Evening star., 1937-02-24
BUDGET OFFICIAL
Anglers CITIZENS
BY RELIEF STAND
Keddy Blamed in Rejection
of Plea for Additional
$83O,OOO.
5000 FAMILIES CARE
BY CHURCHES ADVISED
Attitude of Assistant Director
Called "Unsympathetic' tic'-He
Refuses Comment.

A storm of public indignation broke
today over the head of John L. Keddy,
assistant Budget Bureau director, who
was held directly responsible by well
fare workers for the fat rejection of
the Commissioners plea for a sup
Elemental relief appropriation OF
S830,OOO for the remainder of this
fiscal year.
Resentment was felt most keenly
over assertions by the budget official
that the care of 5000 jobless families
in the District was a responsibility
of the churches and not of the public
treasury.
William H. Savin of the Family
Service Association, one of many who
had conferences with Keddy over the
plight of these families, charged that
the budget official showed no smy-
pathy whatsoever in their plight.
He spent the whole time preach
ing about what the churches should
do" Savin said, land said that this
was the opportunity for the churches
to combine charity with religion
The budget official told relief work.
ers, Savin said, that he would not even
consider recommending an appropri-
alton for the 5000 cases. which are
unable to receive either public or pri-
vate assistance because of the short
age of local relief funds. Leddy was
quoted as saying he considered 1t
money thrown away"
Refusal Creates Crisis.
Refusal of the Budget Bureau to
allow the S83O,OOO requested by the
Commissioners has created crisis in
the administration of local relief,
workers said today. that borders on
desperation" for the 5000 jobless
families for whom public assistance
was sought.
The immediate effect was demand
BY private relief workers for an addi-
tional Sl,000,000 in the 1888 budget
to take care of a situation which they
claim is steadily growing from bad
TO worse.
A meeting was scheduled this after
noon between committee Of the
Washington Federation Of Churches
and the Family Service Association to
zee what can be done about starting
q drive for funds in and out Of the
churches Of the city.
This meeting was not called. how
ever, because Of the assertions OF
Assistant Budget Director Keddy that
the responsibility for the care of these
families was a responsibility of the
churches alone. The Federation of
Churches has been considering the
need for a private drive for some time.
Attitude Held "Unsympathetic."
The attitude of the budget official
was keenly resented as ''unsympa-
thetic" in relief circles. The District
Commissioners, in announcing yester-
day that the Budget Bureau had
turned down their request for sup
Elemental appropriation, did not men
tion Keddy. His attitude was made
known early today, however, and
drew forth private as well as public
denunciations.
Keddy declined to discuss the mat
ter today beyond saying that If any
comment had been made about what
he had discussed in private confer
ences it was violation of conf
dence"
Mrs. William A. Roberts, secretary
Of the Council of social Agencies, said
today the committee that met yester-
day with the Commissioners have
asked the House Appropriations Sub
committee in charge of the District
budget to grant them hearing. They
will plead for minimum of 1000, 900
above the $1.450,00e recommended by
the Budget Bureau for relief during
the 1888 fiscal year.
Basis Of Recommendation.
That recommendation relief officials
said, was based almost entirely on the
need of the 5000 cases. These cases
represent employable heads of families
who are unemployable and can get
neither w. P. A. jobs nor direct relief.
An average of $500 cases of such
employables are being turned away
each month by the Division of Public
Assistance and by private agencies
which lack sufficient funds, Elwood
Street, director of the Board of Public
Welfare, said.
Rev. Russell J. Clinchy. president of
the Council of Social Agencies, ad-
mitted today he did not know what
might happen to these families be-
cause of the failure of the Budget Bu-
reau to allow relief funds. Officials
Of both public and private agencies
claimed the situation is worse than it
has been since the depression and
that unless given timely aid many of
the families will face "slow starva-
ton"
The attitude of the assistant Bud
get Bureau director, 1t was intimated
today, Is not one that is likely to ap-
pease church officers. He was rep
resented as one who Is terribly op-
posed to social workers" He was rep
resented also as having said that the
churches were the only qualified
agencies to deal with relief problems.
In submitting estimates for 1888,
the Budget Bureau reduced the
recommendations of the Commission
ers from 81 SOC, 900 to $1,450 900 for
all relief purposes Street had origi-
nally estimated $2,300,000 as the
minimum needs to carry the relief
load another year.