Evening star., 1938-05-15
D. c. RELIEF FUND
FATE TO Be FIXED
DURING THIS WEEK
Hearings on $500, 900 to Be
Begun Tomorrow by
House Group.
BUDGET BUREAU PLAN
WOULD LEAVE $500, 900
Agency Urges City Be Made to
Contribute to W. P. A. Jobs and
Transport Indigents.
By JAMES f. CHINN.


The ultimate fate of the Districts
meager 100000 appropriation for
direct relief in the fiscal year begin
ming July l will be determined this
week by the Deficiency Subcommittee
OF the House Appropriations Com
mittee.
The subcommittee will begin hear
ings tomorrow on what is expected to
be the final deficiency supply bill,
with a recommendation before it from
the Budget Bureau that the District
be required to contribute to w. p A.
sponsorship projects for women and
pay for the transportation home of
nonresident indigents out of the
100000 relief fund.
District officials have estimated If
Congress approves the recommended
tion. there will be only 100000 left
OF the 100000 appropriation for direct
relief purposes after 8l2 per cent is
deducted for personal services. Even
100000 is regarded as inadequate by
welfare officials. who originally urged
An appropriation Of at least 81, 900. 900
for aid to the unemployed in the
coming fiscal year.
Budget Bureau Cut Fund.
Chairman Collins of the Appropria-
tions Subcommittee, which frames the
annual District supply bills, plans to
appear before the Deficiency Subcom-
mittee and ask that the Budget Bu-
resus recommendation be ignored. A
number of civic and welfare leaders,
who are deeply concerned over the
potential cut in the relief fund, also
are expected to support the plea of
Representative Collins.
The Commissioners requested the
Budget Bureau to approve supple
mental estimates of S189.5OO for w.
P. A. sponsorship projects and s20,-
600 more for transportation of in
digent non-residents in order to avoid
dipping into the already inadequate
100000 relief fund. The Budget
Bureau. however, not only refused to
approve these items. but asked Con-
sress to write into law provisions
that would make it mandatory on the
Commissioners to use the relief ap-
preparation for these two purposes.
A number OF other supplemental
estimates proposed by the Commits
sioners are still at the Budget Bureau
awaiting approval, and unless they
gre transmitted to Congress this week.
there is little likelihood of their in
clusion in the last of the deficiency
appropriations bills.
Funds for Girls Home.
One of these items would provide
funds for erection of buildings at
Blue Plains. D. c.. to quarter inmates
of the National Training School for
Girls. which must be closed, by con-
gressional mandate, June 80.
Funds also were requested to re-
pair the nurses home on the old
tuberculosis Hospital reservation at
Fourteenth and Upshur streets NV.
and to restore the present Childrens
Receiving Home to its original condi-
tion. The Budget Bureau also has
failed to act on these items.
The present Receiving Home must
be abandoned, as decreed in the 1889
District Appropriation Act, by Decem-
Der 81. The Commissioners want to
rehabilitate the old nurses home and
use IT as a temporary receiving home
Tor children. The original plan was to
establish receiving home in the old
Police Court Building at Sixth and D
streets NV, but the fire marshaTs
office has forbidden its use as a place
to house children.
Estimate Is S50O,0OO.
The Receiving Home now is in a
rented building, former apartment
house. The lease in the possession of
the District requires the Commission
ers to restore it to the condition in
which 1t was found at the time of
rental At least $1,000 is needed for
the work. and unless an appropriation
is provided for this purpose in the
deficiency bill, the Commissioners will
be unable to obey the terms of the
lease.
Altogether, the deficiency and SUD-
Elemental estimates. which the Budget
Bureau has asked the Appropriations
Committee to put into the final supply
bill. exceed 100000. Most of the
items, minor in character, are intended
to meet deficiencies in current appro-
priations for various municipal in
stitutions.