Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-02-17
indiana Relief Cases
Drop Since Opening.
l|0f Rolls 10 Public
Rv4ha As.s1s,,..., p....,.

~ 80 - = z!
Byfhs Asscessted Pres.
| INDIANAPOLIS. FEB. 16.-1n-
1diana's public assistance cases
have dropped about 4 per cent
lsince the relief rolls were opened
Ito public view last November /
but there is a division OF opin-
lion as to the cause.
| The State got into the national
headlines last summer by resist
| ing the Federal Security Admin
listration's order cutting of APP
Iproximately $2l million in grants
because a 1851 Indiana law per-
mitted the public to see who il
| getting the money.
Gov. Henry F. Schricker. q
Democrat, called the Republican
controlled legislature into special
session to deal with the problem
A split in the COP. ranks in
the Senate developed and the leg
islature went into a prolonged
deadlock.
Congress Amends Law
Before the issue was resolved,
Congress approved. as a rider to a
tax bill, an amendment to the So
|cial Security Act. It allowed
States to make public the names
of assistance MISREPRESENTATION
losing Federal funds.
Latest available figures from
the State Department of Public
Welfare show that the total cases
dropped from 57,868 in September,
1851, to SIS, 514 in December de-
cline of 1884.
The number Of persons receiv-
ing old age assistance declined in
the same four month period from
46.811 to 45,063. Dependent chill
dren cases dropped from 9,295 to
8,714 and blind assistance cases
from 1.762 to 1.737.
Public assistance costs dropped
from $2.352.698 to $2,251, 856-a
decline Of $l0o,S42. the depart
|ment reports.
Average Awards Listed.
The average monthly award in
September and December:
Old age assistance, 1856
1852: aid to dependent children
lper family. $66.51, and blind
assistance. $39.04-$38.72.
Backers of the States anti
secrecy law say it primarily is re-
sponsible for the decline in the
welfare load.
They assert: (D Recipients
Withdrew voluntarily because they
did not want their names on the
lists and ca the general public
would scrutinize the rolls and re-
port persons ineligible for assist
ance.
The State Welfare Department
takes a different view.
Maurice o. Hunt, State admin
istrator, says the case loads "have
been declining rather steadily
since the early fall of 1880"
IL Pct. Total Reduction.
Indiana's total reduction for the
12-month period ending last No
vember 80 is 1873 per cent. But
Mr.. Hunt asserts other States
Idaho. Arkansas and Pennsyl-
|vania-have had a higher per-
|centage of reduction and they
have not opened their rolls.
The. department has completed
"a survey Of Indiana's 80 counties
to determine whether the cases
dropped as the result Of fear of
publicity. OF the 5,819 closures Of
cases from July to November 81,
1884, there were AZ voluntary
Withdrawals from the rolls, Mr..
Hunt said. Thirty-seven of these
were old age assistance recipients
and five were dependent children
cases..
No Formal Study.
The department has made no
formal study to determine how
many. persons are viewing the
lists, kept in bound volume in the
Office of the county auditor.
However. the Marion County
Indianapolis auditor reported
recently that one person had re-
quested to examine the report.
Mr.. Hunt attributes the general
declines to good economic condi-
tons and the expansion of the
Social Security program"
Three States-Indiana, Illinois
and Alabama-so far have taken
advantage Of the anti-secrecy
amendment, but other States are
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