161 2 523 47
Washington____ 6,147 4,119 1,978 50
West Virginia.. 6,926 5,536 1,368 22
Wisconsin____ 12,450 8, 555 3 809 86
Wyoming_______ 793 560 230 3
Alaska_________ 65 45 20
Hawaii______ 803 582 211 10
Puerto Rico____ 1,159 717 442
Virgin Islands......... 61 61
1 The ¡student work program operates on a sch ool-year bas is; average nu mber of stude nts employed
per month were based upon a 9-month academic y ear.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943 249
Table 9.—Average number of students employed per month¹ on the NYA student work program, by States, academic year 1941-42
School work College work Graduate
State or Territory Total program program work
program
Grand total..________________..__________.. 265,901 185,326 78,868 1,707
Alabama_________________________________________ 6,038 4,647 1,390 1
Arizona__________________________________________ 1', 008 ' 654 '351 3
Arkansas_________________________________________ 4,176 3,372 804
California______________ ______________________ 12,925 7,606 5,164 155
Colorado_________________________________________ 3’224 2,222 '997 5.
Connecticut______________________________________ 2,151 1,469 576 106
Delaware________________________________________ '354 ' 272 82
District of Columbia___________________________ 1,090 496 536 58
Florida____________________ ______________________ 3,191 2,388 802 1
Georgia __________________ ______________________ , 7,568 6 732 1,760 76
Idahe___________________________________________ 1,412 957 452 3
Illinois___________________________________________ 14,326 9,884 4,283 159
Indiana_______________________________________ 6358 4,709 2319 30
Iowa____________________________________________ 5^106 3,179 1390 37
Kansas___________________________________________ 5361 3^293 1363 5
Kentucky________________________________________ 5,875 4,630 1,245
Louisiana_______________________________________ 5,296 3,523 1, 756 17
Maine___________________________________________ 1,714 1' 213 ' 501
M aryland ______________________________________ 2'365 L 551 797 17
Massachusetts___________________________________ 7,206 4317 2,365 224
Michigan________________________________________ 9,652 6,508 3,062 82
Minnesota_______________________________________ 6346 4', 460 1366 20
Mississippi_______________________________________ 4346 3394 1346 6
Missouri_________________________________________ 7,195 5; 013 2,142 40
Montana_________________________________________ 1385 L 198 '487
Nebraska________________________________________ 3,300 2,263 1,034 $
Nevada _________________________________________ ' 218 156 62
New Hampshire_________________________________ 1,000 623 372 5
New Jersey______________________________________ 6398 5,047 1,047 4
New Mexico_____________________________________ 1,250 958 292
New York City_________________________________ 14,524 9,933 4,427 164
New York (excluding New York City)___________ 9379 6378 2334 67
North Carolina__________________________________ 7362 5349 2360 53
North Dakota____________________________________ 2326 1351 ' 575
Ohio_____________________________________________ 12329 8374 3,610 45
Oklahoma________________________________________ 6,180 4,299 1,874 7
Oregon__________________________________________ 2,355 1,405 '942 8
Pennsylvania____________________________________ 17i 193 12; 767 4,342 84
Rhode Island____________________________________ 1J19 ' 732 385 2
South Carolina__________________________________ 4307 3,446 1,336 25
South Dakota___________________________________ 2,856 2,380 476
Tennessee________________________________________ 6834 5'242 1,547 45'
Texas____________________________________________ 12^992 8^ 559 4309 24
Utah ________________________________________ 2; 126 1,188 932 6
Vermont_________________________________________ 787 473 312 2
Virginia__________________________________________ 5,628 3,912 1,693 23
Washington..... ..______________________________ 3,608 2,328 L256 24
West Virginia____________________________________ 4371 3^ 187 '874 10
Wisconsin_______________________________________ 7368 6885 2,533 50
Wyoming________________________________________ '557 413 143 1
Alaska . __________________________________ 33 22 11
Hawaii ______________________________________ 497 360 127 10'
Puerto Rico______________________________________ 815 488 327
Virgin Islands____________________________________ 21 21
¹ The student work program operated on a school-year basis; average number of students employed per month were based upon 9-month academic year.
250
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 10.—Average number of students employed per month ¹ on the NY A student work program, by States, academic year 1942—43 ²
College and
State or Territory Total School work graduate
program work
program8
Grand total___________________________________________.. 88,596 54,181 34,415
Alabama______________________________________________________ 3,658 2,942 716
Arizona_______________________________________________________ 281 119 162
Arkansas_____________________________________________________ 1,700 1,361 339
California__________________ . ________________________________ 2,670 1,087 1,583
Colorado______________________________________________________ 1,143 695 448
Connecticut__________________________________________________ 439 138 301
Delaware _______..______ .. ___ .. ________________ 103 50 53
District of Columbia________________ . ______________________ 292 79 213
Florida_________________________________ _____________________ 1,565 1,052 513
Georgia_________________________ _____________________________ 3,718 2,921 797
Idaho________________________________________ ________________ 344 238 106
Illinois______________ ______________________ __________________ 4,695 2,539 2,156
Indiana_______________________________________________________ 1,813 990 823
Iowa ________________ - _____________________________________ 1,807 841 966
Kansas....................................................... 1,592 969 623
Kentucky____________________________________________________ 2,437 1,860 577
Louisiana__________________________________________________ 2,756 1,785 971
Maine________________________________________________________ 402 209 193
Maryland __________________________________________________ 478 187 291
Massachusetts_______________________________________________ 1,508 559 949
Michigan______________________________________________ 2,804 1,485 1,319
Minnesota________________________ ______________________ 2,160 1,372 788
Mississippi______________________________________________ 2,617 1,955 662
Missouri_____________________________________ 2,613 1,576 1,037
Montana____________________________________ ..... 514 339 175
Nebraska________________________________________________ 1,147 761 386
Nevada______________________________________... 31 13 18
New Hampshire______________________________________ .. 258 101 157
New Jersey________________________________________ ■975 499 476
New Mexico________________________________________ 430 328 102
New York.. ___________________________________ . * 7,049 ‘ 4,054 8 2,995
North Carolina_____________________________ 2,305 1,127 1,178
North Dakota____________________________ 843 614 229
Ohio_______________________________________ 3,406 1,934 1,472
Oklahoma__________________________________ 2,485 1,657 828
Oregon __________________________________ 490 184 306
Pennsylvania______________________________ 4,535 2,431 2,104
Rhode Island________________________________ 232 72 160
South Carolina.___________ ___________________ 2,517 1,798 719
South Dakota______________________________ 1,147 923 224
Tennessee _____________________________________ 3,054 2,277 777
Texas_________________________________________ . 6,308 3,812 2,496
Utah ________________________________ 527 267 260
Vermont_________________________________ 268 116 152
Virginia _____________________,_______________ . 1,877 1,077 800
Washington_________________________________ 574 244 330
West Virginia__________________________________ 1,461 1,095 366
Wisconsin_________________________________ 2,384 1,327 1,057
Wyoming____________________________ 184 122 62
¹ The student work program operated on a school-year basis; average number of students employed per month were based upon 9-month academic year.
² June 1943 data not available; averages based on previous months.
⁸ Data not reported separately for the college work program and the graduate work program in academic year 1942-43.
