The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-04-22
WELFARE UNITS
GREATLY ENJOY
RECENT SESSION
LOCAL STAFF STUDYING
WAYS OF USING INFORMA-
TON OBTAINED IN MOST
EFFECTIVE MANNER

Members of the local staff of
the Florida State Board of Public
Welfare today were studying
ways Of using most effectively the
mass of information obtained
during the four-day State Confer
ence of Social Work held last
week in Daytona Beach Nine
persons from Key West attended
the meeting which opened last
"Wednesday and continued through
the balance of the week.
A number of men and women
considered outstanding in the
fields of social and public wei
fare were on the program. and
various phases of social and pub
lie welfare activities were discuss
ed. bringing to many Florida So
cial welfare workers new infor-
nation in this field.
Opening Wednesday night, res
sions were held morning. after
noon and evening through Satur-
day noon. Throughout the gen
eral meetings. round table discus
siOnS and other sessions, the
theme of the entire conference,
Community Organization for So
cial Well-Being," was emphasiz-
ed.
Daily Institute
DIR. H. f. Chamberlain. emin-
ent psychiatrist of the University
of Chicago, conducted a daily in
stitute on mental hygiene which
started at s A. NJ. and continued
for two hours. The concentrated
course, atteded by Key West
delegates, dealt with the practical
application of mental hygiene in
social work.
Another speaker of particular
interest to the Florida delegates
at the conference was Mary Irene
Atkinson, director of the child well
fare division of the u. S. Depart
ment of Labor. who discussed the
child welfare program as outlined
in the new national security act.
and laid special emphasis on is
application to the Florida ck;ld
welfare program, which already
has been approved by Washing
ton officials. The Florida plan
will be put into effect in the near
future. delegates were told.
Another session of special in
terest to the Key West delegates
was that of members of the staffs
of the state and district welfare
boards. So many members of
these staffs attended the confer
ence that it was decided to give
sufficient time for a discussion
among them of problems confront
ing the welfare board specifically.
Conrad Van Hnying. state welfare
commissioner, during the session
expressed his regret that Mrs.
William r. Warren. Key West
representative of the district well
fare board could not attend the
state conference, as has been
planned originally.
OF National Note
In addition to the speakers al
ready mentioned, and a number
of Florida speakers, other nation
ally known persons in the social
and public welfare fields on the
program included David Cushman
Coyle. consulting engineer for the
City of New York and writer on
economic subjects; Gertrude
Springer, member of the editorial
staff of Survey; David c. Adie,
New York commissioner of pub
lie welfare, and Lieut.. Lawrence
A. Oxley. division of negro labor
commissioner, Department of La
Dor.
Key West delegates to the con-
ference were HRS. Nina Ryder
Johnson, director of the State
Board of Welfare staff here; Miss
Dorothy Schober, Mrs. Virginia
McDermott. Miss Olive Day. Mrs.
Virginia Baker, Mrs Gladys Rob-
erts. all of the staff; Mrs. Laura
Spencer of the ERA clinic; Miss
Mary Patrick. WPA public health
nurse; and Miss Martha Buck. di-
rector Of intake and certification