Evening star., 1933-04-08
WELT ARE WORKERS
TOPLEAD CAUSE OF
C|TY'S POOR TODAY
Will Hold Round 7 able Con-
ference With Senator King
and Committee.
HEARINGS ON D. c. BILL
TO COMMENCE MONDAY
Needy Here Beginning to Feel Full
Shock Of Depression, Say
Relief Units.

AelleI UultS.
The Districts needy are just begin
ming to feel the full shock of the de-
preston, long after other communities
have adjusted their relief agencies to
the emergency with an outpouring OF
tax dollars.
This is the picture which family well
fare leaders hope to impress upon Sen
ator King and other members of the
Senate District Committee, at a round
table conference on Capitol Hill this
Social workers are convinced that the
$1,250,000 item for emergency relief
during the new fiscal year is entirely in
adequate as contained in the 1884 Dis
trict supply bill, hearings on which
will open Monday before the District
subcommittee of the Senate Appropria-
tions Committee.
Ufford to Appear.
Among those who expect to plead the
cause of destitute residents at today's
conference is Walter S. Ufford, general
and chairman of the Monday Evening
Clubs Relief Committee.
In calling the meeting several days
ago Senator King said he wanted the
people Of the District to feel that the
members Of the committee are their
friends.
The item for relief here as recon-
mended by the Budget Bureau and ap-
proved by the House, contemplates q
further restriction In the already cur
tailed expenditures of the District
Emergency Relief, officials say.
By the end Of the present fiscal year
this agency will have spent as much ir
the first II months Of its existence al
contemplated under the appropriation
for the whole fiscal year Of 1884.
The District Emergency Relief so far
has been obliged by lack Of funds, te
turn down 10000 applications from
heads Of families and the 5000 families
per cent reduction in work hours within
the last few days.
Employment Drops.
Employment in Washington fell still
further In January, according to De-
partment Of Labor figures submitted te
q recent meeting of the committee ir
charge Of District emergency relief BY
Leroy Halbert, supervisor Of relief.
'The bank closings in Washington
have increased the distress" Mr.. Hal
bert said, land the general reduction In
salaries Of Is per cent will cause much
more loss here than In any other place
in the country.
eff, in spite of indications that pres.
ent expenditures for relief are respon.
sible and very necessary, a drastic cut
in relief to families is forced upon
e nf nm ,f Ia rtv ~ Ac
the resulting suffering will be terrible
"The number of evictions keeps on
increasing weekly" Mr.. Halbert con-
tinued. He pointed out that lit Is ap-
parently impossible to make any re-
duction in cash payments Of rent with
out leaving people without shelter and
leaving their goods in the street. Any
reduction in work-relief to families viii
reduce the small payments they are
now making on rents and increase
evictions still further.
There is q constant stream Of peo-
Pile coming to the Office Of the super
visor Of relief and going to the Offices
Of Congress members and the Office OF
the Department Of Public welfare, say
ing that they have paid their money
for rent in order to keep from being
set out In the street, and that they
have no money for food. Practically
all Of these families are being denied
any further allowance. Conditions IN
some OF their homes are desperate.
Mother Admits Theft.
zone woman whose husband had
been on work relief for us has con-
fessed to worker that she raised a
grocery order from $3.50 to- $3.50, and
that she had stolen milk from her
neighbors and bread from d bread
truck because she could not stand to
see her children go hungry. She
seemed very penitent and distressed,
and was, apparently, person not ac-
customed to stealing.
1.-The statement has often been made
by applicants for relief that they would
rather steal than see their families
hungry. Any further curtailment of
relief will be very destructive blow to
many respectable American families in
Washington who do not ask for any
thing but chance to work for the
necessities Of life.
"Such q reduction should be re-
sorted to only after every possible ef-
for thaS been made to get SUFFICIENT
funds to meet the necessities Of these
families"
lily Lca0S IN Cn3fIbys
Washington, it was pointed out, pays
out more in private charity as related
to public relief, than any Of the 100
largest cities in America, yet its three
largest private family welfare agencies
are loaded to capacity and paid out
half of their annual allotments under
the Community Chest in meeting the
demands of January, February and
March.
According to Elwood Street, director
of the Chest, these agencies may be
forced to close entirely by the first Of
August unless more Of their load Is
assumed by public funds.
The fact that the full force Of the
depression Is being felt in Washington
now, Is strikingly illustrated In figures
for the expenditures of all material re-
lief to families compiled by Agnes
Leisy, statistician Of the Council Of So
cial Agencies.
The figures do not include the cost
Of administering aid. They show that
1924, 1856 was spent for this type Of re-
lief in 1929; $370, ,483 in 1880; $525, ,513
in 1881, and $1,368,74 in 1892.
This, despite the fact that the Com
munity Chest fell approximately half
q million dollars short Of its goal in
the last campaign, and there Is no
prospect for an additional emergency
drive.
On culI OPEN EMTEPTAIN