Evening star., 1953-06-17
City Heads GET
Proposal 10 End
Welfare Board
Single Director
Urged for Control
Of Department
By John w. Stepp

District government reorgan-
izers today made their expected
recommendation to abolish the
present Public Welfare Board, SO
that the Welfare Department
may be administered by a single
director.
The recommendation. pre-
sented to the Commissioners by
General Administration Director
Schuyler Lowe. is in line with
the recently submitted reorgani-
zation plan for the Health De-
partment.
On the board-vs. director ques-
ton, the cue is being taken from
testimony given before Congress
last year on the development Of
the overall reorganization pro-
gram. The Commissioners at
that time stated clear opposition
to the board.
Praise Present Board.
In their report today, the re-
organizers praised the present
Welfare Board as having done
an "eminently capable job" in
its 27-year existence.
"It's effectiveness" stated the
report, makes a compelling
case for its continuance.
Against this must be weighed,
however, the very real fact that
it's existence deprives the Board
Of Commissioners of control and
supervision over the substantive
operations Of the welfare pro-
gram and is therefore inconsis-
tent with the purposes of the
reorganization"
In lieu Of the present Welfare
Board, the reorganizers would
create a strong" advisory coun-
Gil to represent the community
at large and make policy recon-
mendations to the Welfare Di.
rector.
According to the report, the
board question is the only point
in controversy. Both the We'll
fare Board and Welfare Director
Gerard M. Shea specifically
agreed in all other recommended
| tionS.
Other recommendations.
Among them were:
/. Conducting more frequent
checks of the public relief rolls
to make sure that relief pay
ments are going to properly
qualified needy. All cases should
be reviewed at least once q year.
2. The Health Department
should take over from the We'll
fare Department the business Of
reimbursing st. Elizabeths Hos
pital for the care of local resi-
dents. The report expressed a
conviction that the medical staff
OF the Health Department is
better equipped to represent the
Districts interests in st. Eliza
beths which now receives more
than $9.5 million annually from
the District for the care of the
insane.
3. Steps should be taken to
get the Temporary Home for
Soldiers and Sailors transferred
from District jurisdiction to the
Veterans Administration or SONS
other Federal agency. This
home, operated for the conven-
ience of transient veterans, now
costs the District $4,000 year.
4. Strictly internal reorganiza-
ton measures proposed include
establishment of an Office Of
business administration, which
would centralize scattered adj
ministrative functions, and q
consolidation of various welfare
services into an Office of con-
Sultant services.
Future Studies Urged.
In a series Of recommended
future studies, the reorganizers
urged efforts to get a law that
would enable the District to be
reimbursed wherever possible for
the cost Of keeping delinquent
children in welfare institutions.
At present there is no such re-
quirement made Of parents who
in many cases. the report stated.
can well afford to pay for their
delinquent children's keep.
The reorganizers also recon-
mended a study that might lead
to the streamlining of inspec-
tions by various Government
agencies which now pass on the
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