The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1936-01-23
RELIEF INVESTIGATORS
MAKE COMPLETE REPORT
Charge Board Was Too Lenient
In Granting Relief-RecOm-
mend Drastic Rules
COMPLETE REPORT GIVEN

Admitting there were worthy and
needy cases being helped through me-
dunn relief, but believing that the
County Welfare Board had been too
lenient in granting relief to hundreds,
the investigating committee recently
appointed by the County Commission
ers to study conditions here, released
detailed report Of their findings yes
terday afternoon.
Of ffty-fve cases investigated the
committee headed by Senator Clifford
Friend reported 95 unworthy, IA par
TALLY worthy, and worthy.
The committee recommended that
the standard by which relief was
granted should be made more drastic
so that relief would be granted only
in cases of absolute necessity.
The complete report follows:
To the Board of State Aid and Chart
ties; To the Local Welfare Board;
To the Voters and Tax Payers of
Garrett County,
On Wednesday, December 4th, a
meeting was held in the Court House
in Oakland which was attended by Mr..
Harry Greenstein, State Relief Adj
ministrator, members of the Board of
State Aid and Charities, members of
our County Welfare Board and staff,
and the Garrett County Board of Com
missioners and County Legislators.
At this meeting Mr.. Greenstein act
ing with the consent of the members
of the Board of State Aid and Chart
ties who were present and the local
Welfare Board, requested the County
Commissioners to appoint two men to
serve with State Senator Friend as a
committee of three to make investiga-
ton of relief clients who were at that
time receiving any kind of direct re-
lief at the hands of our County We'll
fare Staff.
The Board of County Commission
ers appointed Truman C. Bittinger and
Adam J. Richter.
On Friday, December 10, the COM
mittee met for the first time but finds
ing arrangements had not been COM
pleted, decided to await more definite
information from Mr.. Greenstein.
On Januay 2, 1886, the committee
took up the work but due to the deep
snow and the untraveled condition of
the roads, our activities were restric-
ted to cases along the improved high
ways, or within walking distance of
improved roads, and to the several
small villages and towns throughout
Tho +hoTafO1,o
sible to make investigation of all the
names listed. The cases reported on,
however, are not from any one sec
ton of the county, but are from along
the highways that were open for
travel and the several small towns
and villages in all sections.
In each case visited written reports
were prepared by the committee, a
copy of which was furnished to the
County Welfare Board but in order to
condense our general report, we have
found it necessary to classify the re-
suits of our finding in the following
manner:
First-Unworthy cases, 35.
Second-Cases in which there is per-
haps some need but relief not neces-
sary to prevent suffering, ID.
Third-Worthy cases, widows, or
phans, ETC., who have no means of
support, 6.
No cases listed as worthy were
found in the rural sections or small
rural towns. This has led us to-the
belief that there is no serious need for
the continuance of relief throughout
the rural sections of our county and
more especially is this true now in as
much as all our able bodied men who
were on direct relief heretofore ought
now to be employed on local projects
under WPA.
In the course of our investigations
Continued on Page Four)