Evening star., 1932-04-18
Paul L. Benjamin Submits
Plea for Appropriation
to Help Needy.
CITES HOOVER REQUEST
FOR 100000 ITEM
Statement to Be Placed Before
Committee on Employment 1t
Meeting Wednesday.


for relief work, misery and distress will
march through the Capital City of the
country the Bicentennial year." it was
declared today by Paul L. Benjamin
former secretary of the District Com
mittee on Employment, in a statement
to be placed before the Steering Com
mittee of that organization at its reg
ular meeting next Wednesday.
1t was at the suggestion of the Com
mittee on Employment that the Com
missioners and President Hoover ap-
proved of a request to Congress for an
Appropriation Of 5000 900 for unemploy-
ment relief during the coming fiscal
year. In the appropriation bill for the
District as passed by the House, how
sver, the 100000 item was omitted.
Makes Parting Statement.
Mr.. Benjamin has returned to his
duties as executive secretary Of the
Social Hygiene Society, but sent his
statement to all members of the Com
nittee on Employment. because, as he
wrote. Il have felt that I would be
derelict in my responsibility to this
committee and also to the unemployed
men and women of our city if I did
not make this final statement in re-
y
The statement in full reads:
Unless additional funds are forth
coming from District appropriation
or some other source, the public work
relief program of the District of Co
lumbia Committee for Employment
for residents of Washington will cease
May l. When it is realized that March
l the committee had employed about
$500 men and women on staggered
basis tevery other week. the tragic
consequences of the situation can be
realized
THE number of unemployed who ap-
piled to the committee for work has
been 6,823. If the children in the
families are included, about $4,000 in
diyiduals have been involved. a study
OF 3,083 of those who applied for work
(names taken at random) showed that
42 per cent were white and SO per cent
colored. In view Of the impression that
1t has been largely the unskilled group
which has been out of work. it is
significant that less than half al per
cent? of the males were laborers. Some
% per cent were skilled workmen, such
as carpenters, mechanics, plumbers and
SO forth. There is also a considerable
number of clerical workers and white
collar workers in the ranks of the
unemployed.
Number on Increase.
''The Associated Charities states that
the decrease in the work of the COM
mittee has already materially increased
the numbers of those applying for as
sistance. thus indicating that they have
not been absorbed into the industrial
ranks. The Associated Charities now
declares that their funds will be ex-
hausted by Midsummer This will mean
that those formerly given work by the
committee will have no place to turn
for the barest necessities of life. Our
city council the United States Con-
gress, will have adjourned No matter
how intense the suffering and dire
all other American cities of legislative
relief will have passed.
Indeed, SO far as I am informed,
Washington is the only large city in
which private giving has been expected
to meet wide-scale unemployment. If it
had not been for the Community Chest
and its member agencies, which have
risen to the task splendidly, there would
have been the spectacle in the Capital
City Of stark suffering this past Winter.
This service was made possible through
the generous outpouring of gifts from
those in all walks of life Now the bur-
den becomes too great for private giving
to carry further.
"Other cities have shown the way
Recent studies made by the Russell Sage
Foundation indicate that over 70 per
cent of all relief funds in large cities in
the United States come from public
sources. Not one cent aside from Moth
q h0 hon Ntril I'D u
ington.
Hoover Asked S600.OOO.
President Hoover and the Commits
sioners of the District have asked Con-
greSs TO appropriate $600,000 for the re-
lief OF the unemployed. 1t was provided
In this request that no more than
100000 OF this amount should be used
for administrative purposes The citi-
zens of the District. through their va
rious organizations, have urged this ap-
preparation. These include Federation
of Citizens Associations. the Monday
Evening Club. the Washington Fedora
tion of Churches. 1t is imperative that
Congress, as the city council of the
District heed the wishes of its con-
stituents.
IF public funds are not placed at
the disposal of the Commissioners
misery and distress will march through
the Capital City Of the country this
Bicentennial year.
In a rather exhaustive study which
made this past Winter Of the effects
of the depression on family life (set
the Annals for March, 1882 l came
to the conclusion that like soaring
irons, the degradation, the sheer feal
and panic which loss of jobs brings, the
deprivation and the bitterness have
eaten into mems souls. Children have
lost that sense of security which is the
essential need of every child. Mother:
have faced grim want with hungry chill
dren hanging about their skirts. Young
wives and husbands have Launched
their marriages in leaky boats. Who CAL
predict, in conSeg;SAioe, s. how many
ports of divorce they will land? Yea
years hence, we shall be paying th'
price, in stupendous social costs, for t1'
folly and stupidity of letting men q
hungry in land Of plenty.
II have felt that I would be derelic
in my responsibility TO this COMMITTEES
and also to the unemployed men ant
women of our city If I did not mak'
this final statement IN resigntng a!
your executive secretary"
Director Wilson's View.
George S. Wilson, director Of publi
welfare, said today that he could no
predict what effect the failure to ap
propriate the 5000 900 would have ol
the load now being carried by tn
boards institutions.
"As a matter of fact" he said, "w
can pretty nearly always state tina
welfare appropriations are not enough
to take care of the needs, and yet w
manage to get along somehow. tn
failure of this appropriation would no
affect any of my institutions directly
but 1t might affect some of them indi
eActly. We would probably feel 1t b,