The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-05-25
AFTER HOME BOARD
Harry Payne Says Help Has Been De nied His Children Although
 Called For By Law.
Editor Norwalk Hour.

Editor Norwalk Hour. Sir:-
 Would ask our law makers and people Of Connecticut through the Nofwalk Hour, why the executive committee of the Soldiers Hospital board should withhol state aid from my children. Under Section 2,s7o of the general statutes as amended by chapter IS public acts of 1909, ap- proved May 8. 1918. my children were clearly entitled to state aid.
 Some time last January a state ment was published in the Bridgeport Farmer asking theN Soldiers Hospital board to explain some of their moves in the aid matter but nothing doing. The writer has asked the board for a hearing-have written them at diff ferent times during the last year while a member of the Fitch Home, but there was nothing doing. Finally word was sent that there was no ap- propriation for chudren's aid.
 There was appro opriated for the use of the Hospital board for the two years ending September 30, 1913: General appropriation, approved May IS. 1911, $26O, 900.
 Received from all other sources, $14,231.75.
 Deficiency appropriation, approved April 3, 1913, $3,50O.
 Returned to, state treasurer, S1,- e84.61.
 Here is the round up, $27T783.75.
 Statement from the Soldiers TIos- pitaI board that there is no appro- priation for c1ildren's aid-bit aid was promised the mother under the same law that aids the children and. must be paid in the same way. How did the board round up the cash to pay for the mothers aid? If there was no appropriation why did the board return to the state treasurer $1,9S4.61, while children that the state has provided for went hungry? The law in regard to state aid reads: .'such amount shall be paid to the 1 board by the comptroller in the same way and upon the same form of re- 1 question the general bills Of the said Soldiers Hospital board" What was this appropriation of I $2T7,73o.75 for, if not for the general bills. including all state aid, as the I law directs.
 We notice a lot of discretion grant,
 ed to the Soldiers Hospital board un- der the aid law. This is O. K; but l when a man or a lot of men working for the state take a notion to let their work run counter to the wish of the 1 people as clearly expressed through our law makers then it is about time 1 to round up what is called discretion, etc.
 When, the Hospital board granted my wife aid they admitted the l fact that there was an appropriation to coveR payment for that aids thsy at the same time admitted a fact that 1 my children were equally entitled to l aid under the same law. When the 1 board advised the writer that, there
 was no appropriation to aid children
 he made what was evidently to them 1 a false statement.
 1 The writer has furnished evidence that the board required to show inc real need of state aid;< it has been made clear to the board that the father is and has been a cripple for almost two years; that a son is also q cripple and has been helpless for five Tor six years; that there was two chill dren under sixteen years; that there was no income except a fathers pen sion of $16 a month,
 l HARRY PAYNE.
 Late of Go. Fl, End Connecticut reg iment