Evening star., 1947-05-18
Report Favors
Relieving Chest
Of Budget Job
Distribution Of Funds
BY Social Agencies
Council Urged

III
Distribution OF funds to Dis
trict welfare agencies by the
Council of Social Agencies in
stead of by the Community
Chest was suggested last night
by a citizens committee on the
organization and structure Of
social work in Washington" II
put in effect, this procedure
would take from the Chest its
largest ob-deciding how much
money should go to each Chest
agency.
Recommended ations of the COM
mittee, headed by Miss Jane Hoey,
director of the Social Security Ad-
Bureau of Public
Assistance, preceded a 150-page
Social Survey report on the Chest
and Council of Social Agencies.
The Social Survey. sponsored by
the Council of Social Agencies, has
been making reports on social prob
ems ranging from health and well
fare to race relations and labor
management affairs in the District.
In training its sights on the agency
that sponsored 1t, the Social Survey
salted few words of praise into
many pages of criticism.
Charges Filed in Report.
The body of the report. among
other things, charged that the
boards of the Council, Chest and
member agencies were not repre-
sentative of the whole community;
that pressure on the part OF er1-
ployers and superiors to contribute
10 the Chest has created resentment
Of the Chest; that the Council and
Chest tend to criticize each other
off -the-record" that there are In
dications of racial discrimination In
hiring agency workers and that
neither the Chest nor the Chest
Federation has any well developed
policies on raising or spending
money for new buildings.
On the last point, the report
warned that the absence OF such
policies '1s sure to result IN con.
fusion, waste and unnecessary exc
pense in the near future when
capital appeals and expenditures.
long delayed by war and shortages,
will necessarily take place"
The body of the report also crit.
icized the Council for not taking
a public stand in favor of District
suffrage. The report said the Council
had a responsibility to face.
rather than to evade any and all
affecting the social well
fare of the community"
so Recommendations Made.
Miss Hoey's committee, in the
course of some 80 recommendation,
said consideration should be given
TO transferring the budget functions
OF the Chest to the Council 'as q
metropolitan fund raising organ.
ization develops and the functions
of the Washington Community
Chest decrease"
Gardner F. Cook, the technician
who wrote the survey report, how
ever, stated fatty that the Council
should be able to make the sound-
est decisions regarding agency
If administration OF
funds also were transferred away
from the Chest, Mr.. Cook added,
"there would be no need for .
Washington Chest "
Miss Hoey and the councils Pub.
lie Relations Committee, which re-
leased the report, said it was made
public in order to make additional
available" to the "a
member Citizens Committee. headed
by William e. Leafy, which has
been studying Chest operations.
Among its recommendations, the
Hoey Committee:
/. Questioned the continued use-
fulness of the Social Service Ex.
change, a confidential central reg
lister which serves as a clearing
house for information about per-
sons seeking help.
2. Suggested the possibility OF
housing some of the Chest agencies
under one roof.
Nondiscrimination Statement.
8. Urged the development of .
metropolitan social welfare council
to consider the health and social
needs of the metropolitan area and
to advise the Community Chest Fed
Grafton on alIocating funds to mem.
ber agencies.
4. Proposed the council get up
a statement of principles on union
recognition and nondiscrimination
in employment in Chest agencies.
5. Urged that qualified members
of various racial groups be en-
ployed by the Chest, council and all
agencies serving the public.
6. Recommended aggressive ac-'
ton on the part of the council to
make sure that all organized groups
in the community. especially labor
and minority groups, have an OPP
portunity to join the council and
be represented on its board. More
adequate representation of all groups
on the Chest and member agency
boards also was recommended.
7. Recommended that the Chest
Federation invite Community Chests
and Councils, Inc, a national
organization, to examine the cam.
paign structure, personnel and
of the Embarrassing body
so the next fund campaign will be
more successful.
Public Solicitation Low.
8. Urged the council to renew its
efforts to get a law requiring
license for public solicitation OF
funds In the District.
8. Proposed hiring an expert to
advise the federation on campaigns
and oltlays for new building
projects Of member agencies.
10. Asserted that If the council
takes over the Chests budget job, it
should have the authority to judge
disbursing funds. This recoinmenda-
ton added that standards for mem.
bersiip should include an agree
ment by the agencies to submit re-
ports required by the council and
(See SOCIAL SURVEY, Page A-6)
.