Evening star., 1944-04-18
BY DON S. WARREN.

program Of the District. has been
operated on 'haphazard basis
Jumping from expedient to expedi-
ent" was voiced today by Repre-
sentative Rowe, Republican, of Ohio
membre of the House District Sub
committee considering how mu-
nicipal welfare agencies and services
should be controlled.
After parade of agency officials
had painted for the D'Alesandre
subcommittee drab pictures of lack
of proper facilities, lack of trained
help, inadequate salaries ano
changes in programs, Mr.. Rowe de-
clared:
Il sense willingness on the part
of the agencies to do good job, but
there is constant interference some
where. The trouble is the whole
public welfare program is on a hap
hazard basis. We are jumping from
expedient to expedient. And II
would seem more money is spent or
flowers and good streets than or
human beings and that is not con-
SlStcIlt WIFI pTOSTeSS.
Mason Blames System.
Commissioner Mason interjecteo
that tits the system that is al
fault, not the individuals involved
Mr.. Rowe added that he felt "some
one has slept on the job" The Dis
trict, he said, has spent lavish sums
of money" for the operation of Its
welfare agencies "and yet the testi-
mony of all these officials is that the
institutions are inadequate, poorly
suited to the purpose. There is
something wrong somewhere.
Heads of most of the District vel.
fare agencies and services testified
today before the subcommittee
headed by Representative D'Alesan-
dro, Democrat, of Maryland, az
hearings were resumed on the bill
sponsored by the Commissioners tt
strip the Board of Public Welfare
of its administrative powers ane
centralize them in the Commis.
sioners. Before the subcommitte,
now are counterproposals to cen
tralize welfare powers, except bulge
control, In the Welfare Board.
Rover Report Submitted.
Commissioner Mason also sub.
mitted copy of the Rover Com.
mittee report on the penal institu.
tions, which recommends that the
penal and correction institutions be
put under the control of a separate
penal commission. Chairman
D'AleSandro had the report inserted
in the record of the hearings.
Otto j. Cass, superintendent ol
the Home for the Aged and Infirm
and DR.. James Lewald. head of the
District Training School for Feeble
minded, told the committee theil
institutions had been visited infre.
quently by members of the Welfare
Board. Mr.. Cass said he had beer
head of the Blue Plains Home fol-
the Aged year before ito my
knowledge" any member of the
board paid visit.
Later, after Mrs. Roosevelt anc
Mr., D'Alesandro had inspected the
home and demanded improvements
he said, there were more boarc
member visits. A. J. Driscoll, he
said, was the exception-makins
frequent inspections, during which
he checked on me and my work a.
we'll as on the institution"
Under questioning by Mr.. Rowe
Mr.. Cass said he believed there ha
been too much decentralization o.
authority" over District institutions
When he served earlier as head o.
the public assistance division, he hac
but few" conferences with Welfare
Board" members, though at thai
time the District outlay for relief
he said, was at its peak.
Mrs. Hasley Defends Board.
Mrs. John Hasley, herself mem.
Der of the board, declared member!
were a sincere, hard-working grour
who were making whole hearted
effort.' Denying reports about "fev
members attending board meetings
which Mr.. D'Alesandro said he hae
received from Welfare Director Ray
l.. Huff, Mrs. Hasley said she hac
never attended a meeting where 6
lquorum was lacking.
Daniel Ahern, head of the Indus.
trial Home School for white chill.
dren, said conditions there were
horrible"
The location is bad, he said, beins
near drugstores, liquor stores anc
streetcars for ready transportation
One OF the buildings, he added, il
lib years old, with stairs and othel
portions condemned by the Distric
building inspector. There is lacl
of properly trained help, facilitie
for proper segregation of differen
types of inmates, he continued. It
program and housing, he declared
needs general rejuvenation and re
planning"
Commissioner Mason, absolvin,
Mr.. Ahern of responsibility, said h
had done "a marvellous job unde
the circumstances" and Commits
sioner Young explained money hat
not been spent for improvement
'ilSAC oAiiSS CIlC 4SdNy 10 lcQulIull
the District to vacate the Wisconsin
avenue site. When Mr.. Mason salt
it would be necessary to adopt an
other expedient now because o
present priorities on building, MI
Rowe insisted that these expedi
ents are far more costly than doin.
the job right"
School Filled to Capacity.
DIR. Lewald emphasized that tn
District Training School always i
i. filled to capacity and that condi
tions are made worse by lack O
arrangements for segregation o
cases. He explained the inmate
ranged in age from infancy to oil
age. He declared there should b.
added large number of small unit
to permit separation of cases by age
sex and of the delinquent types from
the nondelinquent.
I'VE have behavior problem t,
: deal with" he said
!, When Claude o. Botkin,. superin
tendent of Lorton Reformatory, pro
! tested that salaries for Lorton off
Icials were heloW the lavels of thns