Evening star., 1933-12-18
Allen Sets Relief Machinery in
Motion at Once as Sur.
vey Fixes Need.
CAFETERIAS IN SCHOOLS
PROVIDE FOOD FOR $50
Situation Found Worse Than Year
Ago in Quick Study of Pu-
pills Plight.

Four thousand elementary and
cational school pupils are in need of
free hot lunches this year, DR.. Frank
W, BallOu, superintendent Of schools,
advised Commissioner George E. Allen
early this afternoon DR.. Ballou rec
commended immediate steps for the
feeding of these children by public re-
lief agencies.
The reports made by field officers to
DR.. Ballou showed that actually there
are 3,783 elementary school children in
need and 213 vocational school students
IN the same straits, bringing the total
to 4,001 children who ought to receive
lunches at public expense A tabula-
ton of the reports was contained in
DR.. Sallou's letter to Commissioner
Allen.
Commissioner Allen, after conferring
with DR.. Ballou this morning, directed
George S. Wilson, director of public
welfare, and Leroy A. Halbert, emer-
gency relief director. to prepare definite
plans for the feeding of needy school
children and to estimate the cost of
such program.
Commissioner Alien said if the studies
of these two officials and the data sub
mitted by DR.. Ballou showed the prob
lem too great to be handled by private
pIllldElLITOply me DlSLrleC WOuIQ nave
to meet the situation.
He said that he would confer with
officials of the Federal Emergency Re
lief Administration to determine how
| and what funds might be used for
program OF giving free lunches to school
children whose parents are financially
unable to care for them adequately.
Besides the vocation and elementary
school pupils Dr.. Ballou advised the
Commissioners that 46 teachers COL
lege students. z8l senior high school
pupils and 553 junior high school pu-
plls are in need OF lunches also. These
$50 students, however, are being cared
Tor by their school cafeterias.
Need Exceeds Last Year.
"The problem which presents itself. ="
Dr- Ba1lou advised the Commissioner in
his letter, at once has to do with
the elementary school pupils. The eyi-
dence shows that whereas last year
1883 elementary pupils were fed largely
| from private funds. the need this year
Is much greater than last In the judg-
ment of the superintendent, steps should
| be taken at once to provide hot lunches
Tor 1000 elementary and vocational
| school children through relief agencies.
Attention is invited to the fact that
| the above figures are subject to revi-
sion downward on more complete in
quiry concerning individual pupils. They
are subject. likewise, to revision upward
because of additional pupils being re-
Vea!ed who need hot lunches. or in case
social and economic conditions in the
MONIES IN Washington should become
more critical"
In conclusion, DR.. Ballou expressed
his appreciation of Commissioner Aliens
a ha1r fri
! very pressing social problem" and as
Sllred the Commissioner of the school
oHlclalS' desire TO cooperate fully in
meeting the situation.
Cafeterias Feed Others.
Commenting in his letter on the high
scnool and teacher college figures, DR..
! Ballou said that the principals of these
| institutions indicated that they could
continue to feed all their own needv
! pupils out of the incomes from the
| cafeteriaS.
Some principals indicated" DR.. Bal
/ lou pointed out, that if the number of
pupils in need substantially is Increased
IN the future, they would be unable TO
take care Of them Some principals also
| indicated that some children were in
need of food whose needs could not be
met by the school cafeterias at this
time"
DR.. Ballou further wrote Commits
sloner Allen that a difficult problem
| presents itself in connection with feed
ing needy students in the teachers
colleges, senior high schools and Junior
high schools, "in that pupils fed from
| Federal funds must be separated from
other children and an independent ac-
count kept of the cost of feeding such
children" Il would be "eyceedinplv
difficult" TO meet this requirement in
None of the pupils in the teachers col
| !eges, senior high schools, or junior
high schools we're fed from private
funds last year The lunches provided
by private contributions last year were
served to elementary school pupils ecl-
cluSiVely, the superintendent said.
Original View Sustained.
In his conference with Commissione.
Allen last week, DR.. Ballou said he be-
lieved the need for providing lunches
to needy children was considerably
greater this year than last. In order
| to get accurate data on the need how
| ever, he called upon the college, senior
| and Junior high school principals and
the elementary school supervising primo
ipal for statistical reports The first
OF these reports received Saturday led
DR.. Ballou TO announce that it ap-
peared possible" that the need would
not be as great as he feared. When
the reports came in today, however. Dir.
Ballou's original conviction was cor
| frmed.
|