¹ Includes New York City.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 19 36-1943
251
Table 11.—Average monthly earnings of students employed on the NY A student work program, by States, academic years 1939-40 and 1940—41
Academic year 1939-40 Academic year 1940*41
State or Territory School College Graduate School College Graduate
work . work work work work work
program program program program program program
Grand total_________.... $4.55 $12.75 $21.14 $4. 51 $12.90 $19.28
Alabama _________________ 4.23 12.85 27.06 4.06 13.26 30.00
Arizona _______:____________ 4.84 13.58 22.13 4.89 13. 51 20.20
Arkansas_____________________ 3.98 11.81 11.25 3.96 11.85
California_____________________ 4.84 13.16 22.66 5.00 13.58 20.51
Colorado ___________________ 4.68 13.04 20.59 4.59 13.44 20.37
Connecticut__________________ 5.44 11.68' 22.11 5.28 12.28 19.57
Delaware . _ 5.19 11.68 4.97 11.99
District of Columbia____________ 5.54 14.04 22.06 5.28 14.67 23.28
Florida_______________________ 4.32 13.38 25. 34 4.43 13.73 25.45
Georgia ___________________ 3.97 11.92 20. 52 4.04 12.14 18.19
Idaho_________________________ 4.70 11.96 24.89 4.37 12.58 24.53
Illinois .. ____________________ 4.62 13.36 18. 53 4.59 13.71 16.60
Indiana________________________ 4.77 11.97 20.11 4.55 12.27 17.00
Iowa ________________________ 12.44 21.53 4.25 12.41 20.40
Kansas_______________________ 3.93 11.78 19.81 3.93 12 17 18.47
Kentucky 4.30 12.23 4.38 12.16
Louisiana____________________ 4.83 12.11 28.93 4.66 12.22 22.89
Maine __________________ 5.21 12.95 5.35 13.80
Maryland _________________: 5.33 12.77 21.65 5.22 12.73 22.18
Massachusetts________________ 5.35 12.87 22.18 5.17 12.52 16.40
Michigan___________________ 4.83 12.85 19.57 4.70 13.04 19.06
Minnesota_____________________ 4.04 12.99 19.25 4.04 13. 21 19.90
Mississippi_________:___________ 3.99 9.84 22.95 3.94 11.30 25.18
Missouri___________________--- 4.32 12.50 19.54 4.14 12.38 19.22
Montana _____ _____________ 4.65 11.73 4.65 11- 74 19.25
Nebraska____________________ 4.20 12.22 17.96 4.17 12.66 21.00
Nevada 5.61 14.35 5.37 13.97
New Hampshire _____________ 4.89 11.58 20.40 4.94 12.19 21.46
New Jersey_______?__________.. 5.46 12.40 19.79 5.36 12.08 18.40
New Mexico__________________ 3.25 11.97 18.28 4.59 12.54 17.04
New York City ___________ 4.75 13.88 21.46 4.71 13.43 19.41
New York (excluding New
York Citv) _______________. 4.94 12.82 18. 52 4.81 12.98 18. 67
North Carolina ______________ 5.03 12.96 21.45 5.00 13.05 19. 51
North Dakota_________________ 4.49 11.39 27.41 4.22 11.12 14.58
Ohio „ ______________________ 4.81 13.50 23.52 4.68 13.49 20.43
Oklahoma 3.74 12.69 19.83 3.93 12.64
Oregon _ __________________ 4.44 12.29 19.84 4.48 12.54 18.25
Pennsylvania_________________ 4.42 13.47 21.87 4.56 13.99 21.25
Rhode Island _____________ 5.72 12.44 22.34 5.50 12.46 19.96
South Carolina_____________.... 3.80 12.28 23.33 4.13 12.84 14.25
South Dakota 4.23 12.86 4.24 12.59
Tennessee _______________-___ 4.23 12.62 19.81 4.06 12.62 21.21
T exas ______________________ 4.88 13.18 22.42 4.66 13.14 20.24
Utah _________ ____________ 4.49 11.71 19.74 ' 3.92 11.69 13. 72
Vermont______________________ 4.80 11.54 24.83 4.74 11.17 17.80
Virginia______________________ 5.05 12.56 20.81 4.94 12.64 17,71
Washington _ . ____________ 4.24 13.51 20.71 4.41 13.75 19.26
West Virginia_____________ 4.12 11.60 23.88 4.27 11.62 22.24
Wisconsin .. ________________ 4 20 12.03 19.75 4.00 12.02 16.53
Wyoming____________________ 4.82 12.92 19.52 4.65 14.12 21.85
Alaska ___ __________ 5.32 15.79 5.36 14.71
Hawaii________________________ 4. 55 12.44 16.98 4.61 12.63 20.09
Puerto Rico 3.94 12.37 4.23 11.07
Virgin Islands 3.99
252
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 12.—Average monthly earnings of students employed on the NY A student work program, by States, academic years 1941—40 and 1942-43
Acac ernie year 19 41-42 Academic pear 1942-43 1
School College Graduate School College and
State or Territory work work work work graduate
program program program program work pro-
gram 2
Grand total....................... $4.12 $12.40 $19.23 $4.66 $13.84
Alabama________________-_______________ 3.72 13.00 30.00 4.74 14.35
Arizona _____________________________ 4.56 13.00 15.55 4.97 15.32
Arkansas._______________________________ 3.65 11.47 4.33 12.94
California.______________________________ 4.63 13.43 23.82 5.04 15.03
Colorado________________________________ 3.98 12.02 15.78 4.64 13.50
Connecticut_____________________________ 4.99 12.38 19.37 4.90 14.04
Delaware....... '______________________ 4.21 12.95 5.30 17.36
District of Columbia____________________ 5.02 13.43 22.94 5.67 16.12
Florida. ________________________________ 3.92 12.94 14.00 4.55 11.93
Georgia.................................. 3.64 11.96 13.05 4.01 13.02
Idaho___________________________________ 4.17 11.56 20.11 4.84 14.20
Illinois__________________________________ 4.11 12.82 16.64 4.71 14.37
Indiana_________________________________ 4.02 11.76 14.64 4.86 13.61
Iowa ___________________________________ 3.59 11.91 18.79 4.41 13.82
Kansas_________________________________ 3.64 11.56 18.02 4.39 13.56
Kentucky_______________________________ 3.84 11.65 4.55 13.36
Louisiana ______________________________ 4.01 11.70 21.68 4.80 12 57
Maine___________________________________ 4.72 12.39 5.05 12.67
Maryland_______________________________ 4.79 12.19 22.54 5.23 14.62
Massachusetts.__________________________ 4.97 12.64 24.52 4.87 14.65
Michigan________________________________ 4; 27 12.87 19.10 4.85 13.86
Minnesota...____________________________ 3.55 12.60' 17.02 4.35 14.50
Mississippi._____________________________ 3.58 10.20 25.47 4.57 11.32
Missouri________________________________ 3.93 11.96 13.65 4.32 13.26
Montana________________________________ 3.99 11.71 4.91 14.43
Nebraska______________________________ 3.64 12.50 25. lx 4 67 13 54
Nevada________________________________ 5.24 15.19 4.95 18.77
New Hampshire_________________________ 4.77 12.10 17.46 4.58 11.98
New Jersey______________________________ 4.62 11.31 21.77 4.88 13.19
New Mexico_____________________________ 4.31 12.98 4.97 13.61
New York City_________________________ 4.34 12.63 18.29
New Y ork (excluding New Y ork City)... 4.16 12.24 17.28 3 4.85 314.61
North Carolina_________________________ 4.38 11.74 17.71 4.89 12.68
North Dakota___________________________ 3.71 11.51 4.89 12.98
Ohio...__________________________________ 4.25 13.10 18.90 4.71 14.65
Oklahoma_______________________________ 3.69 12.00 18.80 4 47 14.11
Oregon______,________________________ 4.41 12.55 16.24 4.97 14.39
Pennsylvania____________________________ 4.28 12.98 17.67 4.94 15.12
Rhode Island............................ 5.26 11.54 14.35 5.04 13.55
South Carolina__________________________ 3.75 11.79 10.94 4.32 12.23
South Dakota____________________________ 3.82 12.44 4.75 13.64
Tennessee_______________________________ 3.55 12.13 18.13 4.55 13.33
Texas___________________________________ 4.38 12.84 19.46 4.87 12.97
Utah. __________________________________ 3.71 12.02 17.23 4.75 14.41
Vermont................................ 3.94 10.46 10.09 4.61 12.19
Virginia_________________________________ 4.52 12.75 22.07 4.91 13.28
Washington............................. 4.41 13.10 18 86 5.18 16.01
West Virginia ___________________________ 4.15 12.03 23.64 4.78 12.72
Wisconsin________________________________ 3.69 11.62 16.44 4.38 13.83
Wyoming_______________________________ 4.63 14.05 13.43 4. £7 14.33
Alaska__________________________________ 6.46 20.12
Hawaii__________________________________ 4.85 13.88 18.64
Puerto Rico_____________________________ 3.67 11.10
Virgin Islands___________________________ 3.95
¹ June 1943 data not available; average based on previous months.
² Data not reported separately for the college work program and the graduate work program in academic year 1942-43.
³ Includes New York City.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
253
Table 13.—Number of youth¹ employed on the NYA out-of-school work program, by month, United States and Territories, January 1936 through May 1943
Regular program Regular program
Month Total -------------■--- Month Total Male Female
Male Female
, _ 1938
January----------- 16,751 10,179 6,572 NovPTnhpf 230,478 130,087 100,400
February---------- 78,755 47,676 31,079 December 239,628 136; 534 103,094
March_____________ 163,491 97,872 65,619
April_____________ 181,279 105,743 75,536 1939
Mav 177 QQ QQ^ 77’Q11 January___________ 237,468 135,453 102,015
.Tuna 1R4 inn qrq ßQ 9A7 .February__________ 242', 454 139,253 103,201
IVTamn 235,519 134; 583 100,936
July--------------- 164,792 88,600 76,192 a nri1 " 228,268 129; 997 98,271
August------------ 161,571 85,385 76,186 Mrv 224; 889 128,781 96,108
September--------- 166,664 87,773 78,891 Tnnp 213;694 121,923 91,771
October------------ 165, /ö0 85,385 8Ü, 345
November 171 940 87 416 84 524 Julv_____________ 199,311 113,636 85 675
December 177,303 90 872 86’431 August____________ 20i;837 114,712 87,125
1937 ' ’ ’ September_________ 215; 301 122; 824 92; 477
228; 193 127,364 100,829
January ___________ 183,648 94,748 88,900 "WnvATnTiAr 25i;288 139; 589 111, 699
February---------- 187,737 96,931 90,806 neeemher 285; 659 16i; 658 124; 001
March_____________ 189,790 97,659 92,131 el,e uer
April______________ 189,866 96,305 93,561 1940
May_______________ 182,149 89,041 93,108 January___________ 311,918 177,667 134,251
June_______________ 170,498 81,853 88,645 February__________ 325', 495 184; 830 140;665
Tnlv 14Ä ^4 7n 9n^ 7ä qri March_____________ 325; 560 183', 519 142; 041
312; 142 175; 362 136; 780
289; 945 161', 075 128,870
264; 171 146; 764 117; 407
November_________ 126,958 58,972 67,981 July 187,605 105,047 82,558
December_________ 136,026 65,870 70,156 August 229,914 132; 518 97; 396
1938 September_________ 230', 013 135; 635 94', 378
January 145 951 73 308 72 643 October____________ 223; 877 129; 848 9A 029
Februarv 152 105 78 242 73 '863 November_________ 253; 260 146,771 106; 489
March 154 833 81 136 73’697 December________ 316; 444 182; 439 134,005
April______________ 158; 890 85,301 73^589 1941
May------------- 1/$>4ü6 _?9, §67 Januarv _________ 407,686 236,841 170,845
June-------------.. 209,460 120, b!2 88,948 Fphrnary 470; 523 268', 423 202', 100
July_______________ 214,983 123,065 91,918 March...__________ 445', 941 246Ì 675 199,266
August____________ 218^853 124^545 94,308 April______________ 405; 786 217; 065 188; 721
September_________ 220,704 124,953 95,751 M*ay______________ 378; 351 197; 769 180', 582
October 220,295 123,375 96.920 June 369,263 195,960 173,303
Month Total Regular program Defense and war production
training program 2
Total Male Female Total Male Female
1941
Julv________ 299,069 - 250,798 127,688 123,110 48,271 39,204 9,067
August_________;________________ 293,822 218, 771 104,251 lu; 520 75; 051 6L 091 13; 960
September_____________________ 287, 522 195,120 84,290 HO; 830 92,402 74,419 17,983
October_______________________ 269,816 178, 772 66,167 112,605 91,044 73,442 17,602
November_______________ 286,870 192,148 67,494 I24; 654 94; 722 76,865 17,857
December ____' 268,910 182,141 62,802 IW; 339 86; 769 70,577 16,192
1942
Januar v 219, 545 139,942 49,214 90,728 79, 603 65,440 14,163
February______________________ 217,927 131,877 46; 619 85; 258 86; 050 71,173 14,877
March.._______________________ 206,903 I20; 149 41 ; 647 78; 502 86,754 69,740 17,014
April___________________________ 191, 253 lOi; 040 35,217 65,823 90, 213 69,413 20,800
May___________________________ 166,889 75; 187 24,966 50,221 91,702 66,812 24.890
June___________________________ 167,472 65,729 20,464 45; 265 101, 743 72,336 29,407
July__________ 89,279 89,279 57,194 32,085
August__________ 107, 594 IO?; 594 67; 573 40, 021
Sente.mber_____ _ 88,464 88,464 54', 613 33,851
October____ 73; 205 73,205 42; 405 30,800
November 73,393 73,393 39,961 33,432
December 69,692 69; 692 38,356 31,336
1943
January.... 68.969 68,969 38,972 29,997
February 78,847 78; 847 44,404 34,443
March 75; 458 75; 458 41,777 33,681
April 70; 827 70; 827 37,702 33,125
Mhv 68; 724 68,724 35,365 33,359
June 8__________________________ ----------
¹ Includes youth and nonyouth employees for fiscal years 1936 through 1939; data not reported separately for these years.
