Evening star., 1939-01-06
Relief
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of criticism for top relief and well
fare officials, who were accused Of
failing to act decisively or promptly
enough to prosecute "chiselers' or to
stop payments to those who gained
places on the rolls through improper
means and with having failed" to
develop adequate programs for re-
habilitation of clients.
The scope of criticism was broad
ened in this section, however, to in
clude milder references to the activ-
ities of the National Youth Admin
istration, the Civilian Conservation
Corps, the Office of Education, In
terror Department, and the District
Unemployment Compensation Board.
Complimentary remarks were made
OF these agencies, but MI. Lewis
found that in some respects the full
possibilities of their programs were
not yet realized.
Criticizes Street.
The section in one place Identifies
Elwood Street, welfare director, and
Miss Alice Hill, relief director, as the
objects of criticism.
There should be thoroughly
trained and capable governmental
executives and properly related ad
ministrative programs" if the Dis
trict was to succeed in saving the
suggested $717,O00 sum, Mr.. Lewis
said.
He asserted that success would de-
pend mostly on the skill and tested
experience" of the executive director
OF a department of employment and
social security, which he recon-
mended be created. He said there
are few capable of performing this
necessary pioneering job for the
District" and he added: This is no
task for business executive, or a
tenderer than thou politician, or a
big-idea woman"
Mr.. Lewis cited the experience of
the Unemployment Assistance Board
OF Great Britain, reported about a
year ago, to support his contention
for the need of standards in relief
which "do not undermine the will to
earn and learn" He referred again
20 his findings that many here have
received excessively high relief
grants while others received too
little.
In an earlier section of the report,
Mr.. Lewis had suggested an addi-
eional appropriation of $1,50O000 in
order to provide for an adequate,
tong-range program.
Citing the British policy of re-
stricting the amount of relief per
case, to keep it somewhat below
ordinary earnings in private en-
ployment, as means of preventing
the placing of premium on idle
ness" Mr.. Lewis said:
"The next most important major
effort to be made in the District,
In our opinion, would be to dispel
the fogs of materialism and to
break the man-made mental chains
which cause whole segments of the
people, in the midst of the worlds
greatest opportunities, to lie on beds
Of filth and In dens of despair. The
myth of no more available lands
and Of the ending of all frontiers
should be exploded at once.
ITO the experienced public well
fare administrator, none of this is
impossible"
Mr.. Lewis revealed he had calcu-
lated his suggested annual savings
Of $7l7,000 by applying his argu-
ment that relief should be denied
those families having incomes of
500 or $100 a month in addition to
relief or w. P. A. grants or wages.
He reported he found that 13 per
cent of the old age cases had "other
income" above the suggested "ceil-
ing; 14.85 per cent of blind cases,
11.2 per cent of the home care cases,
( per cent of the cases classed as
aid to dependent children and a.
per cent of general relief cases were
above the $50 or 500 levels in "other
income" For the w. P. A. cases
he found the percentage 7.O3. He
figured the total saving by using
the average monthly relief grants.
The Investigator declared all types
Of relief in effect are needed and