Evening star., 1926-11-07
WELFARE BOARD
BEGINS PAYMENTS
Subcommittee of Three
Makes Careful Study of
All Applications.

With a desire to give Washington
the best possible administration of its
new law for the home care Of depend
ent children. the Board Of Public Wei
fare is going thoroughly into all fac
tors arising in connection with de-
cisions as TO whom allowances should
be paid and the amounts that should
be allotted in each case.
The first checks are being mailed
from the District Building this month.
marking the advent of a system under
which deserving mothers will be able
to keep their little. ones under pa.
rental care in their own homes when
they are left widowed or otherwise
reduced to circumstances in which it
would be necessary to put the chill
dren in an institution unless financial
assistance was obtainable.
While the extending of such aid has
been in operation for some time in
various States, it is an innovation in
the District and the Welfare Board
is proceeding with the utmost care in
laying down the principles by which
1t will be guided in administering the
act.
Each Case Stands Alone.
For example, the board is not start
Ing out upon this new phase OF social
welfare by fixing in advap&e long
q yardstick in passing upc0 the ap-
pIications for aid George S. Wilson.
director of public welfare and vet
eran in his field of endeavor, says
that experienced social workers have
learned that in seeking to preserve
family life each case should be con-
sidered upon it's merits and all cir
cumstances taken into consideration.
''Of course" Mr.. Wilson explained.
&c. M .f
kinds are decided, those decisions will
serve as precedents for similar cases
in future, and in that way certain
definite principles will gradually come
into being"
The board will not attempt TO set
up non-fiexible schedule Of allowing
so many dollars a month for each
child. On the contrary. it will work
out family budget for each case that
comes before it. All necessary ex-
penses. such as rent, food and cloth
ing, will be listed, and the board will
set up beside those items any income
or resources the mother may have to
start with. The extent to which these
resources fall short Of making ends
meet would be granted as an allow
ance from the municipality.
Home Purchase Case Cited
To illustrate the point that each ap-
plication must be weighed on ajts mer
it's. Mr.. Wilson said that one of the
first cases presented the question of
what should be done for a widow with
children whose husband was buying
home when he died.
The special committee of the board
created to administer the law inquired
into the value of the home. considered
the amount of remaining Indebtedness
and decided, as a general rule, that if
the monthly payment on the house
was not out Of proportion to what the
mother would have to pay for rented
quarters, an allowance would be made.
With limited appropriation to go
on, another basic question that arises
In administering such a law is this:
When appeals for aid exceed the
available fund, should the board at
tempt to give a small sum to every
mother applying. or give full and
adequate relief to the most deserv-
ing cases?
II is understood that officials of the
Welfare Board have been advised by
the private social organizations of the
city that they would rather see the