Evening star., 1943-03-28
Removal or Increase
In Relief Ceilings
Is Urged by Mahon
House Member Declares
Top Is Inadequate;
Promises Action
BY CAMBRIDGE CRIsT.

BY BAINBRIDGE CRIsT.
Removal or an increase in the
ceilings which have been imposed
In recent years on all types of public
assistance in the District by appro.
priation acts-a bone of contention
between the Commissioners and vel.
fare officials and Congress-will be
recommended by Chairman Mahon
OF a House subcommittee on appro-
prlations, 1t was learned last night
Although Mr. Mahon said he had
not taken the matter up with the
committee yet. he added he would
recommend that the ceilings. first
set by Congress in the Appropriation
Act for the fiscal year of 1910, be re-
moved or revised upward.
Ceilings Inadequate"
The ceilings are inadequate as
they are now" MI. Mahon declared.
I'VE are going to do something
about them"
Before the Appropriation Act OF
l940 limitations had applied only to
those beneflting under the home
care program of the Public Assist
ance Division of the Board Of Public
Welfare In July of 1889, however,
the following monthly ceilings be-
came effective for all types OF as
sistance administered by the divi-
sion
The maximum allowed for one
person in general public assistance
is S24; for family of two persons.
$50: for each person in excess of
that number and under 16 years Of
age, Sc, but not more than $50 for
any one family For home care the
amounts range from $50 to $50; old
age assistance is limited to $50 and
aid to the blind to $40.
Welfare officials point out that
these ceilings have remained despite
the fact that figures from Bureau
of Labor Statistics of the Depart
ment of Labor-which are the Off
clal figures for computing the cost
of living-show that the over-a il
cost of living has increased q per
cent from 1889 until the present.
Food has gone up AZ per cent, these
officials add, while rents have re-
manned stationary.
Other Aid Given.
In the past, the situation has been
eased somewhat by the distribution
of surplus commodities available to
20, ~ 1iof r. l.
that in 1912 families received about
$40 worth of such goods. Through
the sale of milk at cents a quart
and the distribution of processed
clothes from the Works Progress
Administration an additional s5 a
month was received.
This helped in the past. Now
however, welfare officials point out
that the distribution of surplus
commodities probably will be dis
continued by summer, because there
WILL be no surplus commodities.
The milk program has been stopped
and the WPA liquidated. In terms
OF goods and savings, each family
has lost about $40 to SIS a month
The surplus food program was
carried out by the Department Of
Agriculture through the Public As
slstance Division. The WPA, which
was discontinued on December 81
1912. was making 5000 to 10000
items Of clothing a month. The
milk program of 5 cents quart,
which ended in August of last YEAR
was stopped as the milk companies
were unable to continue with the
program because of the diminishing
supply.
Morris Zelditch, general superin-
tendent of the Public Assistance Di-
vision, said that If we take the | 200
cases of PAD who received SIS a
month, it means $4,000 a month
that Is no longer available. Sur
plus commodities in existence have
been sharply reduced and it is al
together likely that there will be
no program At the end of the year
because there will be no surplus" "
Private Aid Cut.
Welfare officials say that private
sgencies-such as Family Service,
Jewish Social Service Agency. Saliva
tton Army and Catholic Charities.
which receive funds from the Com
munity Chest, do not have sufficient
funds to extend additional help to
all those on relief who need it.
Mr Zelditch estimated that only
about so or so cases of the $500 re-
ceivlrg aid from the Public As
slstanCe Division are getting supple
mental aid from private social
agencies. These $500 include 3,400
aged with an average age of IA .
300 blind, 900 families of children
without any support and 1900 sick
and helpless families.
There are practically no more
'employables' on assistance except
during short periods. as in the case
of Illness he added.
The four agencies do not begin
to take care Of all the extras" Nh
Zelditch said. seventy two per cent
of all public assistance cases are
receiving the maximum allowed by
Iil'-- IA anu wv EJNI " nv ll'N I nv
other income Whatever.'
Hundreds Suffering.
Although welfare workers believe.
therefore, that several hundred per-
sons on relief are suffering from
lack of adequate financial assist
ance, the Board Of Public Welfare
turned in an meXpended balance
of about 100000 last year. The in
dicatlons are that the uneXpended
balance for all categories this year
will be larger by the end Of the fiscal
year. June 30.
In report prepared last year by
the Public Assistance Committee of
the local chapter of the American
Association Of Social Workers. it
was found that low income fam
lilies living in large cities usually
spend about Is per cent of their
total income for rent, whereas IN the
District of Columbia families re-
ceiving public assistance spend on