Evening star., 1932-05-13

the appropriation, chiefly on the ground
that: Employment conditions in the
District of Columbia are better than
in any other comparable city by reason
of the fact that the main industry of
the District is Federal Government
business and the net decrease of Gov
ernment employed personnel in the
District has been very slight" The
House also pointed to the fact that the
Community Chest fund is greater this
year than last. ignoring the more i'm
portant fact that the demands have
increased in far greater proportion
than the available funds.
Is Not a Federal Dole"
While there appears to have been
some confusion in the minds of mem
bers Of the House between the appro-
priation of this 100000 for the relief
of unemployment in Washington and
the appropriation of Federal funds for
the relief of unemployment throughout
the Nation, this latter appropriation
having been defeated in Congress and
consistently opposed not only by admin
istration but by Democratic leaders as
savoring of the dole" it has from the
first been emphasized that there is
very distinct difference between the two
proposals.
AS previously mentioned in this article.
nearly every large city in the Nation
has had to resort to the appropriation
Of public funds to augment funds
raised by private charity in dealing with
suffering and distress resulting from
unemployment and other forms of eco
nomic depression. From the beginning
the leaders in Congress have made it
plain that the use of local public funds
is not opposed; the point emphasized
has been that each locality should care
for its problems. without asking aid
from the Federal Government.
In Washington, Of course, the Fed
eral Government. through the National
Legislature, has the sole power of ap-
propriating local money. Proponents Of
the s600,000 relief fund-and these in
clude President Hoover. who sent the
proposal to Congress-have pointed out
that In this case Congress is being asked
to appropriate the relief funds from
local revenues, and thus to take the
part of the City Council or the State
Legislature that III other communities
would make the appropriation. 1t is
not Federal money that is being asked,
but money raised from local revenues.
Congress is not being asked to commit
itself to national policy, but merely
to fulfill its responsibilities to Wash
ington as the local Legislature or City
Council.
Major cuts made by the House in the
Board of Public Welfare estimates were
largely for maintenance of institutions
under its jurisdiction. These cuts were
predicated on the decline in prices for
food and clothing, and smaller appro-
priation would work no hardship on the
institutions. But the House overlooked,
in most of these instances, the fact that
the reduction in food and clothing
prices had been taken into consideration
in the preparation Of the estimates,
which were further trimmed by the
Budget Bureau for the same reason
The net result Is that rigid economy
will have to be practiced, especially with
respect to food, clothing and comfort
of the inmates condition which off,
cials of the Board of Public Welfare
declare will have a tendency to make
more difficult the maintaining of
discipline.
Outstanding among the cuts In the
maintenance items were $4,000 for the
Receiving Home for Children, $4,000
for the Workhouse and Reformatory,
$500 for the District Training School,
and $4,000 for the Home for the Aged
and Infirm
Another serious condition confronting
the Board Of Public Welfare is due to
the failure Of the House to make finan-
cial provision for an increase Of 70
inmates at the Industrial Home for Col
ored Children July /.
Seventy boys now quartered in pri-
vate institutions are to be transferred
to the home In July when two new
buildings there are completed, and yet
the House cut $500 from the main
tenance item instead Of making an
allowance for the increase.
The House also. in order to save sala-
ries, denied a request for three of the
six additional attendants the Board Of
Public Welfare declares are needed at
the institution to care for the incre-
ment.