Evening star., 1947-06-09
Welfare Budget
Battle Begins
InHouseUnit
Horon's Stoff Critical
As Leaders Defend
H-MiIIion Request
By Don S. Worren

A battle over the size OF the well
fare budget for the year beginning
July began in earnest today be-
fore the Horan subcommittee of
the House Appropriations Commit
tee.
Spokesman for the Board of Pub
lie Welfare and the welfare agen-
cies Staunchly defended their re-
quest for more than s11 ,371 900 and
prepared arguments to show that
public assistance cases face a 20
per cent cut in grants next fall un-
less an additional $1,117,000 is
granted The welfare funds are a
part of proposed $95, 100000
budget for the District.
Chairman Horan and members of
his staff, on the other hand, fired a
26-page series of questions at well
fare leaders and announced sew
eral investigations would be COM
pleted before the budget Is marked
up.
Chairman Koran and his staff
charged that dishonest" practices
were followed in estimating appro-
priation needs for welfare cases, pro-
tested there was an inefficient Or
ganization set-up' and not enough
effort made to keep improper cases
off the assistance lists.
Adjourned Until Tomorrow.
Following a two-hour session this
morning, the hearing was adjourned
until tomorrow.
Definitely, we have got to clarity
questions of responsibility for de-
pendent persons" Chairman Horan
said. He said this went particularly
to the question of whether close
relatives of the aged and other per-
sons are failing TO meet their re-
sponsibilities. preferring to let the
Government meet the costs.
Mr.. Horan's staff also reported
that the District is using the serv-
ices of a Labor Department employe
who has been listed by TIT House
Un-American Activities Committee
as being a member of Communist
front organization. This official was
said to be aiding the District in the
conduct of it's welfare department
in-service training program. The
staff report said:
Time has not permitted a COM
plete investigation of this individual
and the staff has not, as yet, had
the opportunity to interview her. A
full report will be made in the official
report of inquiry"
Job Gets Bigger Year by Year.
The committees staff report, in
this connection. said it had been as
serted by persons familiar with the
in-service. program that case work
ers are indoctrinated with the phil
osophy that relief is right, not a
dole or charity, that the applicant
does not apply for assistance unless
he needs it; and that the statement
of the applicant should be accepted
unless there is a good reason to be-
lieve otherwise.
The Horan subcommittee also had |
before it report that one woman
on the public assistant lists still is
there, although in 1884 the Welfare
Board was authorized to return her
to Richmond, Va. At that time, the
subcommittee was told, the woman
had but one child and now has five. |
In the opening statement Edgar
Morris, Welfare Board chairman,
stressed that the board for some !
years has had too little in resources
to take care of Job that gets big !
ger year by year.
He said the board realized there
were Vulnerable spots" in its pro- !
gram, but he said the welfare pro-
gram should not be judged by this |
alone, adding there is no easy solu-
ton
st. EIizabeths' Payment Cited.
Mr.. Morris said it should be
remembered that of the $11,37l 900
budget, more than half is required |
for the payment for care of Dis
trict patients at ST. Elizabeths Hos
pital.
Mr. Horan and his staff in at
tacking the Welfare Board on its
budget estimates practices, struck
particularly at the public assistance
case load. They protested that when
original welfare funds requests were
reduced by the Commissioners or
Congress, the welfare officials cut
their estimates of number of cases
rather than the average grant to
be given persons on relief. Then,
3tY16nr fhic ntino tho Inror, CT a fF |
declared, when it later is found the
public assistance appropriation is
insufficient, requests are made for
deficiency funds on representations
that the number of cases has in
creased.
This practice is dishonest and
should be severely censured," the
staff report said, contending its was
such erroneous thinking" which |