Evening star., 1939-02-15
Relief Burden
Of |||egitimacy
Cited in Report
Lewis Gives Dotu,
Calls for Futhers'
Aid Requirement
BY DON S. WARREN.

District costs, Relief Investigator
Burdette G. Lewis declared in an
other section of his report, released
today.
He said his studies showed the
need for better programs for the re-
habilitation of mothers of children
born out of wedlock, and that means
of requiring fathers to render finan-
cial support were needed.
A rather confusing array of figures
on the extent of illegitimacy among
various classes of District residents
was presented, but it indicated there
was a much greater frequency of
this condition among the colored
than the white population, and in
conclusion Mr.. Lewis stated:
mo evidence was revealed to sub
stantiate the allegations that illegiti-
macy is of greater frequency among
Observation-Disclosures or Public
Assistance Division clients than in
the general population. Although
the evidence presented here may not
prove satisfactorily convincing, the
findings are suggestive enough to
shift the burden of proof to those
who contend an abnormally large
incidence of illegitimacy exists
among Public Assistance Division
relief recipients"
Study Answers Contentious.
The study was made, Mr.. Lewis
said, because there were reports at
the past session of Congress that
illegitimacy among aid-to-depend-
ent-children cases ranged between
80 and 80 per cent.
While his studies did not bear out
such contentious, Mr.. Lewis said,
active measures should be estab-
Ished:
To prevent the separation of the
mother and her child, except in
those cases where separation will
benefit the child;
To establish the child's parentage;
To require proper financial sup
port by the father, and
To provide proper welfare facili-
ties for the maintenance, education
and protection Of both mother and
child.
In general statement on the
subject, Mr.. Lewis said: The Pub
lie Assistance Division has estab-
lished policy whereby considera-
tions of the moranstic issues of lille
gitimacy have been subordinated to
the attempt to do something for
the child, but this progressive step
IN meeting the problem mas not been
co-ordinated with an effective case
work, home rehabilitation and edu-
cational program.
"As evidenced in numerous cases,
the P. A. D. has provided for the
financial distress of the unmarried
mothers, but its assistance has ended
there. Efforts to accomplish grad
ual rehabilitation of the mothers
through spiritual and educational
means, in addition to financial aid,
have been lamentably lacking, and
the consequences have been disease,
more illegitimacy, lower morale and
hardship for the child.
10.7 Per Cent in 1887.
In his findings and conclusions,
Mr.. Lewis said:
I'm 1887 10.7 per cent of the total
registered births to District of Co.
lumbia residents were illegitimate.
The racial distribution of all births
was 50 per cent white, 81 per cent
Negro, and the distribution of lille
gitimate births disclosed 23.1 per
cent white and 1853 per cent Negro.
The high incidence of illegitimacy
among Negroes is evident after con-
trasting the low percentage of all
births with the large proportion of
illegitimate births.
Approximately one out of every
five births in Negro families was
illegitimate, whereas only one out of
every IS white births was so classi-
fed.
THE study of aid-to-dependent-
children families revealed that 21.4
per cent of the children under the
age of 16 were ileEitimate. Chill
dren of unmarried mothers comprise
s.9 per cent of all children and 1.6
per cent were illegitimate children
residing with relatives other than
the parents. The remaining 1879 per
cent were living with mothers who
were either married, separated, de-
serted or widowed.
The problem of illegitimacy was
present in As or 36 per cent of all
the Observation-Disclosures fam
lilies studied. The total number of
children in these families was 1874,
Of which SO were illegitimate. Twen-
ty-three families were composed of
both legitimate and illegitimate
children and % families or 176 per
cent of all studied families contained
nlegitimate only"
Mr.. Lewis said that of 484 cases
submitted to the Social Service Ex-
change for indentiflcation 479 per
cent had received services from some
private or public family assistance
organization.
Cites Ratios in Red.
THE financial burden attendant
upon childbirth is apparent from the
large proportion of families de-
pendent upon some type of sup
Elementary aid" he continued.
"Only 2s.2 per cent of the white
families requested assistance, where
As 1913 per cent of all colored child
bearing families required outside
support.
THE increased public dependency
Of mothers giving birth to children
out Of lawful wedlock is evidenced
by the fact that 500 per cent of
these mothers required public at
tention, while only 46.5 per cent of
the families having legitimate chill
dren were identified with welfare
institutions.
THE Central Admitting Bureau
TO the hospitals and the Instructive
Visiting Nurses Society extended
services most heavily demanded by
prospective maternity cases. In