Evening star., 1936-02-28
CITY HEADS SEEK
$6O8,485 IN RELIEF |
DEFICIENCY P[EA|
Budget Bureau Due to Grant
Request for Health
Hearing.
LACK OF FUNDS AFTER
APRIL IS IS CITED
Welfare Board Seeking Cash to
Operate Until July-10,0O0
on List Here.
BY DON S. WARREN.

BY DON S. WARREN.
Prompt preparation of a deficiency
appropriation of $60S,485, urgently
needed to prevent collapse of Dis
trict relief activities April Is, was
ordered today by the Commissioners,
as requested Wednesday by the Board
of Public Welfare.
At the same time, the Budget Bu-
reau indicated it would grant the
Commissioners request for hearing
on the public protest against slash
of $4,000 made by the bureau In
the Commissioners original estimates
for public health and hospital services.
Mai. Daniel j. Donovan, District
budget officer, was directed to prepare
the deficiency request for relief and
to file it with the bureau along with
several other items Of urgent supple
ments to the proposed 1887 District
appropriation act. It is likely the
document will go to the bureau some
time next week.
The District faces a deficit of $780,
494 in its relief funds between now and
July /, when the new fiscal year opens,
the Commissioners found. The We'll
fare Board based its request on the
most conservative basis, allowing for
expected use of $182,0i0 of Federal
social security funds for aid for de-
pendent children, and the needy aged
and blind, to reduce the expected
deficit to $608,484.
10000 Still on Relief.
Showing the possibilities of a sud-
den calamity here among the relief
clients, unless the additional District
appropriation is granted, the Welfare
Board declared that while more than
$4,000 persons previously on relief had
been transferred to projects under the
w. P. A. there still remained depend
ent on the District for relief approx
mately 10000 families and unattached
individuals.
When the District appropriation for
relief for this fiscal year was prepared,
the board explained, it was impossible
to anticipate that Federal relief grants
to the District and the States would
be halted last November.
Also, welfare officials had expected
the w. P. A. program would reduce
the District relief load to a much
greater extent, the Commissioners
were informed.
Unemployables Here.
Statistics, however, the Commis-
sioners found today, reveal that there
are 4,500 unemployables dependent on
the District for aid, that there are
1000 employables who are ineligible
for w. P. A. jobs because they came
on relief after last November 1 and
that there are 4,500 others subject to
w. p. A., but receive insufficient pay
to care for their family needs, some
are awaiting w. P. A. assignments and
some are i'll and incapacitated for
work, If w. P. A. jobs could be found.
The most surprising factor, the
board said, was that there is larger
number of persons seeking relief than
q year ago.
Ofi1cials estimated the balance of
available relief funds would amount
to but $489,505 Sunday, although the
needs to July were anticipated to
total $1,28O,0O0.
Commissioner Allen, formerly Dis
trict relief administrator, will call
upon social agencies and civil lead
ers to support the plea for the sup
Elemental appropriation, he has an
nounced. When he abandoned IS
per cent cut in relief disbursements
January /, after it had been in effect
for a month, he was promised civic
aid. He had ordered the cut to
spread the dwindling funs, found it
was causing suffering among relief
families.
Meanwhile the Board of Public We'll
fare today urged construction of two
new buildings at Gallinger Municipal
Hospital, at an estimated cost of ST.
100000. to provide adequate facilities
for medical and obstetrical cases.
The board asked the Commissioners
to include the estimates in the 1885
fiscal year budget, which will be
drafted by the Commissioners next
Summer. The Commissioners were
urged to propose at once enabling
legislation authorizing the later ap-
preparation.
The Commissioners said they would
consider the request along with other
1888 budget proposals. It was said
1t would not be necessary to obtain
legislative authority in advance o.
action on the appropriation itself.
Overcrowding Figures Cited.
A statement for the Welfare Board
by its director, Elwood Street, declared
there now are more than 900 patients
at the hospital, which is supposed to
have a normal capacity Of but 750
The board protested tile teaching ia.
ciltties at the hospital, as well as Its
facilities for patient care were badly
crowded and inadequate, and it urged
that provision for these needs be in.
cluded in the proposed building appro.
priation. .-.#.
Specifically, the board asked that
for 1888 there be an appropriation OF
$650,000 for new medical and teach
ing building with facilities for han
ding 300 patients, proper provision for
medical students and instructors and
adequate X-ray facilities and an ap-
preparation Of $3.50, 900 for maternity
building providing $50 beds.
Some months ago the board urged
the Commissioners to support bill to
make Columbia Hospital for Women
an adjunct to Gallinger Hospital. The
Commissioners rejected that sugges-
tiou. The Welfare Board said today
that that plan was a second choice
that it preferred the two new Gal