Evening star., 1942-05-10
Welfare Board
Fights Changes
In '43Budget
Opposes Restoration
Of Ceilings on
Relief Payments

kelier r0ymentS
The Board of Public Welfare will
hold a special meeting at 10 am.
tomorrow followed by a conference
with the Commissioners at II am.
to combat two House changes in
the 1943 welfare budget now before
the Senate.
These are the elimination Of the
post of principal assistant director
of public welfare, now held by Miss
Gay B. Shepperson, and the resto-
ration of ceilings" on relief pay
ments.
Welfare Director Conrad Van
Hyning said yesterday both changes
were made by the House Appropria-
tions Committee and not by the city
heads.
For years welfare officials have
been limited in their relief pay
ments by arbitrary ceilings inserted
in the annual appropriation bills.
They have fought vigorously to have
them removed and last fall the
Commissioners agreed for the first
time to remove the language, but
the House reinstated it.
$50 Monthly Maximum.
The ceilings as they apply to the
1000 cases receiving public assist
ance are s24 month for one person,
$6 month for each additional
member Of the family, with maxi
mum of $50 a month for any family.
In addition, about $500 cases receiv-
ing old-age relief would be limited
to $50 month instead Of the $40
they could get. About 1000 cases Of
home care for dependent children
are limited to $50 for the first two
children per month and s6 for each
additional, instead of unlimited aid
permitted by social security stand
ards.
Declaring that the arbitrary lin
its make it impossible to provide
relief on a basis of need, Mr.. Van
Hyning said the problem is even
more acute now with the rising costs
OF food and rent.
1T is not fair or decent" he said
ITO compel these people to live on
an allowance of $40 in the city of
washington. The most economical
and intelligent manager that could
be found could not make $40 SUD.
port decently family of four per-
sons"
Penalizes Large Families.
The welfare director added that
the system penalties large families
by setting a maximum which leaves
no provision for families Of more
than seven. It also discriminates.
he said. against families. with no
other income. In most Instances
the present allowances are used
largely for rent.
1T Is absolutely unnecessary to
control relief allowances to individ-
ual families by legislation" Mr.. Van
Hyning said, adding that he knew
of no other Jurisdictions where such
ceilings were similarly imposed.
Control should be exercised, he said,
on a budgetary basis, limiting ex-
penditures to so much for rent, so
much Tor food, etc.
In connection with Miss Shep.
persons $500 position, eliminated
by the House because the post il
mot discharging the duties" for
which it was created, Mr.. Van Hyn-
ing admitted that her work did not
conform to the letter of the Job
outlined in the 1941 appropriation
bill, but insisted the results sought
by the committee creating the job
were being accomplished through
better distribution of work.
Responsible for Children.
The original purpose of the job
was to provide IAN officer who will
devote his entire time to the inspec-
ton and administration of the pub
lie welfare institutions of the Dis
trlct which will be under his i'm
mediate supervision and for which
he will be responsible" Mr.. Van
Hyning was the first to hold the
position.
Since Miss Shepperson assumed
the post, she has been charged with
responsibility for the various chill
dren's institutions, including the
National Training School for Girls,
the District Training School at
Laurel, the Industrial Home School,
the Industrial Home School for COL
ored and the Receiving Home.
Mr.. Van Hyning retained respon-
sibility for the Home for the Aged
and Inflrm and Ray L. Huff for the
penal institutions. The welfare di-
rector said he doubted if the orig
inal intent of Congress had been
that the penal institutions should
be included under the responsibility
of the principal assistant.
The present division of duties, he
said. was worked out by the Board
of Public Welfare after study and
was approved by the Commissioners.