Evening star., 1947-05-15

p pduIResigndiionl
From Welfare
Board Accepted |
Urges Commissioners
/ 70 Give More Power
To Group os Pledged

The District Commissioners today
accepted the resignation OF A. Hard
ing Paul IS vice chairman OF the
Board OF Public Welfare and made
public without comment letter In
which he urged the city heads to
live up to = previous promise to
grant the board greater. powers.
Mr.. Paul announced his resigna-
ton Monday while testifying at .
public hearing on the question OF
whether the Welfare Board should
turn over all but visitation and ad-
visory functions to the Commission
ers, be granted increased powers or
be left as presently organized.
Mr.. Paul asked to be allowed to
resign after more than four years In
office because Of lack of time to
perform the duties Of the ONCE and
also TO attend to the many extra
demands made upon me as board
member"
Blames PeculiaritieS Of Law.
His letter, dated two days prior
to Mondays hearing, blamed "pe-
-culiarities OF the laws relating to
welfare" for the illustrations" at
tached to welfare work and, in q
great measure, for the long-stand-
ing differences of opinion as to the
proper conduct of a District welfare
program between the Commission
l.
The letter, addressed to Commits
sioner Guy Mason, said Mr.. Paul
had assumed the Commissioners
would outline their position in sup
port of an independent Board Of
Public Welfare at the hearing Mon
day and will not 60 along with
those persons. who advocate that
the authority of the board be sur
rendered to the Commissioners and
that the board become mere vis-
itation and advisory group" This
was not done.
The Paul letter quoted from q
message he said Commissioner John
Russell Young sent to Chairman
Buck of the Senate District Com
mittee April 4, together with new
bill to grant additional powers to
the Welfare Board, adding:
"This action Of the Commission
ers Is in line with the promises
made to the Executive Committee
of the Board of Public Welfare to
support the boards efforts to Sc
cure sufficient authority to permit
it to present and prosecute a pro-
gressiye and constructive welfare
program. These promises were made
to the Executive Committee shortly
before October /, 1916, and again
about January "A, 1947."
Felt Pledges Would Be Kept.
The letter continued:
"It is because I believe the Com
missioners will honor their pledges
to the Board of Public, Welfare to
support the pending organization
bill that I feel free to resign my
position and to work alongside the
Commissioners and those citizens
groups who believe as We do that
it win be far better for the citizens
OF the District OF Columbia to have
their welfare program administered
by strong authoritative Board of
Public Welfare. representing as 1t
does and will, a cross-section of the
citizens of the District of Columbia,
rather than by a political board
such as the Board Of Commis-
sioners."
Terming the District welfare pro-
gram the "activated conscience of
the community" Mr.. Paul said he
felt a nine member board of public
welfare, such as currently organ
lied, seems to be far more suited
to carry on a welfare program than
q board consisting of an Army engi-
neer, a lawyer and a newspaper
man."
Though Mr.. Paul did not spe-
cifically say so, he obviously re-
ferred to Brig. Gen. Gordon r.
Young, Engineer Commissioner;
Commissioner Guy Mason, a lawyer
by profession, and Commissioner
John Russell Young, former news
paperman.