Evening star., 1953-05-13
District Citizen Groups Protest
City's Budget as Inadequate

ICHys Budget {
New stories Of the inadequacies
Of the city's 1854 budget. big as
it is, were outlined to the District
subcommittee of the House APP
preparations Committee last night
at it's fourth and final public
hearing.
The committee set a record Of
it's own in the time devoted to
listening to the pleas of more
than 100 witnesses.
Your necessary costs. here, I"
one member said. "are going up
and up."
Police Win Support.
Police and firemen, seeking a
pay raise to keep from having to
hold two jobs to meet their own
bills, won new support from their
household budgeteers.
Their new spokesman was Mrs.
Florence Quantrille, wife of a
police lieutenant. AS president
of the Police Wives Club. she de-
clared the lower ranks of police
and f1remen cannot meet family
bills on their salaries.
She said a recent survey of
most of the members of the
Police Department showed that
822 men are compelled to sup
plement their police pay with
other employment and that the
wives of 802 are employed.
THAT is a total Of 1924 out Of
1902 men contacted who cannot
get along on their present police
pay" she said.
Many of the wives" she said.
"are able to 60 out and make
better salaries than their hus-
bands Government pay"
The pay raise bill, which would
cost about $3.5 million the first
year, has been passed by the
House and now is being held up
in the Senate District Committee
to await a report by the Federal
Budget Bureau. This is expected
to go to Congress within several
days.
IsadOr A. Perry, for the Fed
Grafton of Businessmen ASSoci-
ations, supporting the police-f1re
pay raise bill. said the earlier
| plan of the Commissioners for a
raise of only 10 per cent would
not meet the objectives OF
strengthening the forces.
Sergt. william p. Waldenmaier
president of the Firemen's AS
sociation, said 72 per cent of the
f1remen have to work at two jobs
to meet family budgets, and that
in 80 per cent of the cases both
the fireman and his wife are
working.
Thomas w. Belland, president
Of the City Fire Fighters Asso-
citation, said 1--WE do not believe
the Government wants to pay
less than subsistence"
| Charles T. Penn, president OF
the Family and Child Services
said: "WaShington's expenditures
in public assistance are small by
any measure. Per capita it is
less than one-third the average
expenditures of some II large
cities. Yet public assistance is
the basic source for the support
of family life in time of personal
economic crisis"
Mrs. josephine Piccolo, for the
Washington Chapter of the CIO
Industrial Union Council. said
THE present level of grants for
public assistance is absolutely RI
diculous." She said her group
was shocked at the amounts
granted and urged the House to
raise the fund to at least what
the Board of Public Welfare had
asked.
Mrs. Joseph Dessoff, chairman
of the Jewish Social Service
Agency Casework Conference
Committee, said that beginning
July l the District will be giving
for public assistance only Is per
cent of what the Agriculture De-
partment had devised some years
ago as the lowest possible budget.
This was a calculation of how
little a family could live on in
health in rural areas. In Wash
ington, she said, this could be
called half what a family needed.
Mrs. Charlotte p. DOdson, for
the Special Committee on Child
Welfare Services urged approval
of the full requests of the Board
of Public Welfare. Specifically
she urged an adequate staff for
the city's Child Welfare Division
and funds for an increase in
boarding rates.
Mrs. Florence E. Welch, for the
Visiting Instruction Corps, sought
increased funds for the education
Of handicapped, shut-in children,
as she has for many years. She
wanted funds for more teachers