Evening star., 1940-02-28

SA~
positively where he can be fitted int,
If he can be fitted into it at ALL
It he is "employable," that is, able
to perform any sort Of work what
ever, he will be turned awav from
general public relief offices and told
to 60 to w. P. A. CUnless his fam
lily is starving or about to be thrown
on the streets, In which case he will
be given emergency relief rating.)
Must Register for Job.
w. p. A. will not consider any ap-
plcant, however employable, unless
he has first registered with the
United States Employment Service
and sought private employment.
If the applicant is young or has
eligible children he may be referred
to the National Youth Administra-
ton or to the Civilian Conservation
Corps.
In special cases the applicant may
be sent to any one Of dozens Of
private welfare agencies. On his
own initiative he may 60 to all Of
the private agencies he can find
many persons do.
The point is that there is no CEN
trail clearing house for persons seek
ing public relief or work. They must
shop around until they have found
the best solution to their problem.
This is all right for the healthy, but
tough on the sick, the hungry, the
cold and the disheartened.
Qualification No Job Guarantee.
Then, If the applicant qualities for
w. P. A., there is no assurance that
he will get a job; there are hun
dreds on the waiting list. If he
qualities for relief he may be forced
to wait two weeks to a month or
more before he receives food or
money.
Should he get on w. p. A. his pay
will be meager. Should he get on
relief his family will have difnculty
keeping body and soul together.
This Is due as much to the District
public assistance ceiling as to limita-
ton of funds.
The ceiling, fixed in q terse para
graph Of the 1910 appropriation bill
for the District, sets out, in brief,
that for emergency relief q single
person may not receive more than
$24 q month, q family of two per-
sons not more than $50; for each
child under 16 q IS q month allow
ance is allowed SO long as the entire
family gets no more than $50 q
month; that not more than $50 q
month shall be paid to any one
person under the old-age assistance
or the aid to needy blind programs.
The limitations are easy to read.
But to figure out how a family Of
four can live in Washington on q
total Of $42 q month is something
else. Chats $50 for the man and
wife and IS each for two children.)
If $25 is allowed for rent and $25
for food there is already q budget
deficiency Of So q month. And noth-
ing has been said about clothing,
doctor bills, car fare to hunt work
and other non-luxury expenses that
might arise.
A large number Of families on re-
lief receive allowances below mini
mum budget requirements, accord
ing to q Public Assistance Division
survey made in January.
OF 1,143 families found to be with
out any income other than relief,
73l families, or "a per cent, received
less than this minimum budget.
Their budget deficiencies, in fact,
totaled $1,000 a month-S7,0 900 be-
low a bare subsistence estimate.
In this deficiency, multiplied in
families unable to get on relief or
w. p. A., lies the explanation to q
remarkable fact noted in q Labor
Department study of 20 urban areas
during 1898. Washington, it was
discovered. was at the bottom Of the
list In the proportion Of its public
welfare and health moneys expend-
ed for family welfare, the local per-
centage being 52.3, as compared with
q national urban average OF n per
cent. And not unreasonably, there
fore, Washington ranked ct the very
top of the roll in the proportion Of
welfare and health, funds expended
for hospital care, with 81 per cent,
as against national urban average
Of 1877 per cent.
Miss Bowling Explains.
This finding is In accord with the
observations Of Miss Gertrude H.
Bowling, executive director Of the
Instructive Visiting Nurse Society,
private, non-sectarian organiza-
ton which conducts Z program Of
bedside nursing IN patients homes.
Some two-thirds Of its work 10 with
indigents. Said Miss Bowling:
IAN inadequate family budget