Evening star., 1935-11-07
PRISONERS WORK
ON RELIEF Jobs
DeniaIs and Combinations
Made of Employment in
Commodities Warehouse.

Ten prisoners from the District Jail
went for a joy-ride this morning or
worked In the warehouse of the Pub
lie Assistance Division-depending on
which set of District officials was cor
rectly informed concerning their &C.
tivities.
Early this morning colored relief
worker called The Star and said
prisoner was now working in his old
job at the surplus commodities ware
house, 6l5 D street southwest. He
was dismissed few days ago, he said,
and returned to the warehouse this
morning to find the prisoner doing his
work.
Officials Interviewed.
In an effort to find out whether
prisoners were being used to replace
the relief workers, a reporter went
to the warehouse and interviewed
Frank D. Norton. business manager for
the Public Assistance Division, and
David Miller, director of surplus COM
modities. Both said no prisoners were
working at the warehouse.
Miller pointed out that occasionally
surplus commodities were sent to
penal institutions in Jail trucks and
suggested some one may have seen
prisoner loading one of these trucks.
giving rise to the impression that
prisoners were working in the ware
house. Norton expressed the belief
some one in the neighborhood last
night may have thought of the idea"
that prisoners were working there.
However, Elwood Street, director Of
public welfare, was otherwise in
formed.
He pointed out that in an effort
to save on relief expenditures, num-
Der of e. w. A. workers had been
dropped This, he said. led to a re-
duction in the number of workers in
the warehouse. To meet this situa-
tion. he added, 10 prisoners from the
District Jail were sent there under
guard this morning to assist in
handling the surplus commodities.
Recommended BY Superintendent.
Thomas Rives, superintendent of the
Jail, confirmed the information that
the prisoners had been sent to the
warehouse. He said he did not know
how long they would be used there.
but that he had recommended them,
thinking their help might be needed
in handling perishable foodstuffs that
might be in the warehouse and in
getting food out to needy persons.
In an effort to clear up tine matter,
the reporter then called Miss Alice
Hill, who is in .charge of the public
assistance division Miss Hill expressed
surprise that there had been any ques-
ton about the matter and confirmed
the statements of Norton and Miller
the warehouse, unless loading trucks
for penal institutions. She said Street
must have been misinformed.
Prisoners Away From Jail.
Another call to Rives at the Jail.
however, disclosed that the prisoners.
under guard, had been out all morning.
presumably working in the warehouse.
He stated emphatically that they had
not been loading trucks for the jail,
but had been handling commodities
in the warehouse.
The prisoners returned to the Jail
for lunch and then started back. Just
after they left, however, Rives re-
ceived a phone call stating their serv-
ices would not be needed any more at
the warehouse.
Under these circumstances, he said,
the prisoners will be brought back to
the Jail and kept there until some
body makes a formal request for their
services in the future.