² During the fiscal year 1942 the training program was called “Youth Work Defense Program.” During the fiscal year 1943 the program was called “War Production Training Program.” No separate training program was operated during fiscal year 1941 or prior years.
’ June 1943 data not available.
254
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table. 14.—Average number of youth employed per month ¹ on the NY A out-of-school work program, by States, fiscal years 1940 through 1943
Regular program Fiscal year 1942 War
production
State or Territory Fiscal Fiscal Regular Youth work training
year year Total program defense program 1
1940 1941 program fiscal year
1943
.Grand.total_____________________ 264,460 326, 602 239,666 154,306 85,360 78,587
Alabama_____________________________ 6,614 8, 377 6,940 5, 355 1 585 1 664
Arizona______________________________ 1,090 1,244 872 703 169 252
Arkansas_____________________________ 5,441 6’470 5. 374 3, 264 2 110 1 952
California_________________________ 10, 645 12,909 6,766 4 418 2’ 348 J 129
Colorado-._________________________ 2,334 2.796 2,192 1 695 497 387
Connecticut__________________________ 2.707 2, 949 2,039 943 1 096 772
Delaware..- _________________________ 496 ' 778 471 379 ’ 92 48
District of Columbia________________ 1,091 1,329 885 669 216 282
Florida___________________ 3,966 4, 631 4 086 2 891 1 195 1 364
Georgia________________________ 6,285 8,847 8,016 5’ 994 2 022 2 625
Idaho..___________________ 1,347 1, 202 1 172 581 591 549
Illinois________________________________ 14,610 18,794 13,279 5,917 7,362 5,611
Indiana____________________ ______ 6,105 8,447 5 948 3 105 2 843 2 171
Iowa_____________ 4,803 7,309 4 907 3 157 1 750 1 387
Kansas______.________________________ 4,763 4; 816 3,913 2,567 L346 1,126
Kentucky__________ 5,920 6, 707 6 606 3 816 2 790 3 168
Louisiana__________ 5,344 5,407 5,162 3 755 1 407 1 533
Maine________ 1,802 2,456 2,107 833 1 274 1 147
Maryland_______________ . _ 3,437 4,090 2 230 1 388 • 842 858
Massachusetts_________________ 7,546 10,469 7,032 4,403 2 629 1 363
Michigan________ 10,042 10,934 7 869 4 474 3 395 2 678
Minnesota .. 5,386 6,884 4? 852 3 115 1, 737 1 902
Mississippi___ 5,359 5,947 5 009 3’ 266 1 743 1 405
Missouri ______ 8,640 10,570 7 029 5 368 1 661 1 954
Montana_____ 1,498 1,307 1,003 883 120 164
Nebraska____ 2,966 3 579 2 460 1 724 736 423
Nevada___________ 227 268 ’187 . 187 5
New Hampshire.. ____ 1,048 1,020 661 378 283 195
New Jersey_____ 7, 526 9 717 4 786 3 267 1 519 1 206
New Mexico 1,952 1 294 1 427 1 134 293 282
New York City- . 10, 555 16,850 10.062 A 080 3 982
New York (excludingNew York City). 10, 415 12,500 s; su '5; 179 3, 632 2 4,634
North Carolina________ 7,601 8,956 8,872 6 843 2 029 2 541
North Dakota.. 2, 640 1,793 1 353 1 100 253 381
Ohio_________ 10,318 14 729 10 282 6 870 3 412 3 812
Oklahoma________ . 5,711 7 224 6 456 3 466 2 990 3 109
Oregon______ 1,765 1’ 927 1 389 861 528 302
Pennsylvania. .. . 16,474 22,003 13 892 6 672 7 220 7 727
Rhode Island... 1,588 1,947 924 541 383 104
South Carolina________________ 4,696 6,135 3 384 2 648 736 1 050
South Dakota.. 3,039 1,634 1 238 963 275 486
Tennessee___ 7,013 8 923 7 031 5 929 1 102 1 370
Texas_________ 14,552 18? 902 15’ 330 11 011 4 319 4 684
Utah_________ 1, 662 1 615 1 079 807 272 372
Vermont______________________________ 576 ’640 '624 447 177 248
Virginia________ 6,002 7 439 5 347 4 138 1 209 1 506
Washington____ 3,852 3,940 3 202 2 249 953 690
West Virginia... 5,819 4,399 5* 187 2 741 2 446 3 057
Wisconsin___ 6,258 7 621 5 533 1 ’ 993 3 540 2 763
Wyoming________ 596 730 578 ’ 493 85 119
Alaska_______ 3 80 33 33
Hawaii______ 296 296
Puerto Rico____ 2,338 4,898 3,213 3 047 166
Virgin Islands____ 170 270 270
¹ June 1943 data not available; average based on previous months.
² Includes New York City.
³ Based on operation of the program for 5 months only.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 19 36-1943
255
Table 15.—Average monthly earnings of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work program, by resident status and by States, fiscal years 1940 and 1941
Fiscal year 1940 Fiscal year 1941
State or Territory Total In residence Not in Total In residence Not in
residence residence
Grand total---_______________ $15.80 $22.10 $15.15 $15.69 $21.83 $14.99
Alabama__________________________ 14.81 20.76 12.73 14.22 21.14 12.56
Arizona___________________________ 14.32 23.12 13.95 15.08 23.04 14.32
Arkansas_________________________ 13.12 18.67 10.91 11.62 18.43 11.00
California_________________________ 16.69 23.89 16.54 16.00 23.12 15.66
Colorado_________________________ 15.36 21.37 14.90 16.10 21.88 -----
Connecticut______________________ 17.31 25.05 17.04 16.25 22.48 16.01
Delaware_________________________ 14.14 14.14 14.19 14.19
District of Columbia______________ 15.62 15.34 15.62 15.18 15.18
Florida____________._______________ 12.32 25.04 11.35 12.72 22.37 11.57
Georgia_____________________/----- 15.44 25.74 12.07 15.00 23.37 12.49
Idaho_____________________________ 17.52 24.48 13.75 18.54 24.28 14.15
Illinois____________________________ 15.92 27.11 15.60 15.80 19.60 15.58
Indiana_______________-___________ 16.14 24.86 16.03 15.07 24.38 14.85
Iowa„____________________________ 14.78 26.97 14.68 15.20 23.01 15.07
Kansas___________________--- 13.72 18. 21 12.63 15.21 19.64 13.45
Kentucky--_______________________ 15.15 23.03 13.93 14.48 20.75 13. 36
Louisiana---- ________________..... 15.92 18. ® 13.30 15.14 19.97 .12.95
Maine____________________________ 22.59 38.47 15.53 22.12 32.36 17.25
Maryland------------------------ 13.99 22.64 13.60 13.74 25.39 13.63
Massachusetts____________________ 17.45 21.43 17.40 16.31 22.03 16.26
Michigan------------------------- 16.20 26.87 15.63 16.75 24.27 16.35
Minnesota.-..-------------------- 17.75 22.69 17.55 17.32 24.70 16.77
Mississippi_______________________ 13.40 19.12 11. 55 14.54 21.45 12.64
Missouri______________________---- 14.98 26.75 14.66 14.94 22.11 14.76
Montana_________________________ 16.21 21.48 15. 50 16.38 23.17 15.52
Nebraska_________________________ 15.25 22.62 14. 67 15.48 19.78 15.03
Nevada___________________________ 14.22 17. 00 14.15 14. 91 20.30 14.73
New Hampshire------------------ 18.05 23.92 16.30 16.28 19.41 14.92
New Jersey_______________________ 17.78 25.30 17.52 16.90 22.29 16.53
New Mexico---------------------- 16.30 23.68 14.53 14.83 23.85 14.47
New York City------------------- 20.99 27.17 20.99 18.65 30.63 18.64
New York (excluding New York
City)--------------------------- 16.73 26.18 16.23 16.95 26.12 16.31
North Carolina___________________ 14.40 24.14 13.44 15.19 23.05 14.24
North Dakota__________________ 15.57 24.85 13.57 17.88 25.58 14.82
Ohio.....------------------------- 16.59 22.80 16.36 15.37 22.10 15.08
Oklahoma________________________ 16.13 22.14 13.33 16.47 20.82 14.10
Oregon--------------------------- 16.35 22. 56 15.67 16.81 23.48 15.91
Pennsylvania_____________________ 16.74 24.74 16.56 16.89 24.29 16.62
Rhode Island_____---------------- 15.41 22.51 15.15 15.12 21.47 14.91
South Carolina------------------- 13.75 16.25 11.47 14.43 16.09 13.01
South Dakota____________________ 13.19 18.58 12.34 • 16.93 19. 82 15.83
Tennessee________________________ 12.75 21.80 11.38 13.52 23.46 12.33
Texas_____________________________ 15.41 22.30 14.14 14.64 20. 54 13.44
Utah_____________________________ 17.22 27.05 15.84 15.59 24.16 14.16
Vermont------______' -------- 15.47 4.47 15. 56 17.60 22. 43 16.71
Virginia__________________________ 14.59 22.64 13.90 15.07 24.67 14.03
Washington______________-_______ 16.71 23.33 16. 24 16.83 21. 53 16. 59
West Virginia_________________------ 15.26 28.16 13.54 16.78 28.38 14. 09
Wisconsin________________________ 17.00 25.65 16.48 17.04 23. 75 16.47
Wyoming_________________________ 14.00 --- 14.00 14. 69 14. 69
Alaska______________----J_________ 14.35 14.35
Puerto Rico______________________ 9.38 20.44 8.92 10. 55 23.13 8.11
Virgin Islands____________________ --- 10.18 23.68
256
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 16.—Av erage monthly earnings of youth employed on the NY A out-of-school work programs, by resident status and by States, fiscal year 1942
Regular program Youth work defense program
