Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-06-08
Welfare Board
To ( Fight Relief
Cut Tomorrow
House Group to Hear
Plea for Fund to BoJ
/ 20 Per Cent Slash
By HoroId B. Rogers


grants here next fall. Such a cut
would affect more than 10000
persons on relief.
But as Public Welfare officials
prepared to discuss the issue with
the District subcommittee of the
House Appropriations Committee in
closed session at 10 am, Subcom-
nittee Chairman Koran declared
last night that an increase in pub
lie assistance could not be justified.
Raymond F. Clapp, actir g public
welfare director, insisted that the
appropriation estimate now before
the Koran subcommittee was totally
inadequate. He declared the pres
ent subsistence level for relief
clients is based on 1912 cost of
living and should be increased.
Koran Aims at Cut.
Long critic of public welfare adj
ministration here. Mr.. Koran in
dicated that he hopes to reduce ap-
preparations for that purpose.
Wen have to look at welfare"
he said last night. 'in terms not
only of the disability of the indi-
vidual, but in terms OF the general
economy of the country.
I'VE can't have drones in our So
ciety.
I'm view of the general economic
conditions around Washington, I
Just don't see any justification for
an increase in relief funds"
Clapp Explains Need.
Need for more relief money, Mr..
Clapp argued, results from the in
crease in the number of persons on
relief. This is due, he explained, to
reduction in employment here after
the war and the cutoff Of allot-
ments which former servicemen sent
home.
The number Of persons on relief
dropped from the prewar years to
a low point near the end of the
war, but has risen sharply since,
Mr.. Clapp reported. Figures from
the Board of Public Welfare As
sistance Division show that total
persons on relief fell from 12,50l
in 1912 to 6,211 in 1945, but will rise
to an estimated 1890 in the COM
ing fiscal year beginning July /.
The estimate of $1,999,470 now
pending in the District budget be-
fore the Koran subcommittee is
sufficient to aid only 1895 persons,
Mr.. Clapp pointed out.
Relief Payments to Be Increased.
To help people on relief under the
present increased cost of living, he
said, the Welfare Board recently
established a new budget plan call
ing for higher payments. But this
has not yet been put into effect, for
lack of sufficient funds.
What people need under the new
"yardstick," he will contend before
the Koran subcommittee, is boost
Of the 1899, 470 item to S3,1l7,l20
for an increase of $1,117,650.
This new figure still would be less
than the welfare board requested
in presenting its budget to the Dis
trict Commissioners about year
ago Then the board asked for 81
100000. But because the Commits
sioners cannot plan to spend more
than the city's revenues. it was cut
back to the 81 ,999.470 submitted by
President Truman to Congress.
- To keep relief clients on their in
adequate 1912 scale, a 100000 addi-
ton to the budget item now pending
is necessary, Mr.. Clapp said.
See 20 Per Cent Cut.
But If the present item goes
through, every one on relief will
have their present funds cut by 20
per cent, Mr.. Clapp insisted.
A cut of 20 per cent was made last
March. it was recalled, when District
funds ran low. Congress granted a
supplemental appropriation of $685.
900, however, which enabled the
board to restore that cut, for the re-
mainder of this fiscal year ending
June 80.
The number of family cases on
relief is estimated to increase from
the present budget figure of 1,040 to
the new estimate of $50. and the
number of one-person cases now at
$500 in the budget would rise to
1920 under the revised estimate for
l948, an increase of $40 cases.
The 20 per cent cut would not be
put into effect at the beginning of
the new fiscal year, July l, Mr.. Clapp
said, but probably would start about
September /. unless Congress grants
more money.
Threat Disclosed at Hearing.
The threat of such a reduction was
disclosed by Mr.. Clapp yesterday
morning at hearing before the
Cooper subcommittee of the Senate
District Committee, during cons L.
Grafton of a bill to extend the pro-
gram for day care of the children
OF working mothers for another wear,
to July /. 1888
Senator Cooper. Republican. of
Kentucky, subcommittee chairman.
drew from Mr.. Clapp the opinion
that the welfare board felt the dav
care program was good idea, but
that it ranked in priority behind the
need for public assistance.
At this point District Commits
sioner Mason and Corporation Coun-
sci Vernon E. West joined in the dis
cussion, emphasizing the need for
public assistance. They explained
why the budget had to be cut be-
cause the District faces a huge def
cit in its fiscal program for the COM
ing year.
Commissioner Mason commended
the day care program was another
phase of the city's responsibility TO,
the INDECENT. Senator Cooper dis.
agreed.
Favors Reporting Bill.
After the hearing Senator Cooper
said he personally favored reporting
the day care bill from his subcom-
mittee to the Senate District Com
mites with specific restrictions. He
would forbid admission of children
to the centers whose parents could
afford 10 send them to a private
school