Evening star., 1937-04-03
CITY HEADS TO ACT|
ON AGENCIES PLEA|
TO HELP JOBLESS.
Citizens Mass Meeting at
4::30 Tomorrow to Focus
Attention on Plight.
FORMAL FUND REQUEST
DEMANDED BY COUNCIL
Additional 81 100000 Is sought
in House Bill for 1888 for
Employables.

btlldlluS VI Illt COuNCll OF oOC4d
Agencies that the District CommiS-
sloners make formal request of thc|
Budget Bureau for funds with which,
to care for the city's 1000 unemployed
'employables" will be acted on at al
board meeting Tuesday, Commissioned
Hazen said today
A mass meeting to focus public atten-
ton on the plight of the employ
ableS," who are denied both direct
relief and work relief, will be held
tomorrow at 430 pm. in the First
Congregational Church, Tenth and G
streets, under auspices of the council
William Mcclellan, president of the
Potomac Electric Power Co, will bel
the principal speaker.
Mrs William A. Roberts, eXeCutlve|
secretary of the council, in a letter toI
Commissioner Hazen Friday, reminded
him the Budget Bureau had put the
blame for failure to care for the citys
needy "squarely back on the Commis-
sioners," and urged that this situa-
tion be corrected"
The Budget Bureau pointed out,
Mrs. Roberts wrote, that the COmmIs-
sioners have never made a formal re-
quest for additional funds to meet the
relief emergency.
Controversy Old One.
Controversy over the need for ad-
ditional relief funds has prevailed
since October, when Elwood Street, d.
rector of public welfare, recommended
a supplemental appropriation of $780,
900 to care for needy who are receiF-
ing neither direct nor indirect assist
ance.
Streets recommendation was never
transmitted formally, but the Com
missioners let it be known the Fed
eral agency had declared informally
it would not approve the request.
Early this year, welfare workers VII
conferred with John L. Keddy, as
sistant budget director in charge of
District affairs. charged he had del
clared the support OF unemployed
workers who were willing and able tO|
work but who could not find jobs, was
mainly a responsibility of the churches.
The Council of Social Agencies has
contended the Commissioners should
make a formal application for addI-
tional relief funds so that responsible
ity could definitely be fixed if the.
are rebuffed by the Budget Bureau. =.
Resolutions al tomorroW's mass meet
ing will suggest that the Commission
ers be urged to try to obtain de-
ficiency appropriation of at least
100000 month for the re-
mainder of the present fiscal year to
meet urgent relief needs through the
Board of Public Welfare, They VIII
| also point out that as the House bill
for 1888 makes no provision for the
relief of "employables.' that an ad-
ditional appropriation of at least
/ s1,000O00 be made available to th1
Board of Public Welfare for relied
/ needs and an adequate administrator
/ Committee Expected to Continue.
! The resolutions. expected to bj
/ adopted will continue the SPECIAL
Committee as now constituted and vii
authorize it to carry out the purposd
| vi lIlt llIdNS Ii4ttLIILE III SlAA44 ways d
it may see fit. This Will include try1
ing to devise and carry through, n
cooperation with other public and
private agencies, plans not only for
meeting the needs of those now Un-
employed. but for solving the unen-
Payment problem in the future.
Interest in tomorrowS mass meeting
is growing by leaps and bounds. aC-
cording to letters and telephone calls
received by Chairman Jennings and
Canon Anson Phelps Stokes. Some Of
Washington's most prominent citizens
are joining the list of sponsors.
Stories of the plight of some of these
"employables. gathered by volunteer
church workers under direction of the
Family Service Association and printed
in the newspapers, have aroused a
wave of sentiment which is indicated
by offers of direct help for the people
in question and of assistance in carry
ing out the purpose of the mass
meeting.
! Tomorrow mass meeting is called
by committee Of 25 leaders IN
church, social welfare and civic Or
( ganizations of the city.
Chairman Jennings last night again
called attention to the fact that this
Is not church service in any sense
! OF the word 1t is a mass meeting Of
citizens of all creeds and denomina =
tions.