Evening star., 1932-04-18
us. C|T|ESFORCED
TOAD SUFFERING
Capital Among Last to Ask
Public Funds to Meet
Emergency.

Supplementing funds for private
charity with public funds has been
adopted by the great majority of
American cities.
Washington, as a matter of fact, is
among the last of the large cities of
the country to bow to necessity and
ask for municipal revenues to aid in
citizens, according to reports Of Fed
eral bureaus.
While large municipalities, with the
exception of New Orleans, San Fran
cisco and a few others, have been
leaning more and more on public
agencies for relief funds, Washington
has been able to meet every emergency
up to the present with private money.
Total Rises Sharply.
A chart prepared by the Children's
Bureau Of the Department of Labor
shows clearly the increased demand
during the current depression for pub
lie aid. Whereas expenditures from
public departments remained fairly
constant during the first half of 1929,
there was sharp upward curve in the
Fall and Winter of that year, and a
skyrocketing ascent during the Winter
OF l930-31. Expenditures of private
funds also rose during those periods,
but not to the degree recorded by
public contributions
Leading all municipalities of the
United States in public relief was De-
troit, with an appropriation in 1881 of
$5,776,345 of taxpayers money, as COM
pared with private donations totaling
$7l,475
Thus Detroits relief fund was almost
100 per cent public money. Among
ether cities with large governmental
appropriations for relief are Spring.
field, Mass, and Newark, N, j., with "a
per cent each Gin 1890; Grand Rapids
and Buffalo, with 80 per cent each
O930); Grand Rapids and Buffalo,
with 50 per cent each 1880; Wichita,
with II per cent 1880; Akron, with II
per cent 1880; Columbus, 50 per cent
G930); st. Paul, 60 per cent 1880
Denver, SO per cent 1880, and New
Haven, 49 per cent.
At the lower end Of the public relief
scale in 1880 were, in addition to the
cities mentioned as being in the 100 per
cent private relief group. Cleveland,
with per cent of public appropria-
tions; Dayton, with 10 per cent; Louis
vile, is per cent, and Cincinnati and
Canton, with 19 per cent each.
According to Glenn Steele Of the
Children's Bureau, 1t has been found
that the major portion of the expense
OF caring for families IN want Is paid
out of public funds.
"A comparison of relief given by
public and private agencies, based on
returns from rs of 100 cities" Mr..
Steele said in report on cost of family
relief in 1929 and 1890, shows that
~ per cent of the amount given in
1880 came from the public treasury,
as compared with go per cent in 1929.
This indicates that the public bore an
even larger share of the burden in
1880, when costs were greater, than In
the previous year.
"A comparison of the percentages Of
increase in public and private expendi-
lures for relief is more striking. Al
though the exigencies of 1880 taxed
the resources OF private agencies to the
utmost and in their rally to meet the
need 48 per cent more money was
raised and disbursed in 1880 than in
1929, the public departments extended
their 1880 relief grants to sum 146
per cent greater than that given In the
preceding year.
Heavy Burden Shown.
To illustrate the extraordinary in
crease in family relief operations In 100
tCPA CoCA1Odt4tC N4SACo ONC1 GAIC
period, 1929-30, Mr.. Steele prepared q
chart showing the acute curve. The
usual upward sweep of relief as Winter
approaches is observed for both years,
but the curve for 1880 shows a much
sharper ascent than that for 1929, ans
eliminates in a December peak repre-.
senting an expenditure of more than
$6,500,000, as compared to the Decem-
Der, 1929, peak of slightly over s2,-
100000.
1t is the unprecedented demand for
relief in the District Of Columbia this
year that led President Hoover to ask
Congress for a special appropriation Of
100000 from local funds for unem-
plovment and other relief.
Inc F-Cz-Saa[-+ acted with the advice
OF local welfare authorities, who are
confronted with 100 per cent increase
n demands for relief.
In refusing the appropriation, the
House Appropriations Committee took
the view that Washington's private
agencies could care for suffering this
year because the Community Chest
fund is about 100000 more for 1892
than for 1881. Private agencies men,
bers of the Chest may have to curtail
their work drastically, and some may
have to close down, unless relief is
forthcoming from public municipal
funds.