State or Territory Total In Not in Total In Not in
residence residence residence residence
Grand total---............. $15.99 . $21.20 $15.47 $17.58 $20.85 $16.32
Alabama._________________________ 15.29 21.23 13.90 17.54 22.22 14.30
Arizona--------------------------- 16.29 23.79 15.80 18.41 22.62 14.76
Arkansas_________________________ 13.85 20.15 13.24 13.90 22.81 13.66
California------------------------- 15.98 22.44 15.40 19.55 25.04 16.87
Colorado.------------------------- 16.36 20.91 15.61 15.55 17.79 15.14
Connecticut______________________ 15.66 20.63 15.56 12.80 9.71 17.15
Delaware_________________________ 16.00 16.00 15.74 15.74
District of Columbia-------------- 17.03 17.03 18.26 18.26
Florida___________________________ 14.78 23.28 13.43 16.56 21.25 13.02
Georgia--------------------.......- 16.45 22.01 14.68 19.18 22.31 14.26
Idaho_____________________________ 17.64 22.05 15.04 18.80 21.43 13.60
Illinois---------------------------- 16.19 21.06 15.96 16.57 21.24 15.62
Indiana--------------------------- 15.17 19.80 14.94 15.99 17.55 15.67
Iowa______________________________ 16.90 24.41 16.81 17.63 20.26 17.29
Kansas--------------------------- 15.75 18.07 15.06 18.08 19.87 16.43
Kentucky......... --- 15.93 20.38 15.21 14.80 18.49 14.06
Louisiana------------------------- 13.99 16.54 13.51 13.49 16.95 12.33
Maine________......-------------- 17.22 17.22 22.70 23.34 18.18
Maryland-----------------......... 13.96 22.37 13.96 15.07 10.54 16.31
Massachusetts____________________ 17.36 17.31 17.00 20.36 16.73
Michigan. ---------------------- 17.25 22.03 17.10 18.75 20.12 18.48
Minnesota________________________ 17.19 22.95 17.00 18.86 21.21 17.68
Mississippi_____________________ 14.98 17.47 14. 41 15.57 18.18 13.41
M issouri_________---------..... 14.22 22.67 13.74 15.67 27.22 15.02
Montana_________________________ 18.30 19.11 18.20 19.74 20.64 ' 17.51
Nebraska------------------------- 16.77 20.15 16.38 18.25 22.30 16.76
Nevada--------------------------- 15.91 15.91
New Hampshire------------------ 16.91 21.90 16.61 18.22 22.67 16.72
New Jersey.---------------------- 17.14 23.41 16.89 19.70 23.00 18.92
New Mexico______________________ 17.20 22.99 16.96 16.69 19.38 16.56
New York City___________________ 17.84 26.87 17.82 14.96 14.96
New York (excluding New York
City---------------------------- 15.93 24.63 15.22 19.76 25.93 19.05
North Carolina.._________________ 16.12 21.01 15.60 16.04 19.02 12.93
North Dakota____________________ 18.14 23.71 15.90 21.46 21.88 20.09
Ohio__________.---________________ 14.94 18.83 14.83 19.28 25.40 16.89
Oklahoma....____________________ 18.28 23.14 15.46 18.91 21.09 16.72
Oregon_______________________....... 14.94 21.40 14.31 16.66 19.79 14. 21
Pennsylvania--------------------- 17.63 17.13 17.65 19.90 22.31 19.23
Rhode Island_____________________ 13.87 13.87 13.35 17.44 12.64
South Carolina____________1______ 15.51 . 21.20 14.84 19.54 20.79 14.35
South Dakota-------------------- 18.07 20.91 17.35 21.66 22.70 20.95
Tennessee__________________(_______ 14.26 22.75 13.38 14.82 19.87 13.63
Texas_____________________________ 15.56 18.32 15.25 17.31 21.93 15.13
Utah______________________________ 16.29 20.76 15.38 17.12 20.93 16.01
Vermont__________________________ .. 19.14 20.26 19.10 20.24 23.39 15.02
Virginia,_________________________ 15.84 24.23 14.84 19.24 20.23 14.15
Washington______________________ 17.28 14.39 17.29 14.58 15.62 13.50
West Virginia..................... 15.94 23.13 15.46 18.31 19.96 17.34
Wisconsin_________________________ 17.31 23.97 16.79 19.08 22.68 18.33
Wyoming.________________________ 17.29 23.66 16.95 16.84 19.52 15.79
Alaska____________________________ 14.59 14.59
Hawaii___________________________ 18.07 18.07
Puerto Rico______________________ 12.99 25.83 12.19 19.03 19.03
Virgin Islands____________________, 12.62 26.93 9.21 ---
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
257
Table 17.—Average monthly earnings¹ of youth employed on the NY A out-of -school work program, by resident status and by States, fiscal year 1943 ²
War pro duction trainir ig program
State Total In residence Not in
residence
Grand total____________________________________________ $11.44 $6.40 $14.42
Alabama_______________________________________________________ 8.46 6.82 14.03
Arizona__________________________________________________________ 9.55 6.55 13.02
Arkansas_______________________________________________________ 9.90 5.03 11.99
California-«-------- - - - 9.37 5.20 14.52
Colorado________________________________________________________ 11.05 6.47 14.59
Connecticut____________________________________________________ 7.42 3.61 12.70
Delaware_______________________________________________________ 11.65 11.65
District of Columbia____________________________________________ 11.29 11.29
Florida_________________________________________________________ 8. 54 6.54 14.55
Georgia_________________________________________________________ 8.49 6.28 13.35
Idaho____________________________________________________________ 8.82 6.62 14.19
Illinois__________________________________________________________ 12. 85 6.75 13.78
Indiana_________________________________________________________ 12.18 5.46 14.03
Iowa_________________________________________________________ 13.24 6.03 14.58
Kansas_____________________________............................ 9.27 6.43 12.65
Kentucky_______________________._______________________________ 11.54 5.47 13.58
Louisiana_______________________________________________________ 10.17 5.66 11.97
Maine__________________________________________________________ 8.43 7.50 13.72
Maryland................___________________________________ 8.78 3.42 10.91
Massachusetts.................................................. 12.56 5.11 13.26
Michigan_______________________________________________________ 15.08 6.69 17.17
Minnesota._____________________________________________________ 10. 74 6.02 14.89
Mississippi______________________________________Ll_____________ 7.46 5.27 13.08
Missouri._______________________________________________________ 11.67 5.95 13.12
Montana_______________________________________________________ 8.81 6.66 15.05
Nebraska_______________________________________________________ 9.65 6.40 14.49
Nevada_________________________________________________________ 15.89 15.89
New Hampshire__________________:____________________.'_________ 11.86 6.33 15.28
New Jersey_____________________________.....___________________ 12.18 6.70 12.62
New Mexico____________________________________________________ 13.64 7.28 16.59
New York______________________________________________________ 3 14.07 3 7.59 » 14.95
North Carolina_________________________________________________ 9.12 6.95 14.18
North Dakota________________________________j_________________ 9.41 6. 21 15.61
Ohio____________________________________________T_______________ 14.05 10.94 15.39
Oklahoma______________________________________________________ 11.07 7.20 14.91
Oregon_________________________________________________________ 8.31 6.16 14.00
Pennsylvania______________1_____________________________________ 14.40 6.09 15.94
Rhode Island___________________________________________________ 12.22 5.51 12. 22
South Carolina_________________________________________________ 8.13 14.14
South Dakota__________________________________________________ 11.76 7.45 16.06
Tennessee______________________________________________________ 11.40 6.33 13.01
Texas_____________________________---.....,______________________ 10.00 6.35 13.81
Utah___________________________________________________________ 10.36 6.50 15. 78
Vermont________________________________________________________ 12.41 6.46 15.89
Virginia________________________________________________________ 8.11 6.50 14.71
Washington____________________________________________________ 5.88 3.89 14.61
West Virginia___________________________________________________ 11. 56 5. 92 14.94
W isconsin_______________________....______________,____________ 12. 22 6.04 15.11
Wyoming___________________;____________________________________ 10.03 6.01 14.44
¹ Represents net earnings of youth exclusive of the cost of subsistence services.
² June 1943 data not available; average based on previous months.
³ Includes New York City.
