5 t
of eligible manpower from the local community or when funds
M became available.
The WPA functioned on four basic administrative levels:
the central administration in Washington, DC; the regional
offices; the state administrations; and the district offices.
This organization was maintained throughout the life of the
WPA. (See appendix H for a diagram of the line of adminis-
trative and technical authority.)
The central administration had the responsibility for
determining WPA policies, and for regulating all WPA
. activities in compliance with federal laws and regulations.
Due to the wide variation between laws and customs of the
states and local communities with which the WPA.had to deal,
much or the responsibility of the central administration was
delegated to the state administrations.
The regional offices directed and coordinated the programs
in the states of each region in accordance with policies and
regulations prescribed by the central administration. The
number of regions, states in those regions, and location of
the regional office varied throughout the eight years of the
WPA. _
Each state administration was responsible for the general
, administration of the WPA program within the state, including
guidance of potential sponsors, public relations, and the
securing of federal approval and funding for specific projects.
State administrations generally were co-terminous with state
boundaries, however, New York State, New York City, Northern
and Southern California were all given state designations to
ease the burden of administration.
The district office was responsible for the direct
management of project operations and related activities such
\ as assigning certified workers to projects, timekeeping,
scheduling the initiation and completion of projects, and
cooperating with local sponsors in all phases of program
operations. The number of districts and the territory they
i incompassed were frequently altered to better conform to the
ability of the state administration to meet the needs of the
people. Temporary area offices were sometimes opened in the
i districts to administrate more effectively.
Regulatory responsibilities of the central administration
I were distributed among various divisions and sections.
Originally there were five divisions. These were reorganized
to four in 1936, seven in 1940, and by 1943 there were eleven
divisions in the central administration. Not all of the
i divisions of the central administration existed on the state
level and those that were varied periodically in name and
number. The following divisions operated on the state level
at some time during the eight years of the WPA. (A more detailed