Evening star., 1932-05-13
WIDOWS AND ORPHANS PAY!
FOR WELFARE "SAVINCS"
House Maximum Allowance SIS Monthly,
Regardless of Family Size-Loss of $780,
900 Relief Fund Threatens Suffering.

This is the sirth OF series of
articles on the District OF Columbia
appropriation bill for 1888 as passed
by the House.
ARTICLE NO. 6.
TINE House. in its speedy DISPOSE
+, tion Of the 1888 District appro-
priation bill, attached to it a
i legislative rider putting a rigid
limitation of SIS a month on
the amount paid to any one family for
home care of dependent children
provision that is destined to work a Sc
we're hardship on scores of mothers with
large families who are absolutely at the
mercy of charity.
And by its action the House ignored
completely the theory of the Districts s
model mothers pension law of providing
adequate care in their homes of chill
dren whose mothers are without suffi-
cient means of support.
The legislative rider was added to the
bill apparently without consideration Of
its probable effect on the helpless poor.
The House Committee on Appropria-
tions, in its report to the House. said
it believed pension in excess of SIS
mOntn 10 De excessive"
The committee had heard testimony
furnished by officials of the Board of
Public Welfare showing that there are
1s families receiving $100 or more a
month and that some families had re-
ceived as high as $133 a month. The
welfare authorities pointed out. however.
that the amount of the pension was
determined by the size of the family.
and in those few cases where the relief
exceeded 500 month there were six,
seven and eight children In the family.
Records of the Board of Public Wei
fare show there are 174 families re-
ceiving the benefit of home care. SO
Of whom get $50 a month or more.
The remainder receive allowances rang
ing from $40 to $50 a month.
Large Families the Victims.
The 63 families now getting $50 a
month or more are the ones who will
be most seriously affected by the leg
islative rider. And these are the fam
lilies, according to welfare officials, who
are least able to take the cut-mothers
with five, six and seven children. all
under Is years of age with an allow
anc Of SIS month to support them.
In its dispensation of the home care
fund. the Board of Public Welfare has
no fixed schedule to follow. Each case
is adjudicated individually on its own
merits. The number Of children in
family, and income from other sources,
are primary factors in determining the
amount Of the pension. Expenditures
for rent and food also are taken into
consideration. These items, however.
are not always the same since rentals
vary. But a budget is made up and
against that is set out the income.
The saving" which the House ex-
pected to result from the $75 limita-
ton, totaling 1920, is the amount it
slashed from the Board of Public We'll
fares estimates for home care of de-
pendent children. As the appropria-
ton bill went to the Senate, it carried
$153 ,280 for this important charity, the
same amount as appropriated for the
current fiscal year, the idea of the
House apparently being that the in
!, crease sought for 1888 would be alb
sorbed by the reduced allowances to
mothers now receiving in excess of SIS.
Increasing Demand Anticipated.
Increase in the number of appeals for
home care is anticipated by the Board
of Public Welfare officials in 1888. due
to the existing economic situation.
This was indicated in the boards esti-
mates when it asked for sll, $40 more
than appropriated for the current fiscal
year. Efforts are being made to have
the Senate kill the legislative rider and
restore the $11 $40 cut out by the House.
The biggest welfare item ignored in
the bill was the emergency $500, 900
appropriation recommended by the
President, the Budget Bureau and the
Commission for Employment Relief.
This fund was denied despite a graphic
picture Of its urgent need presented by
leaders of private. charitable and welfare
agencies, who we're summoned to testify
| as to the need.
The Associated Charities alone point
ed out that all funds allotted the
organization by the Community Chest
will be exhausted sometime in July, and
pointed to the possibility of more than
5000 destitute families now under its
care being put on the street and their
homes broken up, unless public aid Is
provided.
Representatives of these private agen-
cies pointed out that Washington is one
of the few cities that have no public ap-
preparation for relief Of the poor in
their own homes. Cities like New York,
Philadelphia and Baltimore, which,
before the depression. relied on private
benevolence, now are finding it neces-
sary to draw upon the public purse to
meet a critical situation.
With the proposed 5000, 900 employ
ment relief appropriation, the private
agencies declared they would be re-
lieved in part of the tremendously in
creased burden resulting from unem-
ployment, thus being able more ade-
quately to care for the families who
would even in normal times be without
resources, largely on account of sick
ness, desertion Of wage earners, old age
or other reasons.
The House, however, refused to make
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