davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1961-11-05
Dummy" Frustrated
BY JOHN McKELWAY
Star staff Writer


In the frustrating, confused
world of welfare there is the
land of the questionable re-
cipient.
1t is frequently sordid and
tragic and visited each night,
except Saturday night when it
is too dangerous, by group of
men who are investigators for
the District Department of Pub
lie Welfare.
These are the men who soon
will set out to ferret out the
freeloaders" on welfare rolls,
as directed by Congress.
But until then, they will con-
tinue their present routine of
collecting bits of information
and passing it along for what
it might be worth. They make
no judgments.
They Call UNLIMITED
They drop by, unlimited, to
the homes of those ION the
welfare" when a complaint has
been received that all may not
be as it should be.
Friday night was described
as a clean night"
There were three investiga-
tors-Ulysses Banks, Larry
Williams and Eugene Beckford
They were armed with flash
lights.
They left the Public Assist
ance Division at 1891 Taylor
street NV. about 6 pm, riding
in Mr.. Williams auto.
The investigators use theil
own cars, get eight cents a
mile and drive anywhere from
20 to 80 miles a night.
Evening star., 1961-11-05
RUSTRAToN
A Night With D. c. Welfare Investigating Team

Il think" said Mr.. Williams,
walking to another address,
that mother was getting ready
to go out on the town."
There was a rambling con-
versation on another doorstep
as Mr.. Beckford tried to find
Ia mother on ADO.
Her sister said the mother
'is going out every night and
leaving me with her six kids
and I'm going up and talk to
the department about it"
How many children now?"
asked Mr.. Beckford patiently.
why there are six, no, that's
right, seven," the sister said.
Some Homes Spotless
There were other mothers and
other visits that night. Some
homes were spotleSs. Some
were filthy. A Princess" tele-
phone sat on a broken table
and Mr.. Banks nodded toward
it but made no comment.
About 10 pm, the investi-
gators sat down in a restaurant
for coffee. The visits had
stopped. The information had
been collected.
Two Of the men quickly got
into a heated argument over
what to do about welfare.
You can't rehabilitate," said
one, when some of these peo-
pie have never been habilitated
in the first place"
There was another cup of
coffee and still no solution and
the conversation eventually
turned elsewhere.
Then the investigators went
home.
Evening star., 1961-11-05

Another mother opened an
other door shortly. Deserted by
the father of her children. or
the fathers of her four chill
dren, she was also receiving
ADO payments. She covered
herself with a red robe and
showed the Investigators her
home. She said she had not
heard from her husband who
was last reported in the Air
Force. She was pregnant.
Another Check Planned
Another home seemed vacant
There were no lights. But after
a knock a window on the Sec
ond floor opened and a small
boy stuck his head out.
Il can't let anybody in" he
told the investigators. A curtain
moved at another window as
the men left, explaining they
had received a complaint the
mother leaves her children at
night, every night. They said
they would make another check
in a few days.
They checked another ADO
case on Condor terrace Sc. The
mother, young and smiling. in
vited the men in. She said the
man, sitting on couch with
his shoes off, watching televi-
sion, was her brother.
The brother. smiling, pulled
out his wallet and Identification
papers. His drivers license car
ried as a home" address the
Condor terrace apartment. But
he said he lived with his bro
ther at another address.
-Four small children were
sleeping on a broken-down bed
Evening star., 1961-11-05
ECHO SATELLITE
TO BE VISIBLE

The Echo satellite will be
visible over the area nine
times in the coming week.
They are:
Tonight, S:08 pm, north
of the city, So degrees above
the horizon, moving north
east.
Tomorrow, 1928 pm,
north of the city, SO de-
grees, moving northeast.
Tuesday, 6::38 pm, north
of the city, 10 degrees,
moving northeast.
Wednesday, $50 pm,
north Of the city, SO de-
grees, moving northeast;
also, 1855 pm. north Of the
city, o4 degrees, moving
northeast.
Thursday Til pm,
north Of the city, SIS de-
grees, moving northeast.
Friday, 6:26 pm. SO de-
grees, north Of the city,
moving northeast.
Saturday, $40 pm,
north of the city, Sc de-
grees, moving northeast;
also, 7:44 pm, north Of the
city, SO degrees, moving
southeast.
Evening star., 1961-11-05
BY HARRIET GRIFFITHS
star Staff Writer

Gee. the whole class
! flunked!"
Seven-year-old Bobhy's re-
action this fall on finding his
schoolmates back with last
years teacher at Meadow Hall
Elementary School was not
hard to understand.
Ever since one-room schools
began to bow out with the early
crackles Of today's population
explosion the prevailing idea
has been that after a fellow
finishes first grade he moves up
the hall to a new room and a
new teacher. If not. he has
failed" e
Now, however. that tradition
is tottering as educators search
for means of providing phe-
nomenal numbers of children
with the best schooling each is
capable of receiving.
In recent years grade bound
aries based on a child's age
and the number Of years he
has been in school have tum-
bled in about $50 school sys-
TENS, especially out West.
The movement has more
lately come to the conserva-
| tive East, says Mrs. Elsie j.
Pohle, principal at Meadow
Hall, a pilot school for Mont
gomery County in ungraded
primary teaching.
II Ungraded Rooms
The experiment began there
last year, the school working
closely with parents in plan
ming and preparation. Thi'
year, there are II ungradec
rooms seating 532 children whC
would be in kindergarten
through third grade under thu
customary grouping.
Instead, the pupils are sepa'
rated into classes on the basi
of their individual growth pat
terms, physical, mental and so
cial, regardless of how long the!
have been in school.
Modern educators are acutel,
aware of the wide, variety il
children's growth and capacl
ties. On top Of that, in the nor
NAL grade system, age varie
almost two years among pupil
Il in the same grade.
Furthermore, Mrs. Pohl
Evening star., 1961-11-05

