Evening star., 1944-05-03
Huff Questioned
|0n Reforrnatory
|ByHouse Group
| Will Be Recalled
For Further Reply
To Warren Charges
BY DON s. WARREN.

BY DON s. WARREN.
Welfare Director Ray L. Huff to-
day was questioned by members of
the House Appropriations Subcom-
mittee handling the 1945 District
budget on charges relating to the
of the Lorton Re-
formatory made recently by Con-
troller General Lindsay G. Warren.
Chairman Coffee of the subcom-
mittee said the Controller Generals
complaints and answers made By
MIR. Huff In report to the Commis-
sioners had been inserted in the rec
ord OF the hearings, but that the
subcommittee had not yet finished
with the matter.
Later In the hearings, Mr.. Coffee
said, Mr. Huff would be recalled to
give subcommittee members an op-
portunity to 60 into the complaints
and the answers in detail.
Two Jobs Cited.
The Controller Generals COM
plants turned on the fact that Mr.,
Huff was holding two full time Jobs.
that of general superintendent of
penal institutions as we'll as welfare
director. He had been penal director
before his elevation to welfare di-
rector and was permitted to carry
on because members Of the board
had difficulty finding an available
and qualified man to direct penal in
stitutions.
MIR. Warren complained that Mr.,
Huff, living in the superintendent
quarters at Lorton, was paying less
rent than it cost the District to heat
1t and had bought 334 pounds of
ham through the Institutions COM
missary for his own use. There
Ialso was complaint of his using
gasoline to drive daily between
Lorton and the Municipal Center
Building here, and numerous other
objections were recited in a fine
combing of expenses of Lorton. De-
tailed replies were made by Mr.,
HUFF to each of the controller gen.
erals complaints.
Testimony Taken on Requests.
During this mornings session the
subcommittee also took testimony on
requests for the industrial home
schools, the receiving home for chill
dren and for the operation of the
workhouse and reformatory.
While discussing the penal insti-
tutions the subcommittee called for
reasons why appropriations for the
workhouse and reformatory could
not be reduced.
The remainder of the welfare in
stitutions were expected to be cov-
cred later in the day.
| These and other welfare institu.
tions have been denounced by Cap
itol Hill and other investigating
groups as out of date in plan, fa-
Icilities or stating, and a lively in
terest in them has been displayed
by subcommittee members, though
agreeing the war has delayed COR
receive measures.
Just recently the Receiving Home
was transferred from its earlier
make-shift quarters on Potomac
avenue Sc, originally built as an
apartment house, to one of the
buildings of the National Training
School for Girls.
New Home Site Plans.
The appropriations subcommittee
yesterday was told of plans for pur-
chase of a site for new home near
Gallaudet College on New York
lavenue NE. The District already
has received an appropriation Of
about $121,000 for a new structure,
which has been delayed by war con-
ditions.
Considerable attention was de-
voted at yesterday afternoons ses-
sion to the needs of the children's
foster care service of the District.
Because of higher living costs, Dis
trict officials urged approval of an
additional $4,000 for board and
care the child wards, to raise the
total to $340, 900 for next year.
Mr.. Huff yesterday submitted to
Chairman Coffee the results of COM
parative cost studies on relief out
lays by the District and other cities
Of comparable size. to show that out
lays here are relatively low
Figures Cited.
His report showed the District
was the lowest among 16 cities as to
the number of persons per thousand
population over IS years of age re-
ceiving old-age relief was next to
the lowest in listing of six cities
as to the number per thousand re-
ceiving aid to dependent-children
grants, and the lowest of IA cities
as to the number of persons per
100000 receiving general public as
sistance.
The District ranked 14th of a
list of 16 cities as to the an
nual expenditures per inhabitant
for old-age assistance; had the same
ranking as to annual expenditures
per inhabitant for aid to dependent
children, and ranked lowest among
IA cities as to expenditures per in
habitant for general relief.
AS to payment per case, the Dis
tr'ct ranked ninth out of Is cities
for old-age assistance; ninth out OF
Is cities for aid to dependent chill
dren and eighth out of IA cities for