258
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 18.—Percentage distribution of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work program, by sex and by type of Project, fiscal years 1940 and 1941
Type of project Fiscal year 1940 Fiscal year 1941
Total Male Female Total Male Female
Total____________.______________________________ 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Roads, streets, and bridges__________________________ 4.6 8.2 . i 3.9 6.9
Improvement of grounds around public buildings. . _. 4.7 8.2 . 1 2.7 4.7 .2
Construction, repair, and remodeling of public build-
ings and facilities____________________________________ 10.6 18.6 .3 12.0 21. 2 3
Recreational facilities other than buildings_______ 8.0 14.1 . 2 5.4 9 5
Conservation, irrigation, and flood control____________ 2.0 3.5 . 1 1.8 3.2 1
Water and sanitation______________!_________________ .3 .6 (i) .4 6 (')
Workshop and other production projects . . 18.3 19. 4 16.8 30.6 33 0 27 ft
Resident projects________l. _ ____________ 10.5 9.7 11.4 10.3 10.7 9.8
Clerical assistance_____________________________________ 21.9 8.3 39.5 19.2 5.7 36.4
Research, statistical, and survey assistance___________ .1 . 1 . 1 . 1 .1 .2
Public health and hospital assistance_________________ 2.9 .9 5.4 4.0 .8 7.8
Library service____•_____________4__________________ 2.0 .4 4.0 1.2 $ 2 4
Arts and crafts.„ _______________________________ 1.6 1.4 1.9 1.4 1 3 1 5
Recreational assistance_________________________ 4.3 3.7 5.1 2 0 1 6 2 B
Nursery school assistance____________________________ 1.6 . 1 3.5 .8 . 1 1 8
School lunch and food preparation____________________ 1.3 . 1 2.8 4. 1 .4 8.8
Health projects_________________ . 1 rn 3
Home service__________________________________________ 3.4 .3 7.4
Projects not elsewhere classified_______________________ 1.9 2.4 1.3
1 Less than J4o of 1 percent.
Table 19.—Percentage distribution of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work programs, by sex and by type of work activity, fiscal year 1942
Regular program Youth work defense
Type of work activity program
Total Male Female Total Male Female
Grand total__________________________. _ _________ 100; 0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Construction activities, total__________________________ 21.5 53.4 .7 6.3 7.9 .3
Roads, streets, and bridges________________________ 2.1 5.2 (*) G) G) G)
Improvement of grounds around public buildings. 2.3 5.7 .1 .1 .2 G)
Building construction, total_______________________ 13.3 33.3 .4 5.3 6.6 .3
Farm shops and vocational buildings_________ 3.1 7.6 . 1
NYA shop buildings__________________________ 1.1 2.8 .1 2.7 3.4 .2
shop buildings)___________________________ _. 1.5 3.9 G) 2.1 2.7 G)
Other building construction___________________ 7.6 19.0 .2 .5 > 5 . i
Recreational facilities (excluding buildings)______ 1.6 4.0 . 1
Conservation activities________________________ _ 1.1 2.6 . 1
Water and sanitation_____________________________ .4 .9 (*)
Miscellaneous construction activities______________ . 7 1.7 G) .9 1.1 G)
Production activities, total____________________________ 34.5 36.8 33.0 93.7 92.1 99.7
Machine and metal working, total________________ 1.0 2.2 .1 56.8 62.4 35.6
Machine shop.______________________... .4 1.0 G) 26.4 28.9 17.1
Sheetmetal_____________________-_ .3 .6 .1 15.7 16.2 13.8
Welding....__________________________________ , 1 .3 G) 12.0 14.0 4.2
Foundry______________________________________ . 1 .1 G) 1.4 1.7 .3
Forge and blacksmith_________________________ . 1 .2 (’) 1.3 1.6 .2
Radio and electrical, total_________________________ . 7 1.4 .2 5.3 5.1 6.2
Radio_________________________________________ _ 5 1.0 .2 4.1 3.9 4.9
Electrical_____________________________________ . 2 .4 G) 1.2 1.2 1.3
Automotive and mechanical, total________________ 1.2 2.9 .1 7.4 9.0 1.3
Automotive maintenance and repair__________ 1.0 2.4 . 1 5.0 6.1 1.0
Farm implements and equipment_____________ . 1 .2 G) . 1 . 1
Aviation services_____________________________ 1 .3 G) 2.3 2.8 .3
Woodworking, total______________________________ 9.2 19.1 2.7 9.6 10.4 6.5.
Patternmaking____..._________________ . 2 .2 G) 1.4 1.6 .4
Joinery_______________________________________ 2 .5 .1 1.1 1.2 .8
Other woodworking___________________________ 8.8 18.4 2.6 7.1 7.6 5.3-
1 Less than one-tenth of 1 period.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
259
Table 19.—Percentage distribution of youth employed on the NY A out-of-school work programs, by sex and by type of work activity, fiscal year 1942—Continued
Regular program Youth work defense
Type of work activity program
Total Male Female Total Male Female
Production activities---Continued.
Sewing, total____________________________________ 13.4 .3 21.9 8.5 .2 39.9
Industrial_____________________________________ 3.3 .1 5.4 8.5 .2 39.9
Domestic__________{___________________________ 10.1 .2 16.5
Drafting and mapmaking_________________________ .4 .8 .2
Production of construction materials______________ .6 1.5 (0
Food production__________________________________ 2.5 1.6 3.1
Craft activities_______________________ ____________ .5 .2 .8
Graphic activities_________________________________ .7 .8 .8
Miscellaneous production, total___________________ 3.0 3.5 2.7
Industrial laundry____________________________ 1.0 .3 1.3
Industrial ceramics and enamelware__________ .1 .1 .1
Industrial weaving___________________________ .1 .1 .2
Other production activities___________________ 1.8 3.0 1.1
Shop maintenance and service activities__________ 1.3 2.5 .4 6.1 5.0 10.2
Professional and clerical activities, total_______________ 44.0 9.8 66.3
Clerical assistance________________________________ 26.5 4.7 40.6
Research, statistical, and survey assistance________ .3 .2 .4
Public health and hospital assistance, total_______ 7.5 1.2 11.7
Hospital attendants__________________________ 6.6 .9 10.3
Laboratory assistance________________________ .3 .2 .5
Public health and clinics_____________.*________ .6 .1 .9
Library service__________________________________ .8 .1 1.2
Recreational assistance________________________ ... .6 .5 .6
Nursery school assistance_________________________ .9 0) 1.5
School lunch and food service_____________________ 5.2 .9 8.1
Institutional service, n. e. c_______________________ .9 .8 1.0
Music-- . ... . _________________________________ .7 1.0 .5
Miscellaneous professional and clerical activities.. .6 .4 .7
¹ Less than one-tenth of 1 percent.
Table 20.—Percentage distribution of youth employed on the NYA out-of-school work program by sex and by type of work activity, fiscal year 1943
Type of work activity War production training program
Total Male Female
Grand total___________________________________________________
100.0 100.0 100.0
Shop activities, total________________________________________________ 96.4 99.6 92.5
Machine___________________________________________________ . - 31.4 34.0 28.3
Aircraft sheet metal_____________________________________________ 2.2 1.5 3.0
Other sheet metal_______________________________________________ 12.6 10.3 15.3
Arc welding____________________________________________________ 17.4 24.1 9.0
Gas welding____________________________________________________ 3.1 3.1 3.1
Aircraft welding _______________________________________________ .9 .7 1.0
Foundry_______.”_________________________________________________ 1.3 1.8 .5
Forge___________________________________________________________ .7 1.0 .2
Radio___________________________________________________________ 7.9 8.3 7.4
Electrical______________________________________________________ .7 .9 .5
Automotive mechanics_________________._______________________- 2.6 3.7 1.2
Aircraft mechanics________________________________________... 2.0 2.7 1.3
Aircraft engine mechanics_______________________________________ .7 1.1 .1
Pattemmaking_________________________________________________ .8 1.0 .6
Joinery ______________________________________________________ .3 .5 .2
Aircraft woodwork______________________________________________ 1.2 .7 ; 1.8
General woodwork______________________________________________ 3.4 2.6 4.5
Industrial sewing ______________________________________________ 6.0 . 1 . 13.3
Mechanical drafting____________________________________________ 1.1 1.1 1.1
Other shop activities_____________________________________________ .1 .4 .1
Clerical activities, total_____________________________________________ 3.4 .2 7.4
Other activities, total ______________________________________-______ .2 .2 .1
566597—14----------18
260
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 21.—Number of youth u>ho left the NYA out-of-school work program to accept jobs in private industries and public agencies by sex and by type of industry or employment, fiscal year 1941
Type of industry or employment Total Male Female
Grand total_______________________________________________________ _ 372,948 261,989 110, 959
Private and public employment, total_________________________________ 357,820 246,861 110,959
Private employment, total1______________________________________ 324,777 219,319 105,458
Manufacturing industries, total___________________________________ 82,625 55,970 26,655
Food and kindred products, and tobacco____________________ . 8,004 5,056 2,948
14, 853 6,093 8,760
Textile and textile products. _________________________________ 5,752 5,030 722
Lumber, furniture, and finished products___________________ 2,328 1,507 821
Paper and allied products____________________________________ 2,317 1,367 950
Printing, publishing, and allied industries____________________ 834 470 364
Rayon and allied products_____ ____________ 2,171 1,410 761
Chemical products (excluding rayon and allied products)_____ 724 557 167
Petroleum and coal products____________ ______ 1,495 896 599
Rubber products ./_______________________ 3,798 2,072 1,726
Leather and leather products________________________ 2,159 1,532 627
Stone, clay, and glass products_____________________________ 8,801 7,470 1,331
Iron and steel and their products (excluding machinery)______ 2,167 1,456 711
Nonferrous metals and their products (excluding machinery).. 5,218 3,226 1,992
Electrical machinery and equipment.. - ________ ___________ 886 740 146
Agricultural machinery and equipment- _____________________ 2,045 1,764 281
Metalworking machinery and equipment..- 3,185 2,651 534
Other machinery and equipment-.!____________ _ 4,244 3,988 256
Aircraft and parts___________________________ 3,165 2,626 539
Automobile and automobile equipment_______ 1,183 1,143 40
Ship and boat building and repairing_____________ 1,064 1,005 59
Railroad and other transportation equipment____________ 6,232 3,911 2,321
Other manufacturing industries_______J_______________________
Nonmanufacturing industries, total______________ 117,252 75,139 42,113
Agriculture, forestry (excluding logging) and fishing__________ 20,320 19,642 678
Mining, quarrying, and petroleum production____5.__________ 1,754 1, 715 39
Construction___________ _ __________ 10,195 9,793 402
Air transportation and service_________ 406 360 46
Railroads (interstate)_______________________ 3,362 3,263 99
Other transportation and services_________ 3,825 3,514 311
Telephone, telegraph, and related services____________________ 3,010 1,193 1,817
Electric, gas, and other local public utilities____________ 1,458 972 486
Wholesale and retail trader_____ 30,452 17,156 13,296
Finance, insurance and real estate.._ 4,020 755 3,265
Service industries (excluding domestic service)________________ 25,611 12,762 12,849
Domestic service_______ 8,062 1,054 7,008
0 ther nonmanufacturing industries... 4,777 2,960 1, 817
Unknown industries 1____________ 36,690
Public employment______________________________________________ 124,900 88,210 5,501
