Evening star., 1932-04-11
NEED Of S60O,O()O
FOR CAPITAL IDLE
DECLARED URGENT
Relief Agencies Face Closing
Unless Congress 0. KS
Appropriation.
MASS MEETING CALLS
FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION
Chamber, Trade Board and Other
Civic Groups Urged to Make
Concerted Plea.

of municipal funds Of Washington for
unemployment relief, or social agencies
now aiding the jobless will be forced
to close their doors this Summer, lead
ing relief workers warned yesterday at
a mass meeting in the United States
Chamber of Commerce Building
The speakers urged united action in
seeking The passage by Congress of the
S600,000 appropriation requested by the
District Commissioners and approved
by President Hoover. The Washington
Board of Trade, Chamber of Commerce
and other civic organizations were asked
to join in the plea for Government
funds. which would be diverted from
the proposed Municipal Center develop
ment to relieve the unemployment Situ-
alton described as a great disaster"
DR.. Frederick w. Perkins, president
of the Council of Social Agencies, who,
with Leifur MagnuSSon of the Monday
Evening Club acted as co-chairman of
the meeting. stressed the fact that
Washington is one of the few cities in
the country which thus far has not
expended municipal funds for uneni-
plOyment relief.
Resources Exhausted.
"Soon or late. the time must come
IIldl TIE municipality Oh washington
will be obliged to take its share of this
community burden" said DR.. Perkins
"Ours is not a cry of despair, nor is it
a failure on the part of the Community
Chest; but this unprecedented situation
must be met with municipal funds
Private agencies have exhausted their
resources"
DR.. Perkins explained that the pro-
posed bill before Congress fer the ap-
preparation of funds to be administered
by the Board of Public Welfare was
completely disentangled from the mat !
ter Of Federal appropriation for the
unemployed"
The initiative in this case was clearly !
up to the President" he continued, |
land happily and very fortunately he |
cid take the initiative by approving the /
request Of. the Commissioners.
And. also, he clearly distinguished |
the difference between Federal aid for
the unemployed throughout the country
and municipal aid for the District of
Columbia"
Letters expressing approval of the
proposed APPROPRIATION from Chairman
Capper CT the Senate District Commit
tee, Chairman Nortonof the House Dis
trict Committee. Fred C. Croxton of
the Presidents Organization on IN
enjoyment Relief, and Commissioner
Luther H. Reichelderfer, chairman of
the Board of Commissioners, were read I
to the meeting by DR.. Perkins.
Appeal by DIR. O'Grady.
Dr.. John O'Grady of the Catholic
Charities made a stirring appeal for |
action by Congress
1t is the basic responsibility of gov
eminent to care for the poor and suf-
fpTlTCg' he aScprfpd s'JVp naOT1nf
nit them to starve so long as We have ,
wealth available.
1T is surprising the extent TO which !
our legislators have failed to realize the
needs of the starving Hunger and |
cold are very real things, and we have |
no right to live Mxuriously while mil /
lions of people are starving.
In the District of Columbia we pride |
ourselves on our beautiful buildings; !
we pride ourselves on our material de- !
velopment; but 1, for one would be !
buildings in order to supply the funda |
mentals of life to the millions in need |
What is the Board of Trade doing
ana the Chamber of Commerce-are |
they not interested in cur problems? |
Can we not band them all together in Z
order to relieve suffering?
I'VE are appealing to the only Gov |
ernment that can bring us relief-the |
Congress of the United States"
UffOrd Outlines Needs.
Walter S. Ufford, general secretary |
of the Associated Charities the next !
speaker, began by saying:
Il. am here to speak for those who !
cannot speak for themselves. I simply
want to outline our needs"
He then declared that despite the
passing of Winter. the Associated Chari- |
ties will spend more in April than it
did in March, when we spent more
than in February" The organizations
bills in March were 100 per cent more
than for the same month last year, he
disclosed.
without this 100000 appropriation
we shall have to close our doors in the
middle of July or by the first Of Au-
gust" Ufford said.
What is the danger in regard to
this appropriation" he asked AS I
see it. the principal danger is that the
bill will not carry-that 1t may be
caught in the last-minute jam before
adjournment of Congress, or that 1t
may be held up because of disagree
ment over the tax measure
Mrs. Charles A. Goldsmith, spokes
man for the United Hebrew Relief So
ciety. declared she thought the people
of Washington have done their share
in contributing to the Community
Chest" and now it was up to Congress
10 appropriate some Of the Districts
money for relief purposes. She dis
closed that for the first three months OF
this year her organization spent l40
per cent more for relief than for the
corresponding period last year.
Maj. Jemes Asher Of the Salvation
Army said his outfit cared for 96 per
cent more persons at - increase in cost
of ia per cent over lasc year During
the first three months CT thiG year. he
said, the Salvation Army took IL l0.T70
men, and" he added they were all
individual men; not the seme, MN
counted over and over again
Others Join Plea.
"Unless this appropriation is made
he concluded, "the Salvation Army will
be forced to draw down its blinds. An
ever-increasing number OF applicants
for aid are evident. and the funds TO
grant them relief are fast becoming
smaller Additional funds are the only
hope We have to enable us to continue
our work"
Other speakers included Paul l.. Ben
jamin, executive secretary Of the Com
mittee on Employment, who voiced ap-
proyal OF the appropriation; F. G.
Frazier. departm mt commander of the
American Legion. who urged that the
Legion's "job-a-hlock" campaign be put
in effect; l. Ge:aci, secretary OF the
local Journeymen Tailors Union. who
said his organization supported the
movement. and Miss Mary Henaughan,
who urged that married women whose
husbands have Jobs be excluded from