Evening star., 1946-03-29
PiIkerfon Still Stands
On Audit Report Of
Welfare 'ChiseIers'

District Auditor A. r. Pilkerton
today is sticking by his report to q
House appropriations subcommittee
that 10 per cent of 400 relief cases
his Office studied are "chiselers''
despite determined argument to the
contrary by the Board of Public
Welfare.
Mr.. Pilkerton said yesterday his
Staff has rechecked the 80 cases in
which the welfare board charged
he was wrong and still stands on
his original findings. Welfare off,
cials admitted four of the 81 cases
originally cited by the auditors were
questionable.
The ,recheck showed an additional
eight Of the cases have been closed,
he said, and his findings still stand
in the remaining Is.
Denies He Wants Control.
At the same time Mr.. Pilkerton
vigorously denied he wanted or had
any administrative control over
relief administration. The Social
Security Board. which by law must
deal with q single responsible
agency, has raised the issue as to
whether the Welfare Board is really
completely In authority when a pre-
audit by Mr.. Pilkerton could hold
up relief payment.
The auditor readily admitted his
investigation for the House subcom-
mittee, completed last month dur
Ing consideration of the District
budget for 1947, was "meddling" in
relief administration but pointed
out that IN this single instance he
was simply carrying out the orders
Of the subcommittee. His regular
audits Of relief funds are solely to
ascertain that the record backs up
the expenditure to be made. He
said he does not go behind the rec
ord for this purpose.
Legislation going back to 1902
and even back to 1871 demands that
he audit all District funds and
countersign all checks, he said. AS
auditor he is bonded and to protect
than bond, the expenditures must
be preaudited to make certain they
are in order, he said. A postaudit
would not accomplish this protec-
ton, he explained. All District funds
are preaudited except the benefit
payments Of the District Unemploy-
ment Compensation Board.
Points to Words in BilI.
In addition, Mr.. Pilkerton said,
specific language in the District
appropriation bills annually since
1888 requires that he audit and ac-
count for the general relief money
paid out. The Welfare Board has
asked elimination of the language
and placing Of the accounting and
disbursing under a central business
Office of the board instead of under
the auditor.
If the 1888 language were re-
moved, Mr.. Pilkerton said, the re-
quirements of the previous laws
would still exist and require his
same auditing procedure.
In a strong report made public
Wednesday the Welfare Board made
a point by point reply to Mr.. Pix
erton's recommendations to the
House subcommittee. These recon-
included restoration Of
the 1943 relief payment ceilings re-
vised slightly upward, cutting down
on the administrative staff Of the
board, placing capable" admin
istrator in charge Of adult assist
ance, and Tightening residence re-
quirements in certain categories.
Dictaphone Operators.
Mr.. Pilkerton said yesterday the
Welfare Board was seeking addi-
tional dictaphone operators to bring
Its total to 20 but that his staff
had never seen more than five
working at any one time. He said
he asked an operator how far be-
hind they were in transcribing and
was told one to four months. He
said If five could do that, 10 should
bring them up to date and recon-
mended that the additional 10 po-
sitions be eliminated.
Meanwhile committee had been
appointed by the Commissioners to
study the question the Social Secur-
ity Board has raised and to report
what action IS needed to remedy
the situation. The District receives
on fund-matching basis
about $3.50 900 In Federal funds from
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