Military service, total___________________ 33,043 27,542
15,128 15,128
Selective Service_____________________ 5,810 5,810
Voluntary_______________________________ 9,318 9,318
1 Includes an estimated number of youth who left for unknown reasons.
FINAL REPORT, FISCAL YEARS 1936-1943
261
Table 22.—Number of youth who left the NYA out-of-school work programs ¹ to accept jobs in private industries and public agencies, by sex and by type of industry or employment, fiscal year 1942
Type of industry or employment Total Male Female
Grand total________________________________________________ .. 368,129 252,549 133,580
Private and public employment, total___________________________________ 370,786 237,443 133,343
341,567 219,883 121,684
Private employment, total2. _______________________________________ 101,363 68,412 32,951
Manufacturing industries, total______...____________________._______ 8,613 4,656 3,957
Food and kindred products, and tobacco________,____________... 15,436 3,651 11,785
Textile and textile products__________________________________. 4,420 3,651 769
Lumber, furniture, and finished lumber products_____________ 1,701 981 720
Paper and allied products_________________________________.. 2,174 1,044 1,130
480 191 289
Printing, publishing, and allied industries____________________ 1,953 1,205 748
Rayon and allied products... r____________________i___________ 883 731 152
Chemical products (excluding rayon and allied products)_____ 1,014 567 447
Petroleum and coal products__________________________________ 2,889 1,244 1,645
Rubber products . ._________________________________________ 1,739 1,151 588
9,054 7,964 1,090
Leather and leather products_________________________________ 3,316 2,756 560
Stone, clay, and glass products_________________________________ 4,565 3,131 1,434
Iron and steel and their products (excluding machinery)______ 530 456 74
Nonferrous metals and their products (excluding machinery) __ 5,161 4,747 414
Electrical machinery and equipment-..___________________;____ 4,988 4,198 790
Agricultural machinery and equipment_______________________ 12,664 10,320 2,344
Metalworking machinery and equipment_____________________ 2,000 1,601 399
Other machinery and equipment.. ____________________________ 8,619 8,461 158
Aircraft and parts______________ ..____________________________ 1,090 1.032 58
8,074 <674 3,400
Automobiles and automobile equipment______________________
Ship and boat building and repairing_________________________
Railroad and other transportation equipment_________________
Other manufacturing industries________________________________
Nonmanufacturing industries, total...____________________________ 113,259 64,333 48,926
Agriculture, forestry (excluding logging) and fishing___________ 19,716 18,638 1,078
Mining, quarrying, and petroleum production________________ 1,790 1,723 67
C onstruction________________________________________*.________ 8,066 7,633 433
583 517 66
Air transportation and service__________________________ 2,563 2,456 107
Railroads (interstate)...______________________________________ 2,684 2,307 377
Other transportation and services_____________________________ 3,038 1,080 1,958
Telephone, telegraph, and related services____________________ 1,531 985 546
Electric, gas and other local public utilities___________________ 29,768 13,484 16,284
Wholesale and retail trade ______________________________ 4,100 660 3,440
Finance, insurance, and real estate____________________________ 23,885 9,834 14,051
Service industries (excluding domestic service)________________ 7,798 894 6,904
Domestic service...___________________________________________ 7,737 4,122 3,615
Other nonmanufacturing industries____________________________
Unknown industries 2_____________________ _____________________ 126,945 87,138 39,807
Public employment___________________________________________________ 29,219 17,560 11,659
Military service, total____________________________________________________ 15,343 15,106 237
Selective service _____-______________-_____________-_______ - - 5,850 5,850
Voluntary __________________________________________________________ 9,493 9,256 237
i Includes the regular out-of-school work program and the youth work defense program.
* Includes an estimated number of youth who left for unknown reasons.
262
NATIONAL YOUTH ADMINISTRATION
Table 23.—Number of youth who left the NY A out-of-school work program to accept jobs in private industries and public agencies by sex and by type of industry or employment, July 1942 through May 1943
Type of industry or employment War production training
Total Male Female
Grand total_____________________ _
198,887 126,307 72,580
Private and public employment, total1____________ 179.056 106,808 72, 248
Manufacturing industries, total______________ 96,275 57,357 38,918
Direct war industries, total________________________________________ 78,172 50,341 27,831
Aircraft frames and engines____ 18,925 8,306 10, 619
Smelting and refining, steel works and rolling mills____________ 2,279 1,777 502
Brass, bronze, copper, aluminum, and other nonferrous
products__________________________ 1,318 899 419
Electrical machinery, apparatus, and supplies________________ 4,096 1,803 2,293
Foundry, machine shop, and other iron and steel products____ 11,007 7,609 3,398
Other machinery and equipment (excluding metalworking
machinery)__________________________________________ 2,532 1,914 618
Machine tools and accessories____________________ 3,830 2,427 1,403
Ordnance and accessories (including small arms, explosives,
and ammunition)__________________________ 5,998 2,845 3,153
Ship, boatbuilding, and navy yards___________________________ 26, 276 21, 622 4,654
Transport and combat vehicles____________________________ 1,314 924 390
Instruments, optical goods, and abrasives_____________________ 597 215 382
Indirect war industries, total...__________________________________ 18,103 7,016 11,087
Textile, rayon, leather, and allied products_____________________ 8,857 1,464 7,393
Petroleum, chemical, rubber, and coal products (excluding
explosives)________________________ 1,441 1.050 391
Food and kindred products____________________________ 2,678 1,400 1,278
Other manufacturing industries_______________________________ 5,127 3,102 2,025
Nonmanufacturing industries, total___________________________________ 36,062 20,661 15, 401
Agriculture (excluding forestry and fishing)___________________ 5.870 5,159 711
Construction__________________ . 2,141 2,050 91
Communication, transportation, and public utilities__________ 4,137 2.909 1,228
Wholesale and retail trade________________ 6,117 2,715 3,402
Service industries (including Government service n. e. c.) . . 12,573 4,963 7,610
Other nonmanufacturing industries___________ 5,224 2,865 2,359
Industry unknown 1.. J_____________..____________________________ 46,719 28,790 17,929
Military service, total.................................................... 19,831 19,499 332
Selective service___________________________________ 8,026 8,026
Voluntary______________ 11,805 11,473 332
¹ Includes an estimated number of youth who left to seek employment and for unknown reasons.
Index
Note.—This index is not intended to be exhaustive. For example, no attempt has been made to list all publications used as references, or each locality, county, and State used to illustrate operations. There is no detailed listing of the types of work performed by NYA students and project youth, except by broad work classifications.
A
Accidents, 229, 230.
Administrative costs, 28, 29. See also Labor costs and Nonlabor costs.
Administrative organization, 25-41. See also Student Work Program, 49-51; Out-of-Scbool Work Program, 91-99 and 195-205.
Advisory Commission to the Council on National Defense, 214.
Advocacy of overthrow of government prohibition, 53, 88.
Age: population statistics, 11-16, 21; eligibility of students, 49, 50, 52; eligibility of out-of-school, unemployed youth, 26, 29, 85, 89; distribution, students, 73; distribution, out-ofschool, unemployed youth, 120, 121, 122; school-leaving age, out-of-school, unemployed, 126, 127.
Allocation of funds. See Funds.
American Committee for German Refugees, 131.
American Federation of Labor, 105, 106.
American Medical Association, 223.
American Youth Commission, 44, 58.
American Youth Congress, 31.
Application, student work, 53, 58. See also Need of employment.
Apprenticeship, 4,18, 83,106; apprentice training, 231, 232.
Appropriations acts, 25-29, 85, 110, 111, 117, 213-215, 229.
Approval of projects, 91, 93,138,177.
Area offices, 38, 39.
Army posts, projects operated at, 94.
Assignment: Student work, 59, 60; projects, unemployed youth, 86-90; awaiting, 88, 89, 112.
Attendance status of students, 52.
Austria, 6, 7, 8, 84.
B
Baylor University, Waco, Tex., student work project, 61.
Bell Aircraft, Buffalo, N. Y., 189.
Bethlehem Shipyards, Bingham, Mass., 189.
Boeing Aircraft Co., Seattle, Wash., 206.
Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Mass., 190.
Boys. See Male youth.
Bradley Field Air Depot, Windsor Locks, Conn., 189.
Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N. Y., 190.
C
California Shipbuilding Corporation, Wilmington, Calif., 162.
California State survey of student work program, 79.
Camps. See Resident projects and Work camps.
Camps, unemployed young women, 92, 93, 177-179.
Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, Pa., scholarship of NYA students, 76.
Carnegie Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., 162. .
Catholic youth organizations, 3, 31.
Central State Teachers College, Stevens Point, Wis., 174.
