Evening star., 1943-06-06
Citizens Associations
Adopt I Resolutions
At Last Spring Meet
1ndorse Child Care Plan;
Oppose Senate Bill to
End Police Majors Office

In its final meeting of the spring
the Federation of Citizens Asso-
Citations last night took action on
seven far-reaching civic problems.
Its major decisions were:
l. To ask that the Commissioners
request IAN adequate amount" in the
District appropriation for continu-
ance of the housekeeping aid project.
2. To request the Commissioners
to appoint "co-ordinating council
for continuous course of action
to handle problems related to jul
venile delinquency.
3. To oppose a bill TO transfer
authority now vested in the Board
of Public Welfare to the Board of
Commissioners by establishing de-
partment of public welfare.
a. To support the so-called baby
broker" bill for control of adoption
OF children.
Opposes Curfew Proposal.
5. To reject motion of its first
vice president that it support
curfew for the District and to per-
NIT its Committee on Juvenile De-
linquency further time to study the
question.
s. To indorse the child-care pro-
gram for the District as outlined
by Miss Dorothy Pearce, District
day-care director.
7. To oppose a Senate bill to
abolish the Office of major and su-
perintendent of police and providing
for the appointment of a police
commissioner in his place.
Praised Aide Program.
The action in favor of continuing
the housekeeping aide program,
started five years ago as WPA
program, came after Mrs Harold N.
Marsh, chairman of the board of the
project, outlined its work She eX-
planned that with the ending of the
WPA, the project has been supported
since March 80 by friends of the
project
During its existence, Mrs. Marsh
said the program had trained 356
white and colored women in house
hold arts. cooking, laundering and
simple care of children in order to
aid poor sick people and children.
Those trained have given 74,07O days
service and served 1850 families, she
said. Mrs. Marsh listed four reasons
for asking for support: One, that it
would help sick women too poor to
pay for help; two. that it Woud re-
lieve overcrowded hospitals: three,
that it would mean keeping chill
dren in the home in cases Of where
parents might otherwise have to
board them out, and, four, that It
would save the District money in
disqualification and child care costs.
Urge War on Delinquency.
Monte Sanger of the Public We'll
fare Committee told the delegates
that if the project, which is to be
known as the Family Health Aides.
were carried out under the Board
of Public Welfare, the requested
appropriation of s35 900 could be cut
to approximately 100000 The ac
tual motion to support the program
came from the Rev. Harry Porter,
president of the Southwest Citizens
Association.
Presented by Miss NJ. Virginia
ONeil. chairman Of the Subcommlt-
tee on Juvenile Delinquency OF the
Public Welfare Committee, a report
approved by the Federation called
upon the Commissioners to appoint
a council to work on problems OF
Juvenile delinquency. The pro-
posed council would include repre-
sentatives of the schools. Board OF
Public Welfare, Women's Bureau.
police, Juvenile Court. Community
Chest, churches. Recreation Board
and the Federation of Citizens and
Civic Associations.
Approves Baby Broker Bill.
The report also recommended that
parents make every effort to main
tain wholesome contacts with their
children" that recreatlOnal faclll-
ties be expanded and survey made
10 see if certain streets can be
closed off for community games and
dances: that more psyChiatric SerV-
ice be made available for children,
and that plans include "opportuni-
ties to do some useful work which
give them young personsp RESPONSE
bilitV
On the baby broker bill. Mrs /
Olive G. FairCloth, reporting for the
Public Welfare Committee. declared
that there is a serious need for a
10 i,, ct,.ic
garding the regulation of placing
children in family homes for adop-
ton
The proposal for a curfew which
specified no age or hour, came from
Walter F. WasSOn, first vice presl-
dent, as a substitute for the recon-
mendation of Miss ONeil that her
group be given further time to study
the problem. John S. Gorren of
Burleith objected, declaring that
education WAS more important than
laws in the matter and added:
Give them young people an op-
portunity to do what they should
do
Study Powers Bill.
The Law and Legislation Commit
tee. through Chairman James
Crooks, reported that subcom-
mittee had been named to study
the Hebert bill to extend the powers
of the Commissioners. On recon-
mendation of the committee, the
federation backed bill to provide
for the right to redeem real prop
erty sold for non payment of taxes
in which no deed has been granted
within five years from the date of
sale.
Other action taken included a
demand that pupils who live out
side the District but attend District
schools pay tuition and that when
the war is over a Junior high school
be erected on the land level at
Pennsylvania avenue between Thir-
tieth and Thirty-first streets Sc.
WLB Grants 10 Pct. Raise