Evening star., 1937-03-30
AID COSTS CUT
IN DISTRICT BILL
$1,411,5W Direct Relief
Provided-Auditing Put
on Donovan.
BY DON S. WARREN.

Costs of direct relief for destitute
persons in the District during the next
fiscal year would be reduced-rather
than increased, as urged by both pub
lie and private welfare leaders-under
proposals contained in the 1888 supply
bill as reported today to the House.
Furthermore, to assure a much
closer scrutiny" of relief operations.
the Collins subcommittee in charge Of
the bill inserted a direction that "all
auditing, disbursements and account
ing for relief funds, including en-
ployes engaged in such work" be placed
under the supervision and control Of
District auditor, Daniel J. Donovan.
That this shift in the auditing ma
chinery for District relief to unem-
ployables would be incorporated in the
bill had been previously reported un-
oficially during secret hearings on the
measure. This change was sponsored
generally in actions taken recently by
the Federation of Citizens Associa-
tions.
$1,465,000 Proposed.
The estimates forwarded to Congress
by the Budget Bureau proposed ex-
penditure Of 81 ,465 900 for direct relief.
The Board OF Public Welfare, prior
to the opening Of this session of Con-
gress, asked for supplemental ap-
preparation Of s83O,O00 for expansion
of direct relief operations from Janu-
ary, last, to July /.
That plan was killed by the Budget
Bureau. John L. Keddy, the bureau
official handling District items, sug-
gested at the time that the churches
should take over some of the relief
problem.
Instead Of the s1,465,o0o item for
next fiscal year, the Collins subcom-
mittee recommended to the House a
sum OF sl,4l1,5 500, s188,500 less than
the current year appropriation and
$50 500 less than the Budget Bureau
estimate.
The fact should be emphasized"
said the Collins report, that no cut
in the funds actually provided for re-
lief purposes is contemplated. The
entire reduction has been applied to
the limit OF expenditures for personal
services, which is restricted to 10 per
cent OF the appropriation. The COM
mittee has applied a similar restric-
ton on administrative expenses paid
from Federal grants"
Saving Forecast.
AS to the direction for scrutiny
of relief operations by the District
auditor, the Collins report said: 1T
is believed that considerable saving
can be accomplished through this pro-
cedure and that relief expenditures
will be subject to much closer scru-
tiny than at present exists.
In addition to funds made avail
able in this bill, sums amounting to
$l50,000 for direct relief and $4,000
for administrative expenses are ex-
pected to be received in the form of
grants from the Social Security Board.
It Is estimated that the total sum
available will provide for $3.50 fam
lilies (unemployables) on an average
relief grant Of $50 per month. No
funds for employables are provided
under this appropriation"
$428,265 for Old-Age Aid.
For old-age assistance the bill car
rles S428,265 as an appropriation
charge against District revenues,
which, it was calculated, would pro-
vide for an average OF 1900 persons
in the next fiscal year. Since the
Social Security Board pays about
half the cost, here as in the States,
the total bill for the program in the
District is figured at s792,000
In contrast to the proposed District
appropriation for old-age assistance.
a sum Of but $284,265 was granted
for the present fiscal year. District
welfare officials recently admitted
their estimates previously prepared
for 1898 probably were too low, judg-
ing from the recent increase in the
number Of cases approved, the rate
at which new applications were
being received and the 500 to 800
cases expected to be taken over from
persons now on the w. P. A. roster.
For aid to the needy blind the bill
carries District appropriation OF
$36,645. which is $17,355 less than
the 1887 appropriation and 1885
below the estimates Of the Budget
Bureau. The figure was based on es-
that there would be $50 cases
in the program in the next year,
toward which half the cost would be
paid by the Federal Government.