Evening star., 1953-04-10

Problems

By Frances Lide

A warning against the "threaN
of near-extinction" confronting
the United States Office Of Edu-
cation was voiced yesterday by
DR.. William G. Carr. executive
secretary of the National Educa-
ton Association.
Addressing the Woman's Ma
tional Democratic Club. DR.. Carr
called the threat a small but
ominous cloud on the horizon"
The speaker pointed out that
the Office Of Education presently
is facing a serious budgetary
situation and that its 1854
budget soon will be submitted
to Congress.
IF further drastic cuts are
imposed" he predicted" there
will be little left Of the United
States Office Of Education except
a name plate on one of the doors
Of the new Department OF
Health, Education and Welfare"
Inadequate appropriations for
the current fiscal year already
had necessitated drastic econ
omies, DR.. Carr said. Now the
Office of Education has been
compelled to make up a def
cheney of approximately 100000
spent to carry out its obligations
under the Korean CT bill enacted
last summer after the Office had
received it's regular appropria-
ton, he added.
THE 83d Congress has failed
to appropriate supplemental
funds for this activity" he
pointed out. "Since the Office
on the advice of the Bureau Of
the Budget. has already spent
the money to perform the tasks
assigned by Congress, 1t is now
faced with further reductions.
About so employees already
have been cut from it's staff Of
400. he reported, and many Of
the remaining employees have
been ordered to take six-day
furloughs without pay.
In addition. he said, funds for
travel and publications have
been virtually suspended. AS q
result. he said, the Office is cut
off from its principal contacts
with the profession and the
public.
Asked If the merger Of the
Office of Education in the new
Department of Health, Educa-
ton and Welfare would affect
it's program, the speaker said
that the principal result will be
a change in the title of the
Federal Security administrator
to that of a cabinet officer
He expressed hope, however.
that proposed committee on
education to advise the Secre-
tary on how the Federal Gov
eminent can discharge it's re-
sponsibilities without invading
State and local authority may
prove extremely beneficial. Leg
lslatlon providing for such an
advisory committee has still to
be enacted.
DR.. Carr also pointed out that
President Eisenhower recently
announced plans to appoint a
joint CONGRESSIONAL presidential
commission to examine all as
poets Of the question of Federal
assistance to education and other
welfare activities.
Similar studies. he recalled,
were made in 1881, during the
Hoover administration, and in
1887, during the Roosevelt adj
ministration. Both came up with
the conclusion that the Federal
Government ought to help in the
financing of education and that
1t could do so without Federal
control. And neither report was
followed by congressional action.
he added.
He predicted that the new
commission would recommend
that shortages in education en-
danger the country's security,
retard national productivity and
needlessly lower the standard of
living.
But when the study is over.
the test will be again whether
the people will or will not de-
mand that Congress act" he
asserted.
DR.. Carr spoke at club lunch
con honoring the States of In.
diana and Nebraska. He was in.
troduced by DR.. Kathryn McHale.