Evening star., 1938-02-22
DIFFERENT VIEWS
ON D. {. RELIEF
G|VENAT HEARING
Welfare Groups in Favor of
Adding to 100000
House Figure.
PROPOSAL is OPPOSED
BY TAXPAYERS GROUP
Inequity of IS, 900, 900 Lump.Sum
Payment Pointed Out by
Board of Trade.
BY. ]. A. O'LEARY.

BY. J. A. OLEARY.
Conflicting viewpoints on the extent
of the local relief problem were heard
today by the Senate subcommittee
handling the 1889 District supply bill.
Spokesman for social welfare and re-
hgious organizations were ready to
urge more adequate provision for the
unemployed than the 5000 900 allowed
by the House On the other hand, the
Washington Taxpayers Association,
represented by Rufus S. Lusk. was
waiting with statistics to support It's
contention that the House figure
should be adhered to.
Discussion Of the relief question be-
gan late yesterday, when the Board of
Trade also recommended that the re-
lief item be left at the House estimate
Of 100000 until a thorough inquiry
shows whether more is needed. The
board urged that this study be made
Immediately. so Congress would have
time to deal with the question. in a
later deficiency bill if necessary
Cites Present Sum.
The Trade Board. through its presi-
!, dent, Edward F. Colladay, also stressed
the inequity of the present Federal
lump sum payment of $4,000, 900 to-
ward District expenses, and pointed
out that the 60-40 ratio of fiscal rela-
tions never has been repealed.
Contending local residents already
are bearing as heavy a :aX burden as
they should be expected to pay to-
ward upkeep of the Capital, Mr.. Col
laday said that If Congress increases
general fund requirements in the
pending bill it should at least raise
the Federal lump sum payment to
that extent.
Separate committees of the Board
Of Trade also appeared yesterday aft
ernoon to urge restoration under the
highway fund Of the S650,000 to start
the new Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge
In Southeast and retention OF the
100000 item approved by the House
to prepare plans for a new main
Public Library Building, to be erected
later on one OF the Municipal Center
squares.
Another witness heard yesterday
was Harry s. Wender of the South
west Citizens Association, who urged
action to expedite the long pending
Jefferson Junior High School project.
He also urged more policemen. and an
increased fund for Fairgrounds, but
opposed transfer of control over sum-
mer school Fairgrounds to the Com
munity Center department, He asked
retention OF House item Of s165 900
for a Southwest health center.
Gives Relief Study Data.
In his statement Mr.. Colladay gave
In some detail results of the efforts
of the Board of Trade to ascertain
what the relief situation is here today.
The public assistance division (of
OF the District governmenD now
grants relief only to those people that
they class as unemployables." he said.
"All employables who are qualified by
residence and needs are eligible to re-
celpe Works Progress Administration
work relief So far as we know, the
public assistance division does not
now, and never has, maintained that
the funds at their disposal are not
sufficient to care for needy unemploy-
ables. The entire dispute regarding
relief. as we understand it. is centered
around the argument that there are
needy employables who should be
added.
The director of the local Works
Progress Administration has informed
us that his ofice is at this time per-
fectly willing and able to give work
relief to nearly all qualified cases. We
have further been informed that the
Works Progress Administration has, in
sone instances. found q serious short
age Of available labor. Otto Cass, the
local director of the w. P. A. advised
us this morning that his ONCE is now
employing all qualified common la
borers who apply for work They are
having some difficulty placing appli-
cans from the white-collar class due
10 the difficulty of arranging projects
which would be suitable. Many white
collar workers, however, who will ac-
cept employment ut common labor are
being taken care Of
New Files Compiled.
Recently in building up force for
new projects, their success. we under
stand. in securing workers from their
;. lists Of needy unemployed employables
was 80 poor that the director ordered
the entire file Of $500 names junked
ana the jobs were filled as new appli-
cations came in.
THE Works Progress Administra-
ton contends that they can employ at
this time all needy qualified employ
ables who really desire to work. A
qualified worker, 10 far as the w. p.
A. is concerned. is one who is resi-
dent Of the District of Columbia who
Il unemployed. and in whose family
the income is less than the current
W. P. A. wage OF approximately $48
q month. Only one member OF 4
family will be employed by them. It
is their belief that most of the en-
ployables who are not on their rolls
and who are clamoring for direct relief
fall into one Of the following cate
kories: Either they will not accept w.
p. A. employment, they are people
whom the w. p. A. has been forced to
discard because Of their continued alb
sence from former assignments, or
they cannot qualify"
The statement also analyzed the
figures Of the United States Public
Employment Service, which carried
1886 names on its rolls on Febru-
sary IL. The recent census Of unem.
ployment indicated $4,000 people In
the District wholly or partly unem-
:. ployed and looking for work.
Doubt Value Of Census.
I'VE cannot subscribe to any Of the
nclusions arrived at by this census
~ believe 1t Is perfectly obvious
the mechanics employed IN max