Note: The following is one of a series of articles looking at events in the formation of Bulloch County.
Part I
The U.S. Government's Executive Branch's own Office of Government Reports' Statistical Section (OGR) prepared the “Federal Security Agency, Civilian Conservation Agency Report” in 1939.
The section entitled “Georgia: Volume 2, Part 3, Federal Security Agency, Civilian Conservation Agency” revealed one of President FDR's first “New Deal” programs was the Civilian Conservation Corps.
On March 31, 1933, Congress passed the Reforestation Relief Act, followed by the Emergency Conservation Work Act, passed in April of 1933. This was followed by the Civilian Conservation Corps Act of June 28, 1937.
The Civilian Conservation Corps opened camps all over America for men between the ages of 17 and 25. FDR appointed Robert Felcher as director of the corps.
Unemployment in the U.S. had reached 14 million, one-quarter of the nation's work force. By enrolling in the corps, these out-of-work young men were paid $1 a day.
They also "received what many enrollees called "three hots and a flop" (three hot meals and a place to sleep at night), while working fighting forest fires, planting trees, creating trails, and building state and national parks.
The Bulloch Times - Statesboro News - Statesboro Eagle issue for May 31, 1934 contained an article entitled "Work is Offered Limited Number. Bulloch County is Given Enlarged Quota for Employment in CCC camps."
A letter to Dr H.F. Arundel, in charge of the registration work in Bulloch County, stated: "This is (to announce) the new enrollment of veterans in the Civilian Conservation Corps which is now scheduled for July 1, 1934.
“This enrollment replaces veterans whose full period of enrollment expires June 30, 1934. The original quota for Georgia was only 600, and based on this figure, a quota of five was assigned to your county.
“However, our records indicate your county is short of its original allotment. The call for replacements on July 1, 1934 will exceed 300, and we would like to bring all counties that are now short, up to their full quota.”
Under the War, Interior, Agriculture, and Labor Departments, the civilian corps restored the nation's coastlines. From 1934 to 1937, the corps also created programs for 8,500 women.
A separate division of the corps was created, known as the Indian Emergency Conservation Work Division, which quickly went to work on the nation's Indian reservations after hiring 7,835 Native Americans.
However, a lot of the older tradesmen who took jobs working for the camp management had problems getting these paid.
Enter Homer C. Parker, Georgia's First District congressman, received a letter from J.W. Griner (August 23, 1933). It stated "Dear Sir, I (am) asking your assistance in the matter of truck hire to the CCC camp here."
Griner continued, "We will have soon completed our second month of service without remuneration, which is hard (as) there is a certain amount of outlay in expense daily."
What's more, "The scale of $4 per day for truck and driver, gas, oil, and upkeep is not in keeping with the scale of wages paid in other departments."
A corps camp that opened in the Brooklet area on June 20, 1933 also had problems with payment of contractors at the camps.
Therefore, Congressman Parker wrote to Director Robert Fechner on Oct. 7, 1933 that a “Mr. C.E. Smith has been driving his truck for the CCC camp at Brooklet, Bulloch County, Ga. since July."
Unfortunately, "up to this time he has not received anything in payments for the services for the truck and driver. He states that the government owes him $124."
Sir, "as I have written you before regarding this delay there is general dissatisfaction, (and) my people are badly in need of the money due them, and I am most anxious that they be given relief without any further delay."
Roger Allen is a local lover of history who provides a brief look each week at the area's past. E-mail him at rwasr1953@gmail.com.