The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-12-10

testing the county budget
very skillfully refrained from
unpopularizing itself by COM
planning against the average
scent township levy for poor
relief.
Industrial | Indianapolis
points with pride to its relief
even under the township trus-
tee by acclaiming: We've
had no food riots and no UNI
toward radicalism."
Pinkish elements have been I'M
able to foment fury in the polyglot
mixture forming the. city's relief
rolls.
In 1888, the poor relief tax rate
for Center Township, which takes
in most of indianapolis, was lOls
cents and that levy was IN its en-
tirety to pay for relief bills incurred
prior to Aug. 8, 1882.
Bills of approximately $4,000 are
still unpaid for 1882 and. in the cur
rent tax year, it was necessary TO
lew .O12 cents to retire relief bonds
in addition to the scent regular
relief levy.
Trustee Interest Urged
Leo X. Smith, attorney for Miss
Hannah Noone, Center Township
Trustee. urges more participation OF
the townships in the councils OF the
Governors Unemployment Relief
Commission in making decisions and
citing standards of relief in the
state.
He points out that township trus-
tees. who pay large slices of the dl-
rect relief bills, are not represented
on the commission or at meetings
where Director Wayne Coy outlines
and discusses new programs with his
bureau heads.
Complaints have been registered
that, in Marion County, families
have not been receiving coal
promptly in emergency cases as they
did when Miss Noone directed all
relief activities.
Lauds Trustee System
Mr.. Smith says the Commission
has pledged itself to iron out these
difficulties.
The township trustees attorney
is a strong adherent to the view
point that administration of relief
should be in the hands of ali
township trustees.
Loyalty of employees, efficient in
vestigation of cases. reduction in
food and commodity prices if the
trustee is honest, and lack of red
tape, which is habitual with Federal
agencies. will be the result under
the trustee" Mr.. Smith declares.
The Times found that families
we're visited more frequently under
state control than under trustee aid.
1t found open bidding for commodi-
ties has reduced costs under state
relief and that honesty of relief SUI
pervision Is more certain under Fed
eral supervision and state control.
Political Control Charged
During Miss Noone's administra-
ton of township relief, a non-par-
tiSan commission supervised her
efforts with the result that Indian
apolis was known as a city with
out relief sugar sweetening the cof-
fee cups of the politicians. No re-
lief scandals we're placed on her
doormat.
It is admitted by friends of Miss
NoOne. however. that politics did
play a minor part in the relief role
and they charge that the same pol
iticS. whether of party or social
nature, are bedded in the present
state control system.
One labor leader charges too close
an affiliation of relief and re-em-
ployment activities with the Indian
apoliS Chamber of Commerce.
William H. Book. Chamber eXecu-
tive vice-preSident, was response
BILE for setting up Indiana's state re-
lief system. He served as the first
Relief Director.
Labor Official Pleased
William Fortune, chairman of the
Indianapolis chapter American Red
Cross sums up the charges of pol
iticS entering the relief admin
istration with: There is bound
to be a certain amount of politics
in any dealing with such a large
number of people. and complaints
must be expected. While I have
no exact knowledge OF any Of these,