Certification tb projects, 86-89. See also Need of employment and Family income.
Chaffey Junior College, Ontario, Calif., 62.
263
264
INDEX
Citizenship requirement, 53, 85, 88, 89, 209.
Civil Aeronautics Authority, 93, 94,138, 157.
Civil Air Patrol, 193.
Civil Service Retirement Act, 42.
Civil service status, 42.
Civilian Conservation Corps, 22, 23, 78, 233.
Clarkesville, Ga., resident project, 183. Classification of projects, 91, 92, 93, 94, 96.
College enrollments, 46.
College and graduate students, NY A, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 73.
Colleges and universities participating, 50, 64.
Colorado School Work Council survey, need of NYA students, 68.
Colorado State survey of student work program, 79.
Colorado State Advisory Council on student work, 79.
Committee for Catholic Refugees, 131. Committees: Executive committee, 26, 30; local advisory, 31, 38, 40, 41, 105, 131, 157, 158, 168, 187, 188, 194, 235; national advisory, 26, 30, 31, 64, 65, 105, 131; State advisory, 31, 39, 40, 65, 105, 227. See also Councils, student work program.
Communist Union of Youth, 6, 7. Compensation, 229, 230.
Congress of Industrial Organizations, 105, 106.
Cosponsors: Agencies, 38, 40, 91, 123, 130, 135, 136, 137, 138, 140, 143, 152, 153,155,163,165,172,173,181,184,186, 187, 194; contributions, 91, 96, 97, 98, 119, 234; supervision, 97, 98, 100,101, 119, 164, 170.
Counseling. See Guidance.
Councils, student work program: School work, 64, 78; college work, 65, 78.
Curtiss-Wright, Buffalo, N. Y., 190.
Coyne, John P., 107.
D
Dallas, Tex., school work project, 63.
Decentralization of administration, 32, 33, 34, 49, 234, 236.
Defense program, 20, 21, 28, 29, 94, 97, 100, 108, 111, 112, 115, 118, 119, 120, 133, 147, 156, 180, 189, 197, 199, 200, 202, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 234, 235.
Discrimination, 51, 82, 111, 190, 235. See also Negro youth.
Douglas Aircraft, Santa Monica, Calif., 190.
Duration of employment, project youth, 132, 133,149, 178, 198.
E
Earnings, 26, 27; students, 55-58 ; project youth, 87, 88, 113-118, 177, 186, 191.
Educational opportunities, equalization of, 43, 44, 48, 77, 78.
Educational status, project youth, 19, 44, 45. See also Age: distribution and school-leaving age.
El Capitan, N. Mex., resident project, 171.
Eligibility of educational institutions, student work program, 49.
Eligibility requirements: Students, 26, 52, 53; project youth, 26, 85-89. See also Age; Certification; Need of employment.
Elmira, N. Y., resident project, 183. Employer relations, 104, 105, 107, 108.
Employment, Division of, 32. See also Youth Personnel, Division of.
Employment status of NYA students’ parents, 72, 73.
Employment opportunities, 85, 89, 93, 112, 120, 121, 130, 131, 132, 133, 143, 149, 155, 163, 167, 169, 172, 207.
Employment, student work, 48, 53-56, 234; projects, 109-112, 122-124, 177, 180, 186, 188, 190, 234.
Emporia, Kansas, school work project, 63.
England, 6, 8.
Emergency Relief Appropriations Acts, 26-28, 32.
Executive Director, NYA, 30, 231.
Executive Orders, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 42, 48, 231.
F
Families of NYA students, employment status, 71; income, 53, 66-69; number in school, 70, 71; size, 69, 70.
INDEX
265
Family income, project youth, 86, 87, 89.
Farm Security Administration, 86.
Fascism, 2, 5, 6, 131, 233.
Federal Committee on Apprentice Training, 231, 232.
Federal Emergency Relief Administration, 47, 177, 185.
Female. See Women.
Finance and Statistics, Division of, 32, 33.
Federal Security Agency, 25, 27, 32, 34, 87, 113.
Foremen, NYA shops. See Supervision, projects.
Foremen’s training program, 99,101-104.
Frey, John P., 107.
Funds: Student work allotments, 50-52, 78; expenditures, 55, 82, 234; out-ofschool work program allocations, 91, 117; expenditures, 100, 118, 119, 234.
G
General Electric Co., Lynn, Mass., 190.
General Motors Corporation, Delco Radio Division, Kokomo, Ind., 162.
Germany, 2-5, 7, 8, 84, 233.
Girls. See Women.
Glenn L. Martin, Baltimore, Md., 189.
Grade distribution, NYA students, 74.
Guidance, 98, 129, 130, 188, 195-204, 209-211. See Personnel services, youth.
H
Handicapped youth, 129, 130, 151, 152, 161.
Health program, 85, 87, 217-226. See also Medical examinations; Medical services.
Hitler, 3, 4.
Hours of work, students, 57; project youth, 113-117,178, 216, 217.
I
Independent Pneumatic Tool Co., Chicago, Ill., 162.
Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., scholarship of NYA students, 77.
Induction training program, 101, 102, 103, 216.
Institutional participation, student work program, 48, 50, 64.
Institutional responsibilities, 50, 53, 57, 58, 59, 78.
International Student Service, 31.
Italy, 5, 6, 233.
J
Jewish youth organizations, 31.
Job-training program, project youths 101, 103.
K
Kenedy, Tex., school work project, 62.
L
Labor costs, projects, 99, 100, 116, 118,. 119.
Labor Division, 0PM, WPB, 214.
Labor relations, 104-108, 145, 146, 147..
Lincoln Institute, Lincoln Ridge, Ky., student work project, 62.
Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif., 162.
M
Male youth, unemployment statistics, 12-15, 21; NYA students, 55, 74; project youth, 109-112, 121, 122, 123, 124, 126, 127, 128, 129, 219, 220, 221, 222.
McArdle Institute, University of Wisconsin, Madison, college work project, 61.
McCall, Chester Hayden, 30.
Medical examinations, 165, 177, 179, 188, 191, 193, 197, 209, 210, 218-223,. 225 ; dental defects, 219 ; eye defects, 220; heart condition, 220; hookworm infection, 221 ; nose and throat, 220 ; tuberculosis, 220; venereal disease, 221 ; weight and nutritional condition,. 220; other diseases, 222.
Medical services, 94, 130, 177, 179, 188, 191, 193, 197, 217, 218, 222-224, 226.
Military reservations, projects at, 94. Military services, 14, 20, 21, 58, 95, 121, 133, 159.
Milliman, E. E., 107.
Murray, Ky., resident project, 183.
Mussolini, 5.
266
INDEX
N
National Administrator, NYA, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 56, 64, 85, 87, 90, 116, 141, 147, 152, 213, 214, 218, 219.
National Coordinating Committee for Aid to Refugees and Emigrants coming from Germany, 131.
National Council of Administrators, 214.
National Fascist Institute for Social Welfare, 5.
National Recovery Administration, 231. National Refugee Service Committee, 131.
National Resources Planning Board, 69, 78.
National Student Federation of America, 31.
Need of employment, students, 52, 66-72 ; project youth, 85-87, 89, 90.
Negro affairs, NYA director of, 32.
Negro youth: unemployment statistics, 13, 16, 17, 19; special college and graduate fund, 51, 52; students, 56, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75 ; examples of school work projects, 62, 63 ; project youth, 111, 112, 122, 124, 125, 126, 127, 129, 145, 146, 151, 152, 161, 174, 177, 178, 188, 190, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 229.
Negro school units constructed, 137.
Nepaug village, Conn., resident project, 183, 206.
New York City School Work Council, survey of need of NYA students, 68.
New workers, 10, 11, 14.
New York City Welfare Council, 19. Non-labor costs, 118, 119.
Non-resident projects, 135-176.
O
Oath of allegiance, 52, 89.
Objectives, program, 24, 48, 84.
Office of Administrator and Deputy Administrator, 32.
Office of Labor Relations, 33, 107.
Office of Production Management, 154, 214.
Office for Emergency Management, 214.
Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, , college work project, 61 ; survey of student work program, 80.
Opera Nazionale Balilla, 5. Operations, division of, 204. Other-than-white youth. See Negro youth.
P
Pan-American Airways, New York City, 190.
Parollees, youth, 90, 130.
Patterson Field, Fairfield, Ohio, 189.
Payson, Utah, school work project, 62. Penal institutions, 94.
Pennsylvania Bureau of Rehabilitation, 130.
Personnel, administrative practices, 33.
Personnel supervisors, 88, 95, 132. See also Personnel services, youth.
Personnel services, youth, 195-210. Petrillo, James G., 174.
Philadelphia Ordnance Plant, Philadelphia, Pa., 192.
Physical accomplishments. See production items, projects.
Placement in employment opportunities, 200, 201, 202, 205-210.
Poland, 6, 8.
Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N. H., 190.
Port Townsend, Wash., resident project, 183.
President of the U. S., 26, 27, 28, 30, 233.
Pressman, Lee, 30.
Princess Anne, Md., resident project, 183.
Private employment, acceptance of, 86, 87, 90, 133.
Production items: aircraft shops, 157, 159; arts and crafts, 171; auto mechanics, 161 ; camps for women, 178 ; conservation, 141, 142; construction, 136, 137, 138, 139; electrical shops, 160; foundries, 156; home economics, 167 ; library, 174, 175 ; machine shops, 157 ; metal shops, 155 ; museum, 175 ; radio shops, 159; recreational facilities, 228, 229; resident projects, 185, 186, 187, 190, 192, 193; school lunch, 168 ; sewing, 144, 145, 146 ; workshops, 149, 150, 153, 154.
INDEX
267
Project managers, 37, 90.
Projects discontinued, 95, 96.
Projects, examples of: aircraft shops, 157, 158; arts and crafts, 171, 172; auto mechanics, 161; ceramics, 173; conservation, 141, 142; construction, 137-139; library, 175; metal shops, 155 ; music, 174 ; radio shops, 159, 160 ; recreation, 227 ; research and subprofessional, 176 ; sewing, 143, 144, 145.
