Evening star., 1945-04-30

IS Immediately
! Unlikely Due to War;
Pressing Need
workers there to equal union pay,
so that it would be possible to ind
the additional personnel to hire.
This Is a step that could be taken
by the House Appropriations Sub
committee, which begins hearings
Thursday on the 1916 District bud
get.
The lack of space in the homes,
forcing young children to be housed
along with older, more difncult chill
dren, cannot be finally solved until
the new homes are built. Additional
personnel would allow for better
segregation at the Industrial Home
for Colored Children at Blue Plains,
Nd, where there are two buildings
not In use. -
Possible Relief Seen.
Possible relief may come this sum-
mer for the Industrial Home School
for White Children, 2453 Wisconsin
avenue NV. and for the National
Training School for Girls. $500
Loughborough road NV. Congress
has appropriated 100000 to pur-
chase jolly Acres, near Laurel,
Md, where the National Training
School will be moved. Welfare on
cials are hoping al negotiations viii
be completed by early summer, and
by fall the buildings on the land
would be put into condition EfoR
their new occupants.
There is . possibility, however,
that there will be q long delay here.
The land Is now owned by the
Lutheran Inner Mission Society Of
Baltimore, and this society at the
beginning Of the negotiations asked
almost twice as much for the
land as, Congress has appropriated.
The question will be decided by jury
trial in the United States Court il
Baltimore, probably this month. II
the jury rules that the price of the
land is to be more than the $780,
900 appropriated, the Board of Pub
lie Welfare will be forced to return
to Congress for additional funds be-
fore the move can be made.
Providing, however, that the land
Is bought, and the move Is made,
the Industrial Home School is to be
moved to the present site of the Ma
tional Training School. While this
would allow for segregation, because
Of the building plan at the Train
ing School, the move also has its
disadvantages. The, Little Falls
road development has no land de-
velopments which the present In
dustrial Home site has-at Wiscon-
sin avenue there is q swimming
pool, tennis courts and large Vic
tory garden. \ =
Funds Appropriated.
Money has been appropriated to
put the present National Training
School buildings In shape for the
Industrial Home personnel. But
again, there viii be the dificulty
Of getting repair work done.
The process Of getting more and
better trained personnel is long
one. The present pay scale is too
low to attract adequately trained
persons for the jobs below those OF
the administrative grade. Such per-
sons can find satisfaction doing the
same type work In an institution
where working conditions are more
pleasant and wages higher. What is
needed IS immediate appropriation
for additional personnel, plus a
change in the civil service ratings
50 that salaries can be increased.
One other change that could be
made Immediately to alleviate the
personnel shortage is to insert in
the law providing for the homes
q statement permitting the use Of
volunteer workers. Welfare officials
tried this at one time, using college
students TO- lead recreational-work
groups, and found, 1t . satisfactory
stop-gap. It was discontinued, how
ever, when 1t was discovered to be
against the law. The law has never
been changed to allow for it., de-
spite the urgent need for more per-
sonnel.
As welfare oficials point out,
most Of the difficulties will be great
" alleviated by the end Of the war,
when the manpower and material
shortage win end. :.
Meanwhile, 80 boys continue to
1--we on the third noor Of building
declared . IRE trap; grade school,
age girls continue. to live with teen
age girls who. are confirmed sex
problems: 100 children Of varying
ages and degrees Of intelligence
continue to be ''educated" by three
teachers: plaster falls down, roofs
leak, rats and reaches multiply-in'
the homes where several hundred
District children are living and sun
posedly are being rehabilitated for
life as responsible citizens Of the
Nations Capital,