Evening star., 1943-01-09
WeIfareAide
Will Resign
On Monday
Van Hyning Takes
FSA Position in
Caribbean Area

The resignation of Conrad Van
Hyning, director of the Board of
Public Welfare since 1941 and
chief of the OCD division of ci-
william mobilization, will be sub
mitted to the Board of District
Commissioners on Monday, Com
missioner Guy Mason announced
today.
Mr.. Van Hyning, who said he was
resigning because he wanted "a posi-
ton more directly connected with
the war effort" said he was taking
a post with the Office of Defense
Health and Welfare Services of the
Federal Security Agency in the
Caribbean area. He will start on the
new job Immediately after his resig-
nation becomes effective in about a
month.
Commissioner Mason, who said he
would move the acceptance Of the
resignation, said he was reluctant to
see Mr.. Van Hyning leave his post
1T is my personal observation
dllSl 10 llOIlGllo SoliAiiAA7piOiAN4
that he has been the only trained
director of welfare We have ever
had" Mr.. Mason said. His resjg-
nation will be a severe loss to the
work inaugurated by him. We will
miss his fine service,
II wish him all the luck in the
world in his new undertaking, y
Moe Added
Resignation Termed Sudden"
Asked about a successor to Mr..
Van Hyning, Mr.. Mason said he had
nobody in mind. It's too sudden"
Explaining his new position with
the FSA, Mr.. Van Hyning said it
would include work in the field of
public health, welfare. recreation in
Army posts, venereal disease control
nutrition and feeding programs and
general improvement of conditions
in areas for which this country is
responsible. These areas, he said,
include Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, Panama Canal Zone and
property In Trinidad and other parts
of the Caribbean.
Mr.. Van Hyning said his head
quarters might be in Puerto Rico,
where he would probably take his
wife and three children. He said
he would start in on the new work
without vacation"
Came Here in 1910.
The retiring welfare director came
to the District as principal assist
ant welfare director in June, 1910,
after many years experience in
public welfare, relief and institu
tional work. His special job was
to supervise District welfare insti-
tutions.
He succeeded Robert E. Bondy as
welfare director in August, l94l,
later. taking over Mr., Bondy's
civilian defense responsibilities.
Never an easy post, the job Of
welfare director was further COM
plicated by the controversy between
the Welfare Board and the Com
missioners over control of welfare
administration. Mr.. Van Hyning's
appointment was compromise be-
tween the Commissioners and the
Board of Public Welfare, each of
whom had other candidates in
mind for the job.
Mr.. Van Hyning's duties. how
ever, we're not limited to welfare
matters. AS chief of the civilian
y,,Nt-i1iuntf0yo Gi,ricJ1t, hn
sponsible for day care, war hospi-
tality, nutrition, consumer educa-
ton, war transportation, victory
gardens. health planning. housing,
the volunteer block organization,
family security and a number of
other "home front" activities.
His principal problems along this
line have been provisions of day
care for the children of working
mothers, lack of public interest in
the protective aspects of civil
ian defense and lack of funds, ac-
cording to his associates.
Civilian defense officials until re-
Gently were inclined to put the major
emphasis on the protective services
and funds under the Blackout Act
were restricted to protection of life
and property. The division has been
operating under emergency funds
from the Community War Fund,
pending an amendment to the
Blackout Act on which the Commis-
sioners, it was said, already have
agreed.
Presented Revamp Plan.
In the wake of congressional criti-
cism of the Home for the Aged and
1nhrm at Blue Plains and the Re-
ceiving Home for Children, Mr.. Van
Hyning concentrated on revision of
the setup at both institutions.
He has also presented a plan for
reorganization of the administra-
tive setup of public welfare, which
has not yet been acted on, and
worked to improve the personnel
standards of the welfare depart
ment.
Before coming to Washington,
the 42year -old welfare director
was welfare director at Winston
Salem, N. c.: assistant executive
director of the temporary relief
administration of New York State,
of which Harry Hopkins was di-
rector; commissioner of social well
fare in Florida and executive di-
rector of the Children's Service
Center at Wilkes-Barre, Pa, where
he was responsible for the construc-
ton of a new childrens institution
and the amalgamation of the serv-
ices of several organizations.
Church Federation Active
NJ AZ