Evening star., 1928-02-12
BY BEN McKELWAY.

When the enormously termed
Mothers pension act" was passed
about year and half ago. 1t is prob
able that one public reaction TO this
legislation could be expressed SubStan-
TALLY as follows:
Now We have law to take care OF
the widowed mothers. Well. that's fine!
Everybody feels sorry for them and the
Government ought to do something
about 1t. 1t will take a big job of cur
hands. anyway But what will the
charitable organizations find to do
now? They won't have much work
left"
The year and half of experience in
the administration Of the lay for
Home Care for Dependent Children"
pendent mothers-is interesting and
perhaps enlightening. The effect OF the
law on the demands upon organized
charity, for instance, has been just
what social workers expected that 1t
would be. But it has been TO increase.
rather than decrease, the volume OF
their work. The money spent In relief
work by the Associated Charities. for
instance, has increased 20 per cent III
the last two years and Is still on the
upgrade. All Of this cannot De traced
to the enactment OF the law Tor nome
care Of dependent children. Mucn OF II
Is due TO growth OF the city ana tne
naturally enlarging field In charltanie
work which accompanies sucn grown
But as for the laws lessening the oe-
nands unon organized charity, ex-.
actjv the reverse has been demonstrated
in every community which has a Ia"
cnnnarable to the one In effect mere
The law cares for a certain class OF oe-
pendents. but at the same tlme I.'
workings uncover many others VINO oo
not come within this class, ana tneSe
are thrown upon organized charity
81 + +
The fundamental principle underly-
irg the Districts law for the nome care
of dependent children is stated IN tne
title OF the Law. 1t Is TO proVloe cilh-
dren. who because OF poverty aloLe
might be denied the privileged atHoo-
phere Of the home and family: WIN 'ile
funds that will enable them 70 I'VE AZ
home Naturally. the Law draws some
sharn distinctions. The mother or
puardian of the children: for instance.
must be a proper person to have Gus
todv of the child The home IN ques-
ton must be a satisfactory place lor
the training and rearing OF the cniio
It is easily understood, therefore. tnaI
while there may be hundreds OF motn-
ers with dependent children VINO mus
rely upon outside support or else sur
render their children TO lnStltutlona
care, they cannot. for various reasons
come within the purview Of this law
Many of them who have sought its aio
have been found disqualified for one
reason or another and have been re-
ferred to the charitable organizations
| and these cannot turn them down. Un'
| der the law the District is now caring
| for some liz families. including about
397 children. The number Is not sta
| tionary however. and at one time there
| have been as high as $50 families undei
! the care of the Board OF Public Welfare
which administers the act. Only in hal
| q dozen cases or so has this aid beer
| discontinued excep. for adequate in.
| come becoming available, which auto.
matically removes the families from tht
care of the board. In one or two in.
stances mothers have died. There ART
now 562 applications for aid pending
before the board. compared 70 the IL:
| families receiving support. These ap
| plications are constantly under review
and as fast as they can be granted cr;
acted upon. the emergent cases receivin;
first attention
|
For the present fiscal year an appro
| priation OF S9S.3 1903 was made for hom'
| care Of the dependent children. Ther,
we're suggestions that beginning July
when ths money became available. q:
many families would be taken unde,
care of the board as this money. ex.
pended at the rate Of about $1,000 :
month. would permit. But this obvi
ouSly would be an unwtse policy.
would allow for no new cases TO be con
sidered. except those TO replace fami
lies removed from the jurisdiction of thc