Evening star., 1945-05-17
Receiving Home
Figure Fixed
At t$285,o00
Coffee Announces
Sum Will Be Asked
In Funds Measure
By DON S. WARREN.

over the size and scope of services
to be rendered by the new receiving
home for children, Chairman COT.
fee of the House subcommittee now
writing the 1916 District appropria.
tion bill, announced today an item
3 of s285, 900 would be provided fol
early construction of the child care
institution.
His proposal brought immediate
support from Representative Stefan
Republican, of Nebraska, ranking
minority member of the Apprporia-
tions Subcommittee, and it seemed
sure the item would be recon-
mended for House approval.
Mr.. Coffee said he was confident
the District appropriations unit
would support the proposal, in view
of the known need for replacement
of the present misfit temporary
quarters.
Planning to Be Speeded.
The recommended fund, he said
would be coupled with directive to
District officials to proceed imme-
diately in drafting plans for the
new home, for which work Con-
gress last December provided $12,-
900 for architectural services. He
added he hoped construction could
begin at an early date.
About the same time today, mem
bers of the health subcommittee of
the House District Committee filed
with the Coffee group petition for
provision of generous funds for the
receiving home and other welfare
operations, in keeping with ar
rangements made yesterday. Rep
resentative Mcmillan, Democrat, of
South Carolina, chairman of the
legislative subcommittee, voiced
qualification over the decision of Mr..
Coffee, although the Mcmillan group
was on record for an item of more
than 100000 for the new receiving
home.
This will be big step forward" +"
said Mr.. Mcmillan, land once an
item for construction is included in
the supply bill, I am sure the House
and Senate can work out the final
figure to be appropriated"
Cost Figure Kept Down.
The figure presented by Mr.. Coffee
and his associates is in keeping with
the views of the Commissioners as to
size and cost rather than with the
views of members of the Board of
Public Welfare, who have been
seeking receiving home of greater
size, which would include space for
psychiatric, dental and other serv-
ices necessary in establishing a
classification center for District
child wards.
On this score Mr.. Coffee protested
today there was scarcity of "econ-
omy-minded" 4" people in the District
that almost all witnesses appears
Ing before his subcommittee wanted
increased funds for almost all city
operations. He warned that if
Congress did not watch expenses
the District would be faced, one of
these days, with the necessity of in
creaslng the real estate tax rate or
the adoption of sales tax.
He added he was tired of hear
Ing complaints" directed at Con-
gress for failing to provide funds
for needed services, and mentioned
particularly the issue of the receiv-
ing home.
Along this line Mr.. Stefan also
commented it is not the duty or
responsibility of Congress to per-
form administrative acts for the
District, that these were vested in
administrative officers of the Dis
trlct government. 1t is up to. them.
he said, to get together on concise,
definite programs and then to come
before the appropriation committees
OF Congress when they are ready
for funds.
mot Going to Run Government"
Mr.. Coffee said, in obvious refer
ence to the dispute between the
Commissioners and the Welfare
Board over the size of the new re-
celving home, "We can't take over
administrative duties and we are
not going to try to run the District
government.
Four members of the Health Sub
committee of the District Commit
tee today joined with Chairman
Mcmillan in a formal petition to
the Coffee Subcommittee for extra
personnel as well as construction
money for child-care agencies. to
take care OF what they called "criti-
cal needs of some of the institu-
tions. In addition to Chairman Nc
MILAN, those signing the document
were Representatives Smith of Vir-
ginia and Link of Illinois, Demo-
Gratis, and LIE Fevre of New York
and Beall of Maryland, Republicans
They said they would not 90 into
lengthy details because I'VE feel
that you are as fully aware of the
situation and as deeply sympathetic
to the needs as we are"
More Personnel Asked,
: The items which the legislative
group said it believed should be in
cluded in the 1916 supply bill were
listed as followS
/. $405,000 for the construction OF
the new receiving home, for which
a site has been obtained near Gal
laudet College and for which plans
money already has been appropri-
ated.v
2. $10.420 for six additional en-
ployes for the Industrial Home
School for Colored Children at Blue
Plains. These would include two
teachers, one nurse and two attend.
ants and a vocational teacher. The
Mcmillan group said these are nee
seSsary because the home was shor,
handed and that a large amount o1
overtime had been accrued. Also, II
was argued, two of the cottages
there will have to be closed in the
coming fiscal year unless extra helr
lis provided.
3. $82, 2,052 for hiring 36 additiona
case workers, supervisors and II
clerks, to permit better handling O.
the cases Of the children COMMITTED
to the Board of Public Welfare.
Il 4. $180,000 for studies and prepara.
tion of plans for the children's cen.
ter which the Welfare Board pro.
4n0caS Tn ho dcvoJono1 y,oor o,,raI