Evening star., 1933-11-06
RELIEF DIVISION
i SHIFT IS SHOWN
Demarcation Is Noted Be-
tween Public and Pri-
& vate Aid.

A recent shift Of the dividing line be-
tween public and private agencies in
the welfare field Is noted in report Of
the Family Welfare Association Of
America, Just made pubic,
Unemployment relief" the report
states, has now become almost wholly
q public responsibility The report says
that II of the 50 cities reporting in its
present survey state that new public
relief departments have been established
In the past six months. In 13 cases TAX
ing over much of the work of private
relief agencies. Staff members of pri-
vate agencies are reported being trans
ferred to public pay rolls, and frequent
" are loaned TO public agencies while
stu paid by their private organizations.
MANY OF the secretaries look forward
10 definite division of work between
public and private agencies" the report
says. THE public agency in the future
will be concerned with the problems
where relief is most important and the
private agency will give individuals
those services which are needed in ad-
dition to economic relicf."
Shifts Noted Here.
Washington, too, has witnessed sew
eral shifts between public and private
handling of relief problems in the i'm
mediate past. The most recent is the
formation of division of the Board of
Public Welfare, financed with money
from the Federal Emergency Relief Ad-
ministration, to take care of transient
persons temporarily stranded in the
District. The most important, from
monetary point OF view, has been the
assumption Of the load of unemploy-
ment relief by the District Emergency
Relief, financed at present by an appro-
priatton OF $1,300,000 of District funds,
supplemented from time to time by
grants OF funds from the Federal Emer-
2ency Relief Administration. The pres
sent scale OF expenses of the transient
section is $4,000 a month, but this is
subject TO change as experience war;
rants.
A statistical compilation made re-
Gently by the Community Chest of all
expenses in Washington this year for
welfare activities of all kinds shows
that TIA per cent are paid by the Fed
eral or District governments, 1913 per
cent by agencies affiliated with the
community Chest and 93 per cent by
agencies not so affiliated.
Aiuc vi Demdrcati0n,
In family relief, the line of demarca-
ton between public and private CHARGES
now observed here Is that the pubic
agencies deal with the problems of a
family affected primarily or only by
unemployment. The family head Is
given work relief or direct cash relief
Snrougn the District emergency re-
problems, for instances, delinouencv of
cMldren, the case is handled by private
agencies. whose trained social workers
endeavor to re-establish or reorient the
lne family: Where little hope apnears
~ maj solution of their problems
tney usually become the charges Of
public agencies.
The transient problem, now handled
ny public funds, Is regarded bv welfare
WORKERS as knotty problem. and the
resent solution may not be final. The
am OF the Federal Emergency Relief
administration Is to have each locaIitv
s2ke care OF transients out of its nuh.
nc FUNDS. on the theory that. on the
average. this will work out eo,,ifabiv
1nus although the taxpayers Of town
q may OBJECT to paying for the misfor-
lines OF transients from town B. thew
SHOULD realize that town B is also taE.
s care OF those from town A. and
The traditional assignment of tr.r
MentS mas been to private agencies
largeiy because of Opposition hv taS
payers to use of local funds for a. 90
Keep OF strangers. up