The Daily Alaska empire., 1951-04-17
Flying from Honolulu ouer Pacific
HARMON EXPLAINS
 WELFARE pR0GRAM TO ROTARY CLUB

Henry A. Harmon, director o1 the Territorial Department of Vel fare, gave an interesting talk or the work of his department at a regular Rotary Club luncheon this noon at the Baranof Hotel. Bot Akervick also gave a resume o1 the additional $200,0o0 school bond issue to be voted upon April 30. A drawing for the Rotary-sp sponsored Cub Scout Pack 3l1 basketball tournament took place.
 Harmon compared the ideals o1 service in Rotary with the Welfare department as the service arm ot the Territorial government" He ex- plained the five programs carried on within the budgets allowed:
 l. Old age assistance which is not a pension, but aid to those over 65 years who are in need There are 1928 being cared for in the Territory at an average expen- allure of $52.94 each with 90 cases in Juneau alone.
 2. Aid to dependent children with 664 families with 1,515 children be- ing cared for in the Territory. In Juneau there are 30 families total ing 87 children receiving aid.
 3. Juvenile code program takes the cases which come from the U s. Commissioners courts. These are the big problems, because home and other influences have failed in adjusting the children. In the Territory there are 273 committed to the department, of which 149 are being paid for at the average rate of $5l.11 per month per child. Parents are charged with contrib uting to the costs wherever possible.
 4. General relief program for those persons unable to make a living and whose aid has been raised fvom $50 to $60 per month by the last legislature. Of the $300,000 appropriated for the last biennium, $l62.000 went for med ical, hospital and burial of indig- |ents. leaving the rest for the most needy.
 5. Child welfare service, which seeks through social workers to aid parents and children in the home before the problems reach the acute stage. There are child welfare so- cial workers in Ketchikan, Fair banks and Anchorage, but none in Juneau, Harmon pointed out. The cost to the City of Juneau for such work would be $250 monthly, he said. The district welfare worker who cares for cases north of Pet ershurg to Haines and Skagway takes care of Juneau, making 806 cases in this district. The normal load for a welfare worker is from 50 to 100, he said.
 Harmon cited the constructive work with boys carried on through the Scout program and stressed the need for den mothers in the Cub work He said there was some misunderstanding among mary persons as to the work of his de- partment and concluded with Don't talk about us. Talk with us." Harmons talk was most enthus- iastically received.
 Akervick traced the history of the new grade school building for Jun eau which is to be built on the old dairy property; the approved bond issue of $750,0O0 when the Alaska Public Works was to have participated in the construction the $150,000 spent for the property, architects fees, and other expendi- lures; the revised plans to meet the amount of money available; and plea to get out and vote for the additional $20O,0O0 bond is- sue on April 30.
 Drawing of the Cub basketball team play resulted in matching Dens Two and Six; Dens Five and Three; with Den drawing the first bye. The games are to be played at 7:l5 pm. on Thursday and Friday of this week in the Grade School gym.
 Old members present were Claude Carnegie and Charles Carter. Lar ry Johnston of Washington, D. c. was a visiting Rotarian. New mem- bers introduced were Ralph Marsh and Dave Dunton.
 pr. l. J. Montgomery provided the program and Tom Morgan will be in charge of the program for next week, it was announced.