Evening star., 1939-01-07
Relief
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NeIIeT
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her predecessors. We appreciate that
she has been seriously i'll for part
of the period of her incumbency.
Miss Hill told The Star she
had been i'll one day during the
past year and for a period of one
month two years ago.
Would Tighten Burden.
AT this point. without going into
the serious charge of neglect of duty
and failure to perform, which under
certain conditions might make nee
! essary formal complaints against the
director and some of her subordi-
mates, in accordance with the pro-
visions Of the statute governing old
age assistance, aid to dependent
children and home care aid, we feel
1t is Sufncient for us to say that 1t
Is the recommendation of the direc-
tor of investigation and the judg-
ment Of his capable associates that
the director OF public assistance
should be changed and the duties
and responsibilities of the position
should be lessened by transfer of
some of the duties to an immediate
superior and of some others to the
proposed executive director of en-
ployment and social security.
(Mr. Lewis has recommended
creation OF such new depart
ment, to provide consolidation
of various relief and w. P. A,
activities)
THE inability of the director and
her associates to collect, analyze and
present accurate statistics as to basic
conditions and as to costs of opera
ton or probable expenditures has
been established 50 completely as to
be beyond question.
Claims Funds Lapsed.
This failure has misled the
Board of Public Welfare and other
officials constantly concerning the
exact relief situation. Undoubtedly
this situation has confused the di-
rector and her associates. 1t GER
tainly has meant undue hardship
and anguish to those improperly
denied relief on the false assump-
tion that funds were not available.
Phoney statistics gave the director
poor reasons for requiring certain
persons to 90 to Blue Plains Zap
parently meaning the Home for
Aged and Infirm) while allowing
unused surpluses of funds, which
were available for general relief
and other such cases of distress, to
lapse.
"A major failure of the director of
public assistance and of her asso-
ciates to follow through can be illus
trated by hundreds of cases"
Miss Hill said a relatively small
percentage of relief funds lapsed
each fiscal year by reason of the
fact that because of accounting re-
quirements certain funds had to be
set aside to meet obligations incurred
in operations which were expected to
come up for payment later. For in
stance, she said checks and grocery
orders issued in good faith may later
be Cancelled, leaving funds reserved
to meet such requirements unex-
pended as the fiscal year ends.
In his attack on Welfare Director
Street, Mr.. Lewis asserted that his
fitness to continue in some respon-
sible position would be indicated by
what action Mr.. Street took on Mr..
7 to- In ArA{,onc
Questions Ability.
The investigator said:
The long list of improperly ham
died cases, some of which are record
ed herein, and especially those with
which the director has dealt person.
ally in q weak or in an ineficient
manner, makes one wonder how well
the director of public welfare can
meet the local needs for compre-
hensive administrative ability of
high order.
"One doubts the ability of the di-
rector adequately to serve a board
of public welfare. such as this one,
whose chief functions must be re-
shaped in order to modernize the
work and to make the services of
the board more effective.
"One naturally asks whether the
director will be able from now on,
even with the available facts at his
disposal, to adjust the various pro-
grams, to change conditions Of op-
Grafton as rapidly and as effectively
as those tasks should be performed.
I'VE do believe that the manner
in which the director of public well
fare receives and acts upon the md
ings of fact of this investigation
clearly will show whether he should
be continued in some responsible
position in the proposed enlarged
and consolidated Department of
Employment and Social Security"
Suggests Honorable Transfers."
In support of his plan to oust Miss
Hill and possible shift of Mr.. Street
to subordinate position, Mr.. Lewis
suggested there should be q system
under which honorable transfers
and honorable reassignments" could
be made without loss of dignity or
prestige" He said this was done
often during the World War, in the
shifting of commanding officers.
While questioning the ability of
Mr.. Street to meet his responsible
ties, Mr.. Lewis said: The previous
experience of the present director of
public welfare in organising and
administering Community Chest
consultations evidently did not pre-
pare him quickly to cope with pre-
vailing confusion and overlapping Of
powers and authorities within the