Evening star., 1946-03-08
Mrs. Meyer Hits
Welfare B Board
0nChi|dCare
Says Group Ignored
Advice on PIons
For Receiving Home
BY Don S. Warren

" 6ou ,. VoTTeH
Attacking the Board of Public
Welfare for ignoring and defying"
the advice of child-care specialists,
Mrs. Eugene Meyer, wife Of the
publisher Of the Washington Post,
today renewed the fight for adop-
ton of different set Of plans for
the proposed Receiving Home for
Childreh.
One of the first witnesses to testify
at the Citizens day" session before
the Coffee subcommittee of the
House Appropriations Committee on
next years budget, Mrs. Meyer
characterized the plans Of the We'll
fare Board adopted yesterday by the
Commissioners as wicked
She submitted an alternative plan
under which delinquent children
would be housed separately from de-
pendent children. The plans were
prepared at her request by the Dis
trict Engineer Department.
Project Called Impossible.
She stressed the fact that neither
she nor the IA private welfare or
ganizations she has represented in
the long fight over the receiving
home had yet had time to study
the new plans which were received
last night.
Insisting there should be an en-
tirely different plan for the agency
than the one adopted, she pre-
dicted it would be impossible to
build the enormous and wholly
inappropriate" structure proposed
by the Welfare Board within the
allotted appropriation of s285 900.
In that case the present plans would
have to be thrown out and new
ones substituted, she said, suggest
ing there still was a chance for a
different building scheme.
The present plans, she continued,
not only are unsuitable, "but a seri-
Gus menace to the well-being Of
our dependent and delinquent chill
dren." She maintained the build
ing was too large and added that
as soon as you have a big home,
it is filled. Representative Stefan.
of Nebraska agreed
that great effort should be made
to reduce the length of stay Of
children at the receiving home.
Claims Advice Ignored.
Mrs. Meyer, a representative Of
the Child Welfare League of Amer
lea, declared, THE Welfare Board
can be excused for its ignorance
OF proper child care, because its
members are not professional people,
but it cannot be excused for ignoring
and defying the advice of the coun-
Ty's greatest experts on detention
care.
"The Welfare Board" she said,
took the attitude that it needed no
advice from anybody. That, gentle
men, is inexcusably provincial and
even irresponsible, when we con-
slider that little children will pay
the price for this lack of OPEN
mindedness."
Revised plans proposed by Mrs.
Meyer would house 68 children in
stead Of 96. She explained the lesser
number still would be 18 more than
the maximum space needed for
children held at any one time for
Juvenile Court.
The witness said the proposed SUBJ
stltute plans may involve a some
what higher capital outlay, but
would enable qualified staff to op-
crate efficiently.
Praised for Efforts.
Both Chairman Coffee, and Mr..
Stefan lauded her for the time and
effort she has devoted to the prob
lem of dependent and delinquent
children. They gave no immediate
indication of whether they would
ask the Commissioners to hold up
award of contract for the building as
now planned.
Another witness was Mrs. r. H,
Dwan, representing the Voteless D.
c. League of Women Voters, who
recommended that the subcommit-
tee approve, and even increase the
original estimates of the Welfare
Board, especially those dealing with
public assistance, and care of chill
dren.
These include requests for numer-
Gus additional employees, which she
contended were necessary to reduce
the case-work load of the boards
staff. The boards request had been
cut by the Commissioners.
Church Group to Appear.
A delegation representing the
Washington Federation of Churches
is scheduled to appear at 2 pm. to
request major improvements in child
welfare institutions.
Federation spokeSmen said a five
month survey has disclosed zap
palling" conditions in District child
institutions and that the facts will
be presented to the committee. The
federation will give full support to
the 1947 budget requests of the
Welfare Board.
A plea for an appropriation of
STAT 300 for long list of improve
ments for Western High School was
presented today by Henry H. Sur
face, representing the Western
Home and School Association. and
other citizens of the area. Congress
has appropriated money for plans
for the Improvements, but Walter L.
Fowler, budget officer, said the
Western High improvements had to
be postponed for lack of sufficient
funds.
Mrs. Arliss A. Davis, representing
the Citizens Association of River
Terrace, submitted a statement
urging numerous improvements in
schools and school services in North
east Washington. She especially
asked for funds for construction of
an elementary school in River Ter
race.
Chairman Coffee said he hoped
to conclude the hearings today and
plans to call his group back into
session perhaps late next week to
begin the mark up which he
believes will include a considerable
bit of pruning.
RiverdoIe Mon Pays Sl00