Evening star., 1942-06-14

panQ alQ 10 OepenOeQC CQllQren mere,
wants to be able to deal with a single
State agency.
The Commissioners have made
these complaints against the board:
!. It doesn't meet often enough.
2. It ducks controversial issues and
won't cooperate with the Commis-
sioners.
3. It doesn't visit enough the in
stitutions it supervises.
4. The Commissioners, not the
board, get blamed for anything
going wrong in the welfare admin
istration.
In support Of the plan to make
the board merely an advisory body.
it has been said that vocal ad-
visory board keeping close check on
the operation of the welfare system
and free to criticize not only the
Commissioners but also the welfare
personnel whenever standards were
permitted to slump, might be an
excellent way of keeping District
officials on their toes in this field.
1t is further pointed out that now
the board in speaking out would be
criticising itself since it is an ad-
ministrative agency. AS a general
proposition, the Social Security
Board has recommended an ad-
visory board to a welfare depart
ment as a good arrangement.
The Other Side.
In response to this position, the
welfare board, through the express
sions of several Of its members, has
taken the following stand:
/. Committees Of the board or the
board itself average better than q
meeting a week.
2. They are ready and willing to
cooperate with the Commissioners
if they can ever get to see them.
3. Welfare administration il
technical and professional in char
acter, requiring many months Of
participation before its techniques
can be learned and understood. The
Commissioners have not the time
to do this nor the qualifications to
deal with welfare without doing it.
T. The Commissioners are in for
short terms, which might make q
continuous welfare policy difncult
to maintain. Terms of board mem.
bers are staggered
S. The board represents the citi-
zens of the District in voteless
community which has no choice in
designating its government.
Those supporting the boards
point of view say the Commissioners
have never done anything to show
that they would administer welfare
any better than the board has done
and is doing AS matter of fact.
they add, this board OF Commits
sioners is completely unsympathetic
to public welfare particularly as it
affects relief and might be expected
simply to curtail rather than seek
to improve administration
Financial and Appointive Checks.
1t is pointed out that even II full
administrative authority is vested in
the welfare board rather than in
the Commissioners, the city heads
would still have two important
checks-their control Of the budget
estimates and their appointive pow.
er over the members of the board.
In addition. language in the Dis
trict budget calls for audit of public
assistance payments by the District
auditor. a representative Of the
Commissioners. who exercises cer-
tain supervision over this field. This
particular control irks the welfare
board, which contends that some
times its relief policies are deter
mined by the auditors Office and
that it should have its own account
ant.
The round-table conference
which will include Representative
Hunter. Democrat, Of Ohio, chair
man of the House District subcom-
mittee charged with looking into
the proposed bills expected to
produce the basis for further hear
tngs at the Capitol.