Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-11
CENTRAL CONTROL
Of WELFARE WORK
|SASKED IN HOUSE
ZihIman Introduces Bill Pro-
viding for Board of
Nine in District.
WOULD ABOLISH THREE
EXISTING ORGANIZATIONS
Measure Urged by Commissioners
Believed Certain to Receive
Favorable Action.

Favorable Action.
At the request of the District Com
mIsSionerS, Chairman Zihlman of the
/ House District committee today intro
duced the bill to provide for appoint
ment and organzat of the board of
: public welfare in and for the District
of Columbia. With the creation of
! this board the Board of Charities.
| created by act of Congress June s,
1900; the Board of Childrens Guard
| lans created 10y act of Congress July
20. 1882, and the board of trustees of
the National framing School for Girls,
created under the name of the Reform
School for Girls by act of Congress
! July 9, 1888, would be abolished
This is one of the major measures
| affecting the National Capital on which
Congress is expected to take favorable
action during the present session
The District Commissioners are par
: ticularly urgent that this measure
should receive immediate attention
| from the House District committee as
soon as it organizes next week.
Commissioners Urge Change.
! In letter to Chairman Zihlman to-
I day, Commissioner Rudolph. presiden MT
! of the board. said THE Commissioners
| have for long time felt the necessity
! for a centralized control of matters
| affecting public welfare conditions in
/ the District Of Columbia and they ap-
! pointed a commission consisting of
! representative citizens of the District
! to make study of the existing laws
! nlbljc welfare and rerprnmaD nd
such legislation as might be necessary
! to improve the existing conditions.
! This commission has given most
! careful attention to the proposed leg
| islation. 1t has granted hearings to
all those interested in the problem
and has made a careful study of the
/ whole subject. In this study ii has
! had the assistance of a representative
! of the Russell Sage Foundation.
i There are a large number of insti-
J tution5 supported by public funds
/ which are subject TO various types of
control. In some cases single insti
| tuition is under the supervision of as
many as three boards. This situation
! is unbusinesslfke and undesirable
! from every point of view, Commits.
| sioner Rudolph emphas sized.
Consolidation Is Urged
"The tendency of the times is toward
| consolidation of agents and unified con-
/ troll thereof, both in the interest of eff
| cheney and economy" the Commits
| soner said.
| In the bill as drafted the three
| boards-the Board of Charities, the
! Board of Children's Guardians and the
! board of trustees of the National
| Training School for Girls-are abol-
ished, and the duties of these boards
are co-ordinated and committed to the
| proposed board of public welfare.
This board is to consist of nine
! persons to be appointed by the Com
| missioners for terms of six years:
| appointments being made in such
manner that the terms of three mem
| bers will expire every two years. The
| powers of the board are the same
as the powers now exercised by the
| three boards proposed to he abol-
! ished, except that the new board has
| complete and exclusive control of the
| institutions enumerated instead of
/ the somewhat limited supervision of
the present Board of Charities.
Only One New Employe.
Commissioner Rudolph pointed out
| that there are various boards in the
District, the members of which are
in certain cases appointed by the Pres
| ident and in other cases by the Com
missioners.
The bill provides for only one new
employe, the director Of public well
| fare, who is to be the chief eXecu-
tive of the board and who is to be
appointed by the Commissioners on
| the nomination of the board.
No persons now employed under
existing laws are to be legfslated out
of employment.
The following institutions are placed
under control of the board The
workhouse, reformatory, Washington
ASYLUM and Jail, tuberculosis Hos
pital, Home for the Aged and Infirm,
Industrial Home School, Industrial
Home School for Colored Children,
Municipal Lodging House, National
Training School for Girls, Home and
Training School for Feeble Minded
and Gallinger Municipal Hospital.
AS the present Board of Charities
and the board of trustees of the Ma
tional Training School for Girls are
appointed by the President, under the
| provisions of existing law, the Com
! missioners submitted to the President
| the question as to whether the trans
! fer of the appointing power to them
! was agreeable to him. In his reply
| the President stated that he was will
! ing to accept the decision of the Con-
! gress in the matter.
Chairman Zihlman has received
from the District Commissioners a
memorandum of statutory citations
| and explanatory comment, prepared
| bv the Commission on public well
| fare legislation, which it is believed
! will he useful to the committee in
reaching a complete understanding of
! each section of the bill and the
| changes proposed to be made in ex-
; listing law.
THE Commissioners hope that this
! important measure will receive the
! early attention of Congress-" said
! Commissioner Rudolph today.