Evening star., 1944-03-29
Split
0nNewControI
0fD.C. Welfare
McReynoIds Denies
Negligence on Part
Of Board Members
BY DON S. WARREN.


Commissioners bill to take over the
administrative functions of the
Board of Public Welfare-some Of
which caused gasps Of surprise anc
others chuckles from the audience
were presented today to the House
District Subcommittee holding hear.
ings on the measure.
Some witnesses supported the bill
at least in general terms, while
others condemned it as a step to.
ward eventual abolition OF the board
which would deprive citizens of theil
direct representation in the welfare
management.
Commissioner Mason, who yester-
day voiced scathing denunciation
OF the failure" of the present sys-
tenn Of welfare management, today
stressed that the pending bill was
not perfect" and that the Commits
sioners want to keep the Welfare
Board actively in the picture
though it be stripped of its admin.
istration powers.
AS he described it, the board as
an advisory agency could serve a.
a listening post for the public ano
make its views known ''in a loud
voice" II necessary. The Commis-
sioners, he agreed, may need some
body to prod them"
McReynolds Denies Negligence.
Frederick w. McReynolds, who re-
Gently resigned as chairman of the
board in protest against the Com
missioners' reorganization plan, de-
MED fatty the board had been
negligent in visiting or inspecting
the institutions under it's care.
Considering that Welfare Board
members are busy, he said he
thought they have been pretty
faithful" He testified that he had
visited seven institutions, attended
four board meetings, five committee
meetings and two conferences in one
three month period of his service.
Rufus S. Lusk, president of the
Washington Taxpayers Association
urged adoption of the bill, declar-
ing that authority between the Com
missioners and the Welfare Board
now is so divided that the manage
ment Of the welfare problems lis
utterly stymied." There has been
more trouble over the Welfare
Boards work, he said, than in all
other District agencies combined.
He agreed that the Welfare Board
has a difficult problem-since its
work deals with trouble"
Declaring that centralization of
authority in the Commissioners
would be mighty important" and a
step toward greater efficiency. he
said If this bill is passed "it may be
a start to get others Of the 30-odd
independent or semi indie pendent
boards under the control of the
Commissioners"
Mr.. Lusk agreed with Mr.. McRey-
nolds and others that it was "amaz-
ing" that the District gets good
work from so many small-salaried
workers in the welfare setup. It
might save the taxpayers money, he
suggested, to spend more on salaries
and get more competent help.
Newcomb TOO Active"
Edward j. Newcomb, a member of
the Welfare Board from 1926 to 1928
told the subcommittee Il was SO
active that I could not be reap
pointed-the Commissioners told me
that was the reason"
A suggestion that the Welfare
Board should be given more, instead
OF less, power was advanced by Mr.,
at the end of yester-
days hearing.
He declared the Commissioners
would not have time to administer
the welfare and correctional pro-
grams, and suggested that the We'll
fare Board be given enlarged DOW
ers and responsibilities, more like
the Board of Education, which is
subordinate to the city heads only
as to budgets and accounting.
Obviously replying to an earlier
statement by Commissioner Mason
that the welfare program had been
run on a "hit-or-m miss basis, and
was out Of date by three dec
ades, Mr.. McReynolds-who had re-
signed In protest against the Com
reorganization plan
said the welfare institutions "are
not as bad as has been painted"
though agreeing they were "far
from perfect"