Evening star., 1934-03-22
CITIZENS OPPOSE
COMMUNITY CHEST.
DahIgren Terrace Group
Discusses New Method
of Handling Relief.

Abolition of the District of Column
bia Community Chest was recon-
mended, and a plan for substitute
organization for the administration of
the Capitals charities was proposed
for further study by the Dahlgren
Terrace Citizens Association last
night.
The new plan suggested by the as
sociation's committee on laws and
legislation, would place the direc-
ton of private relief under a COM
mittee of civic and business heads,
with an executive director, whose SAL
ary would be limited to $3,500 year.
The proposed new plan calls for
legislation which would authorize an
organization to care for "the Chari-
table and destitute cases of the Dis
trict." Under the plan. the new Or
ganizatiJn would be supervised by a
committee composed of. l, chairman
of Board of District Commissioners;
?, president of the Washington Cham
DER of Commerce; 3. president of the
Washington Board of Trade: 4, preSi-
dent of District Of Columbia Fedora
ton of Citizens Associations: 5, presi-
dent of the Federation OF Civic Asso-
Citations, and 6. president of the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Asso-
citation.
Limit on Membership.
1t is proposed further that this
supervising committee, whose members
would serve without salary, would
appoint ION yearly basis a chief
executive who shall give all his time
to the execution of the will of the
committee, whose salary shall not eX-
Ceed S3,500 year, together with such
other personnel as is found necessary"
All appointeeS of the supervisory
committee would be required to be
bona fide residents of the District of
Columbia for a period of five years.
Funds for the use of the Drganiza-
ton would not depend upon Contribu-
tionS as do those of the present Com
munity Chest. The new plan pro-
poses that money be raised through
an inheritance law for the District,
an additional gasoline tax not to ex-
ceed one cent gallon, additional
license fees on trucks. buses and
commercial vehicles SO that these
licenses would cost the same as SINH
lar licenses in Maryland and Virginia
and any additional funds would be
taken from the liquor license fees of
the District. The plan provides that
any annual surplus of the organiza-
ton in excess of $1OO. 900 be deposited
in the Treasury of the United States
to the credit Of and for the use of the
District.
Objections to Chest.
The three main objections to the
Community Chest set forth in the
report were: l, that the chest was
unable to raise its quota in 1888: 2,
that the people are evidently tiring of
giving their time to the yearly task
of soliciting for the Chest, and 3, that
there Is overhead expense and dupli-
cation Of effort in allotting and trans
1errlng the money to approximately
60 charity organizations.
Copies of the resolution are to be
sent to the House and Senate Dis
trlct Committees, the District Com
mlSSlonerS. and to the Federation Of
Citizens Associations.
In another resolution adopted by
the association. it was asked that the
present District laws be changed to
provide a penalty of loss of permit
for five years to any person convicted
OF driving while intoxicated. 1t was
further urged that some systems be
established whereby any person ar
rested on this charge would be i'm
mediately examined by a physician
when taken to the police station, to
determine whether he is under the
influence of liquor. 1t was pointed
out that many times convictions on
this charge have not been obtained
because the accused could not be
proved to have been drunk.
Ask for Bridge.
Request that a bridge be built over
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
tracks at the end of Franklin street
instead of the proposed S135,000 re-
placement bridge at Eastern avenue
was contained in another resolution.
The group also indorsed the bill,
now pending in Congress, for elec-
trif1cation of all railroad locomotives
in the District.
Mrs. E. N. Leech was appointed by
the president to represent the asso-
citation at conference tomorrow, in
Taft Junior High School, to discuss
plans for the dedication ceremonies
of this school. The request that the
ASSOCIATION be represented was made
by Harry Baker, jr., principal of the
school.
Appointment of the Nominating
Committee for officers for 1885 was
made by the president. The members
named are: j. G. Miller, chairman;
E. L. Tolson and j. E. R. Bryan.