Evening star., 1932-10-18
The Relief Emergency.

UC ACllSl AhASA
The report from the Committee en-
Emergency Relief of the Board OF Pubic
Welfare. di cussing local conditions
ALREADY resulting from and threatened
bv the unemployment situation and
lack of adequate funds with which TO
deal with those conditi rs. is probably
without precedent in the District OF
Of Columbia And rs the committee
points out. there must be re crt TO un-
precedented action and extraordinary
me- hods to meet the emergency. Such
action will be discussed this week
BY the Commissioners.
In the meantime, while present con-
diti1ns are more important than past
history. it is enlightenlng to review very
briefly the elements that constitute the
present problem.
Last Winter the President proposed,
anu the Commissioners and the Bu-
reau of the Budget Endorsed, an emer-
eencv appropriation of 100000 from
local revenues to supplement the re-
lief expenditures of the Community
Chest. The Community Chest agencies,
here as in every other city OF the
United States. were finding that the
money contributed voluntarily was in
sufficient and appropriation OF public
funds was necessary. A group OF the
communitys leading social and welfare
workers outlined the need of this ap-
preparation before the House Subcom
mittee on District Appropriations.
These spokesmen for organized welfare
work were heckled in orthodox fashion
by members of the committee, who
crassly demonstrated that they were
not so much interested in the plight Of
helpless men and women in the Dis
trict as they were concerned over
whether their constituents at home
would confuse the emergency appro-
pristion from local funds with a Fed
eral dole The House committee re-
fused the appropriation, adding insult
to injury by reporting that:
The committee is of the opinion that
those interested in this item did not
Justify the present need of the pro-
posed appropriation. which was sup
ported to a large degree by the paid
employees of several of the sixty-five
organizations that participate in the
funds collected by the Community
Chest A cursory examination OF the
expenditures of the Community Chest
and some of the siXty-five organiza-
tions indicates that a considerable por-
ton of the funds is being expended to
pay employees of the Community Chest
and the sixty-hve participating organ
tzations.
The Senate restored the 100000 item,
but in conference it was reduced to
$35O,00O. The Committee on Emer-
Rency Relief has just reported that by
exercising the most rigid economy
which amounts to actual denial to ap-
plicants of what ordinarily would be
considered the bare essentials Of living.
the balance of the fund can be made to
last through December. But unless
there is substantial addition to the
fund
During the next six months there
VIII pt III w dSllIlIS IOLi SdoSS Va OcotAlueS.
homeless and hopeless families, and the
Special Committee believes there may
actually be deaths by starvation.
On top Of this depletion of public
funds, the Community Chest funds have
run so low that President E. c. Graham
q month ago reported an unparalleled
emergency then existing. The most
drastic economies in Chest administra-
ton have failed to prevent a deficit.
Salaries have been cut and budget re-
Quirements. already reduced, have been
reduced again. 1t is to be remembered
that the Community Chest agencies
bear the lions share OF relief work.
Public funds are not used in lieu OF
Crest funds, but merely to supplement
Chest funds The Community Chest
must be and will be replenished in the
forthcoming annual appeal for funds.
But it is obvious that the Chest cannot
carry the burden alone and there must
be additional and substantial appro-
priations from public funds,
Congress does not convene until De-
cembcr What the Commissioners pro-
pose in the 1884 budget, to b- sub-
mitted then. is not information that is
shared with the local taxpayers, But,
unfortunately, the problem now con-
Germs the current fiscal year as well as
the next fiscal year. The threatened
eviction of large numbers of dependent
tenants. because of the forced curtail-
ment in this type of assistance by the
eoard of Public Welfare, in part con-
stitutes the immediate emergency The
Commissioners, in all probability, will
demand deficiency and supplemental
appropriations as soon as Congress
meets Their meeting with the Com
mittee on Emergency Relief later in the
week should not end without adoption
of some program for dealing with the
conditions apt to arise before Congress
assemblies.
The old gangsters who remain safe
in prison will probably agree that in