Projects, Federal expenditures, 97. Projects ineligible, 92, 94.
Projects, nonconstruction, 92, 95. See also, Projects, nonmanual.
Projects, nonmanual, 162-171.
Projects, origin of, 91.
Projects, planning and development of, 91-96, 135.
Projects, types operated: aircraft, airports and airways, aviation mechanics, 84, 93, 94, 96, 130, 136, 139, 148, 157,158,159,186 ; arts and crafts, 92, 95, 171, 172; auto mechanics, 94, 96, 99, 130, 148, 161, 185, 186, 189, 191; book repair, 92, 94; ceramics, 173; clerical and stenographic, 92, 95, 96, 98, 130, 163-165, 185, 191 ; community development, 91 ; conservation, 91, 92, 135, 136, 141-143; construction, 84, 91, 92, 95, 98, 99, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 185, 188, 230 ; electrical, 84, 94, 96, 99, 148, 160, 185, 186, 191 ; exhibits, 92; fine arts, 92, 174, 189; fingerprinting, 94; forge, 84, 94, 96, 09, 148, 154, 155; foundries, 84, 94, 96, 99, 148, 155, 156, 185, 191, 205; graphic, 95 ; home economics and home making, 92, 130, 167-170, 185, 230 ; hospital assistance, 93, 165-167 ; improvement of grounds, 91, 95, 189 ; joinery, 96, 153; lens grinding, 130; library services, 91, 92, 95, 98, 174, 175, 189 ; machine shops, 84, 94, 96, 99, 119, 130, 148, 149, 150, 156, 157, 185, 186, 187, 191, 205, 206; manual, 84, 135-162; mechanical drafting, 96, 130, 186, 189, 191; metal shops, 119, 154, 155 ; museum, 92, 175 ; music, 95, 173, 174 ; nursery schools, 92, 95, 168 ; patternmaking, 94, 96, 99, 148, 153, 156, 185; photography, 172, 189;
poster and silk screen painting, 172; radio, 84, 94, 96, 99, 130, 148, 151, 159, 160, 185, 186, 187, 191; recreational assistance and leadership, 84, 91, 92, 95, 170, 171, 189; recreational facilities, 92, 95, 136; research and survey, 91, 92, 95, 176; roads, streets, etc., 92, 95, 136; school lunch assistance, 92, 95, 168; seaplane landing bases, 93, 94, 139, 157; sewing, 92, 94, 95, 96, 99, 135, 143-146, 147, 148, 230; sheetmetal, 84, 94, 96, 99, 148, 150, 185-187, 205, 206; shoe repair, 161, 186; statistical and subprofessional, 84, 92, 176, 189; toymaking and repair, 92, 173; visual aids, 92, 173; vocational farm shops, 152, 153; welding, 94, 96, 99, 130, 148, 185-189, 191, 205, 206; woodworking, 84, 92, 94, 96, 99, 148, 153, 154, 186, 230; workshops, 92, 94, 96, 98, 99, 100, 111, 135, 146-150, 185, 186, 189, 191, 205, 206, 230.
Property and Procurement, Division of, 33.
Protestant youth organizations, 31.
Q
Quoddy resident project, 159, 179, 183, 184, 187-190, 224.
R
Rates of pay, hourly, project youth, 57, 113,115, 116.
Reasons for leaving projects, 132, 133. Reassignment of youth to projects, 86, 133.
Reclassification of project youth, 86, 87. Recreation services, 226-229. See also Projects, recreational assistance and leadership.
Reform institutions, 94, 130.
Refugee youth, 131.
Regional organization, 35, 37-39.
Related training, project youth, 141, 142, 144, 145, 147, 151, 155, 157, 158, 161, 164, 165, 166, 169, 178, 180, 181, 184,185,186,189,193,197, 200,210-217.
Relief requirements, 85, 86, 87.
Remington Arms Co., Bridgeport, Conn., 162.
268
INDEX
Resettlement Administration, 86.
Resident Centers, office of, 33.
Resident projects, 29, 92, 93, 94, 98, 100, 111, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 119, 120, 130, 153, 161, 166, 177-194, 206, 217, 224, 226, 227, 228, 229, 234.
Roche, Josephine, 30.
Rome Air Depot, Rome, N. Y., 189.
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, 23.
Rural youth, 16, 17, 31, 91, 92, 93, 94, 114, 122, 123, 127, 128, 129, 152, 153, 177, 179, 184, 185, 186, 194, 216, 219.
S
Safety, 91,182, 185, 188, 229, 230.
San Francisco, Calif., school work project, 63.
Scholarship of NYA students, 75, 76, 77.
Scholastic requirements of NYA students, 52.
School students, NYA, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 73.
Schools participating in student work program, 50.
¿Selection of project youth, 124, 125, 127.
Selection of students, 50.
Selection of project youth. See also Assignment; Certification; and Guidance.
Selective Service, 20, 21, 186.
Self-government, resident project youth, 182, 183, 186, 188, 194.
Separation from projects, 87, 89, 132, 133. See also Duration of employment
Shakopee, Minn., resident project 183, 185-187.
South Charleston, W. Va., resident project, 183, 190-194, 224. >
‘South Portland Shipyards, South Portland, Maine, 190.
State NYA offices, 36.
Studebaker, John W., 30.
Student work program, 26, 32, 43-82, 106, 230, 235, 236.
Supervision, projects, 37, 38, 39, 42, 86, 90, 97-104, 105, 119, 132, 164, 168, 193, 203, 204, 217, 235.
¿Supervisory training program, 100-104. ¿Surplus Commodities Corporation, 174.
Surveys, NYA programs: Students, 66-78; project youth, 120-133; construction projects, 137, 138; resident projects, 183.
Switzerland, 6, 7.
T
Taussig, Charles W., 30.
Termination of project employment. See Separation from projects.
Todd Bath Shipyards, Portland, Maine, ' 190.
Training-within-Industry, War Manpower Commission, 102.
Troy Engine and Machine Co., Troy, Pa., 162.
U
Unemployment statistics, 9, 10-17, 20, 21, 69.
Unemployment, parents of NYA students, 72.
Unemployed youth study, New York City, 19, 20.
Union of Soviet Republics, 6.
U. S. Army, 147, 151, 157, 183, 192, 193, 201; Air Corps, 157, 158; Corps of Engineers, 93; Medical Corps, 183; Quartermaster Corps, 183; Signal Corps, 159.
U. S. Civil Service Commission, 42.
U. S. Commissioner of Education, 213, 214.
U. S. Compensation Commission, 229, 230.
U. S. Department of Labor, 231, 232.
U. S. Employment Service, 86, 89, 90, 152, 194, 197, 198, 200, 201, 207, 208, 214.
U. S. Maritime Commission, 97,147,151, 155, 192, 193.
U. S. Navy Department, 97, 119, 147, 155,157, 190, 193, 201.
U. S. Office of Education, 164, 165, 181, 195, 197, 200, 210, 211, 213, 214, 215, 217, 225, 226.
U. S. Public Health Service, 195, 218, 219, 224.
U. S. Treasury Department, 33.
U. S. War Department, 94, 97, 115, 119. Universities. See Colleges.
INDEX
269
University of Colorado, Boulder, survey of school students, 68, 79.
University of Florida, Gainesville, scholarship survey, 77 ; student work survey, 81.
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 47.
University of Missouri, survey of student work program, 81.
University of North Dakota, scholarship of NYA students, 77.
University of Oregon, Eugene, scholarship of NYA students, 76.
University of Wisconsin, Madison, college work project, 61.
Upstream Engineering Conference, Washington, D. C., 141.
Urban youth, 16, 17, 18, 19, 122,123, 127, 128, 129.
w
Waco Public Schools, Waco, Tex, school work project, 61,
Wages, administrative personnel, 42; supervisors, 98, 99, 100. See also Earnings.
Wage regions, 114, 115.
Wage differentials, 114.
War Manpower Commission, 25, 29, 34, 35, 152, 154.
War Production Board, 95, 151, 214.
War production training program, 29, 35, 36, 37, 39, 89, 90, 96, 97, 99, 100, 108, 111, 112, 115, 119, 120, 133, 151, 153, 180, 181, 197, 205, 217.
Wassermann tests, 218.
Weiser, Ida., resident project, 183, 184, 185.
Williams, Aubrey, 26, 28, 32.
Williamsport Technical Institute, Williamsport, Pa., resident project, 130.
Wilson, M. L., 30.
Woll, Matthew, 107.
Women, unemployment statistics, 4, 6, 12, 13, 14, 15, 21 ; NYA students, 55, 74; project youth, 92, 109, 110, 111, 112, 121, 122, 123, 124, 126, 127, 128, 129, 143-146, 151, 152, 160, 164, 165, 167-170, 177-179, 180, 182, 184, 189, 190, 219, 220, 221, 222.
Woodstock, N. Y., resident project, 183.
Work activities, projects. See Classification of projects and Projects, types operated.
Works Camps, 3, 7, 8, 23. See also Camps, unemployed young women and Resident projects.
Work classification, project youth, 86, 87, 89, 113, 114, 115.
Work performance of students, 52, 58. Work performance requirement, project youth, 88.
Work experience, project youth, 88, 128, 129.
Work of NYA students, 50, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 78, 79, 80. 81.
Work of project youth. See Projects, types operated.
Work Projects, Division of, 32, 33.
Works Progress Administration (WPA), 25, 26, 27, 28, 32, 36, 37, 72, 73, 85, 86, 87, 113, 116, 137, 138, 168, 171, 173, 174, 178, 186, 195, 196, 204, 210, 229.
Y
Young Fascist organization, 5.
Youth centers. See resident projects.
Youth Personnel, Division of; 32, 87, 203, 204. See also Personnel services, youth.
Z
Zander, Arnold S., 107.