Evening star., 1933-01-17
SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Of 1888 STUDIED
Monday Evening Club Takes
Up "Human Challenge" at
Annual Dinner.
"washinston's Human Challenge for

"Washington's Human Challenge for
1898" was laid before the thirty seventh
annual dinner of the Monday Evening
Club last night at the Y. w. c. A. by
speakers who stressed the urgent need
for relief, and predicted that there
would be much greater need both here
and throughout the country during 1888
than any year in the history of the
United States. The trend towards in
creased use Of public funds was dis
cussed.
Indications that a change in the Re-
construction Finance Corporation act
will be asked to permit loans to the
District Of Columbia came IN message
from Arthur Moses, president of the
Travellers Aid Society OF the District
of Columbia.
Various phases OF the challenge
were discussed by Elwood Street. toast
master; L. A. Halbert, supervisor of
Emergency Relief Division of the Board
Of Public Welfare: Dorsey w. Hyde.
secretary of the Washington Chamber Of
Commerce; Allan T. Burns of New
York, director Of the Association of
Community Chests; Or. John A. Ryan
Of Catholic University. and Leifur Mag
nusSon.
Deplores Present Law.
In his message to the dinner, read by
the toastmaster, Mr.. Moses deplored
the fact that under present law loans
could not be made to this city for
emergency relief Congress will be
asked he said, to change the law to
authorize the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation to make loans to this
efk ur,yy,i io1, xr-i11 from
taxation" Declaring that the word
"repres ,ntative" was a 'misnomer," Mr..
Moses discussed the opportunities for
obtaining such legislation. 1T is our
solen- duty" he declared "to see that
no man, woman or child shall suffer
starvation in the District of Columbia"
He referred to large sums being paid
out to soldiers of the World War for
: disabilities not due to war service, and
TO the fact that Herbert Hoover in
1921 raised $15,0o00o0 for feeding the
suffering people of the Near East. Out
of the challenge" and this citys efforts
to meet the relief need here, Mr.. Moses
predicted, would come finer. more
generous and greater spirit OF citizen
ship"
From the viewpoint of the Associa-
tion of Community Chests. Mr.. Burns
brought to Washington the message that
the country is turning from private
subscriptions to public funds for support
of emergency relief.
The relief problem here in Washing
ton has not yet reached the severe pro-
portions it has elsewhere, Mr.. Burns
said. Out in the rest of the country
figures show that relief now is times
what it was in 1929. while here IN
Washington. he said. your figures show
that relief has increased between four
and five times only"
Huge Increase Feared.
Declaring that relief for the country
has doubled itself each year since the
depression. Mr.. Burns said there were
some who were pi edicting that it would
double itself again in 1888, to become 16
times as great as it was in 1929.
.Some of us question whether there
will be resources to meet such an in
crease" he said. I'VE are not sure how
much it viii be, but it VIII be
enormous"
resources of people In difficulties
ere becoming exhausted" said Mr.
Burns. explaining that families first use
up their credit, then their savings, then
loans from families and friends, then
e:acrifice movable possessions. ana
finally fall upon "the tender mercies OF
public relief"
Gas the fourth year Of depression
drags on" predicted the speaker, more
and more OF our fellow men are going
70 come for relief. We are going TO
have a tremendously larger load than
this country has ever had before. :.
Tracing the amount OF relief obtained
from public funds, as distinguished
from private subscriptions, the speaker
At,n% 3,. fhn 1n10llnT
of relief from public treasures was ~
per cent of the total. In 1880, he said.
due to increase in private contributions,
the proportion from public funds de-
creased to SIS per cent; in 1881 II came
back to about rs per cent; in OCTOBER
of 1881. it had reached 78 per cent. and
by October of 1882, it had reached 81
per cent.
Should Stimulate Gifts.
The cities doing the best job" Mr.
Burns declared, were those Wnlcn were
meeting their whole emergency relief
load out of public funds" The general
idea to be followed in legislation ap-
propriating public funds, however. the
speaker warned, should be to stimulate,
and not to discourage, private contrlbu-
tions, and appropriations by lesser
political divisions. For instance, ne ex-
planned. the New York State law makes
its State funds available to communi-
ties which have already raised sub
stantial fund of their own.
Finding fault with the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation legislation on this
score, Mr.. Burns said that only one
State had appropriated relief funds
since enactment of the r. F. c. law.
He predicted it would be changed to
permit loans only to those States which
have appropriated out OF their own
resources first.
The peak OF private giving was
reached in January. 1882, the speaker
: said, although statistics from the Gov
ernment show that incomes had begun
to decrease substantially long before
that
Declaring he would not recommend
specifically how the District Of Columbia
sl1ould work out its complex legislative
problem of relief, the speaker recon-
: nlended wider use Of public funds here
IN the District last year, he said, only
70 per cent came from public funds
here, or nearly two-t thirds behind the
rest OF the country. This was largely
= because the relief load here was not sc
great, the speaker said, adding but
5 Just as sure as your load increases vii
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