Evening star., 1951-09-23
ID. {. Schools
Held Renliss on
Surplus Foods
Bookkeeping Review
Asked as Government
Charges Shortages
By Colt HendIey, Jr.


The Agriculture Department
has charged the District public
schools with maintaining made
quate bookkeeping records of the
distribution of surplus foods which
has allowed shortages to occur.
In a letter to the Board of Edu-
Philip B. Hearn, field super
visor for the food distribution
branch of the Production and
Marketing Administration, asked
that the bookkeeping system be
reviewed and corrected.
The complaint was turned over
to School Supt. Hobart M. Corning
by the School Board with instruc-
tions to investigate the charges
and bring back a full report. The
discrepancies were uncovered in
an audit by Mr.. Hearn's Office for
the period from July /, 1850, to
May 18, 1851.
Disputed Since 1850.
The distribution of the surplus
foods has been a hot potato for
school officials ever since the
Board of Education assumed con-
troll of the program in 1850.
Under the program, the school
officials are responsible for the
distribution of large volumes of
surplus food, donated by the Agri-
culture Department. The food is
distributed free not only to all the
city schools but also to some so in
stitutions of a charitable or edu-
cational nature not connected
with the schools and to a number
of summer camps.
Adelbert w. Lee. vice president
of the Board of Education, has
been maintaining publicly for
some time that the program was
run in slipshod and unbusiness-
like fashion.
Points to Audit Findings.
Mr.. Hearn's letter said:
THE audit findings indicate
that the internal controls of your
operation are inadequate. Appar-
emily, the proposed records recon-
mended by this office as result
'of our survey in January, 1851,
have been changed since that
time"
ut appears from the report that
certain records have been elimi-
mated and others substituted
which has had the over all effect
of complicating the record keep
ing system. creating unnecessary
clerical work and making account
ability difficult"
Mr.. Hearn also said the audit
disclosed shortages of two and
one-third cases of cheese; two
cases of cranberry sauce; one case
OF frozen turkey; one box of ap-
Piles; one case of another type
cheese; three cases of butter and
1850 pounds of potatoes.
Explanations by Officials.
He said the shortages were ex-
planned by school officials in this
manner:
One shipment of cheese was
short and some cheese disappeared
while painters were working al
the food storeroom at the Ecking-
ton School; a shipment of apples
was one box short; butter anc
frozen turkeys were stolen from
the back of a truck while deliveries
were being made: cranberries were
issued instead CT cherries on one
occasion, leaving the cranberry
stock short, and some 50-pounc
bags of potatoes were counted az
100 pound bags.
Mr.. Hearn declared:
1T is obvious from the saudit
findings that the various dis.
crepancies can be attributed tt
the deviation from the record.
recommended by this office anc
accepted by your agency las
January"
The row over surplus foods frs
came into the open in December
1850, when Mr.. Lee described the
whole program as a miserable
mess" at a meeting of the Schoo
Board.
Compromise Reached.
Mr.. Lee demanded the food pro-
gram be taken away from DR.
Corning's supervision and placed
under the schools business de-
partment which would report
straight to the board. DR.. Corning
baked, saying the responsibilities
should be his. The result was a
compromise under which the pro-
gram was placed under the exist
ing advisory committee to the
business department. On this COM
mittee are most of DR.. Corning S
staff officers.
School Board members have
banked on a bill now pending in
Congress to help clear UP the
whole matter. The bill would set
up a centralized cafeteria system
for the public schools, with a
director. a staff, centralized buy
ing and centralized audit control
The surplus food program would
be under this new department as
would the penny milk program
Throw-Awoy Bottles
Thrown Too Freely,
D. C. Officials Wnrn