Evening star., 1947-03-09
Relief Abuses
|InD.C. Charged;
|0verhauIUrged
No Check Mode on
How Money Is Spent.
Horon Declares
By Harold B. Rogers

Complete overhaul Of the Dis
trict relief system was demanded
last night BY Representative
Horan. Republican. of Washing
ton, chairman Of the House Dis
trict Appropriations Subcommit-
tee.
Describing the situation here as
rotten" Mr.. Koran said drunks un-
able to sign applications later were
advanced funds. Citing another ex-
ample, he. said 1t was learned that
two sisters who received more than
$4,000 in relief payments over q Pc
riod of years owned an apartment
house valued at $35, 900.
1he outstanding fault, he charged,
was refusal of relief authorities here
to check on the ways funds are be-
ing spent by recipients.
Unless the situation can be corr
rected by administrative procedures,
he said, remedial legislation should
be enacted as soon as possible.
H0ran BlameS System.
Blaming the system, rather than
any individual, Mr.. Horan called for
a sound revamping of the entire
program in the District"
Three specific recommendations
were made by Mr.. Horan:
l. New legislation to change Social
Security Board policy so as to permit
check-up on relief funds after they
are granted to beneficiary. Local
legislation to enable the local au-
.thority more investigating power.
O. Continued checks with the
United States Employment Service
to learn what relief applicants are
employable.
8. Checks with the assessors office
to learn what applicants may have
ncome-producing property.
Calls Reduction Justified.
Mr.. Koran believes the public has
the erroneous idea there are not
sufficient grants for relief. The
House Appropriations Subcommittee
on Deficiencies, he said, has found
some OF the reasons why reduction
IN welfare funds may be justified
due to laxity in expenditures, and
in control Of relief funds.
Mr.. Horan said Ray, T.. Hui,
Director Of Public Welfare, told the
House subcommittee recently that
he had no control over the way relief
money Is spent. The subcommittee
has been conducting hearings on
proposed deficiencies to run the
District government to the end OF
this fiscal year ending june 80. This
item under consideration when Mr..
HUFF testified was 1884, 200 for pub
lie assistance and children's services.
Mr.. Hut told the committee lack
OF control was based on Social Secu-
rity Board regulations for admin
istration Of Federal grants in aid.
These regulations provide that
director Of public welfare cannot
question how the money is spent, he
said.
Aiding Delinquency Charged.
II directly charge the Welfare
Department to contributing to the
delinquency of adults on relief" Mr..
Horan declared, because of their
refusal to admit responsibility be-
yond the granting Of money
"For that reason we ask for an
entire overhauling of the entire sys-
tenn and, If necessary. the introduce
ton of legislation to remedy the
situation"
Under the existing setup," he ex-
planned, "a man receiving a grant
could pour relief money down q rat
hole and fail to pay his rent. When
evicted for failure to pay rent, he
could call up the welfare depart
ment, and the department would
have to assist the evicted delinquent
to obtain new quarters. If the
quarters out of which he was evicted
were furnished, welfare funds would
have to be used to assist him In
furnishing new quarters"
Mr.. Horan said that testimony
showed that the present policy is
based on the principle that "once q
grant is made 1t is an outright
grant" This was not written into
law, he said, but Is an interpreta-
ton by the Social Security Board.
Asked to specify whether he was
directing his criticism to the ma
tional or local level of public relief,