Evening star., 1933-01-08
A Deficit to Be Covered,

cluded, will make the money available
Just as public relief funds are exhausted
But the s625 900 Is for relief during
the latter half of this current fiscal
year. It provides for public relief only
until the last day Of June. The duty oi
appropriating for public relief in the
next fiscal year, including the last hall
of this calendar year, falls to the House
Subcommittee on District Appropria-
tons which is now beginning its con-
sideration Of the District bill.
Washington's grave problem relating
to both private and public relief for this
calendar year may be best understood
against the background of q few fig
ures.
For the eleven months from January
to December of 1882 the Community
Chest appropriated for the use of its
constituent agencies total of $2,240,-
397.37. The campaign for 1888 fell
short of its goal by about 80 per cent.
After deducting from the pledged
amount for 1888 ten per cent to cover
anticipated shrinkage due to unpaid
pledges and additional amounts with
which TO begin the amortization of
debt incurred in previous years, the
Community Chest has available for
appropriation during the first eleven
months Of this calendar year approx
nnately S1,356, ,o83.15. The Chest agen-
cies are therefore beginning this new
year. In which demands for relief have
attained unprecedented proportions,
with about $8s4,3l4 less than they had
last year.
This means that the work Of Chest
agencies must either be curtailed-in
the face of increasing demand and de-
spite budgets already cut to the bone
or it means that a proportion OF the
load heretofore assumed by private
charity in the District must be trans
ferred to public funds.
If the work Of the Community Chest
is to continue to receive the support
of Washingtonians, who have already
contributed far higher proportion for
private relief than have the citizens OF
other communities, it is virtually i'm
possible 10 consider another appeal TO
support the work this year. Such an
appeal, even though 1t met with
response, would merely detract from and
possibly destroy altogether the appeal
that must be made the latter part of
this year to carry forward the work of
the Chest in 1884.
The obvious way cut of this dificulty
is to proceed as other municipalities
everywhere have been forced to proceed
and to make the necessary shifts in
burden from private TO public relief
agencies.
This brings up the question, shortly
to come before the House Subcommittee
on District Appropriations, of how much
to appropriate for public welfare work,
including the emergency fund for un-
employment relief. For the latter it
was originally computed, by members
Of the Emergency Relief Committee,
that $4,000 at least would be neces-
sary. This was cut by the Commits
sioners to si.25o,ooo, and the House
ratified this sum, in effect, when it con-
strued half Of it as a deficiency for the
current fiscal year and appropriated
s625, 900.
But total of $1,25o, 900 Is not enough.
1t has already been shown that such an
amount will merely provide for the con-
to those receiving it now. It does not
contemplate an increase In demand, an
increase that is certain. 1t does not
take care of the situation arising from
the failure Of the Chest 10 meet its
quota.
Washington now ranks highest, in a
list of thirty-three large cities. in the
percentage Of relief expenditures from
private funds, and Is lowest in the per-
centage Of relief expenditures from
public funds. The average for the
group is 1871 per cent from public con-
tributions and 26.o per cent from pri-
vate contributions. The figures for
Washington are 10s per cent public
and 89.1 per cent private contributions
While it is highly desirable, Of course,
to maintain private contributions and
the work they support, an inordinately
large proportion of relief work in
Washington has been thrust to the
shoulders Of private contributors. Some
semblance of balance should be re-
stored-indeed, 1t is absolutely neces-
sary that it be restored-by increasing
public funds. 1t can be done. with
local revenue. Money impounded in
the Treasury to the credit Of the Dis
trict, representing deductions under the
economy act, Is available and should
be used to increase the appropriation.
The amount Of the increase, of course,
is for the determination Of the House
committee, but conservative estimates
on the part of those closest to the pic
ture indicate that at least s1,750.o0o of
public funds VIII be necessary in 1898,
and the House should seek to make
the increase large enough to meet all
of the many contingencies sure to arise.
Communities that are using scrip TO
pay of employees will at least manage
to solve the problem Of distributing
meat and groceries for awhile. The