Usually, they work in two
man teams.
One of the things they look
for in the home of a recipient
receiving welfare under the
Aid-to-Dependent children
category is a man.
Under welfare policy, If a
man is found in the home, it
is assumed he, instead of the
welfare department, could sup
port the mother of the chill
dren. Finding a man, the in
vestigators note this and pass
the information along to a
recipients case worker.
The case then may be re-
moved from the welfare rolls,
or marked closed" Then again
it may not. The man may leave
the home and the assistance
continues.
Il was on a case one night, +"
Mr.. Banks recalled, riding down
into the dark areas of the city,
land 1 opened a closet and
found one. He was dressed in
Bermuda shorts, had his arms
folded over his chest, and wore
a sombrero."
Fat Man Gets Stuck
The Investigators laughed
quietly and told other stories
of men jumping out of windows
as they arrived; of men hid
ing under beds; of a fat man
who tried to escape and became
hoplessly stuck in a window.
The first case the team ex-
amined Friday night was con-
sidered an emergency" The
investigators were to check out
the address of a woman who
had told the welfare depart
Evening star., 1961-11-05
Uneroded School in Montgomery
Groups Pupils by Growth Patterns

points out, research has shown
that youngsters coming into
first grade have at least four
years spread in mental age
This difference widens to eight
years by the sixth grade, and
typical high school sampling
shows upward of a 12-year
range in mental abilities.
Dummy" Frustrated
Concern for all these differ
ences has brought about vari-
Gus systems of grouping within
grades to try to educate chill
dren as closely as possible to
their capacities.
But suppose a youngster
has been in school three years, "
says Mrs. Pohle. He thinks of
himself as a third-grader. And
when he picks up his primer
because he hasn't gone any
farther in reading, he thinks
of himself as the class dummy.
1t causes Illustrations"
Ire nongraded system is de-
signed to provide a unit of ad-
vancement adjustable to the
lags and spurts any child's de-
velopment sometimes shows.
At the enc Of a school year
he is not promoted" to a new
grade or failed" in order to
repeat something he has had
before, but moves on after
summer vacation according to
his stage of learning and de-
velopment. Children of the same
chronological age are not ex-
Ipected to develop to the same
extent in a given period of
time.
And June isn't a sacred
time for making decisions as
to when children are ready tc
progress" adds Mrs. Pohle.
Some Move Up Fast
Last October, for example,
she moved up a child who had
been in kindergarten six weeks
The child outstripped one
Evening star., 1961-11-05

reading level after another
and soon was reading the
equivalent of fourth-year ma
terial. In April, she put 20
children from four kindergar-
tens who were considered
ready for an all-day program
into a room for themselves
and gave them a new teacher
and an extended program.
In March she moved another
youngster from a third to a
fourth-year group. He did not
have enough competition in his
own group. He probably will go
on to fifth-year class. soon.
But the idea is not simply to
move children faster. In Mil
waukees veteran ungraded sys-
tenn, it was reported that per
cent of the students moved
faster, and 3 per cent more
slowly than their graded
schoolfellows.
Except for one teacher keep
ing her whole group two years
in a row, each participating
teacher at Meadow Hall has
kept half her former group
from last year and taken on
half of a younger group. At
the end Of the year, the older
half will move on.
Other Schools Starting
Besides the pilot school, sew
eral other schools in the coun-
ty are making a start on the
ungraded system this year.
Also pioneering in the Wash
! lington Area is Fairfax County,
which began work on its pilot
project the year before last
and this year has more than 20
schools without formal grade
boundaries for at least the first
year, three of them carrying
the system through the third
school year.
A high school with no formal
grade divisions is the new Can
terbury School, attached to
Christ Episcopal Church at Ac-
eokeek, Md.
Evening star., 1961-11-05

ment she was hopelessly destit-
ute and needed immediate
help.
The address was in the HOO
block of Fourth street NV. an
old, narrow row house. Some
men sitting near. the front
door said the woman was not
home and added, vaguely, she
went down the street a while
back"
The information was jotted
down. The investigators drove
into Southwest and to another
address.
A mother receiving ADO pay
ments was said to have been
drinking wine all the time. 7"
Her children, the complaint
added, were bothering the
neighbors in the public housing
development.
Find No Wine
The mother answered the
door. She had a sad face and
three children who wandered
in and out of the light from
the television set.
After presenting their Gre
dentials, one investigator
passed with the mother to the
bedroom to look around. While
they chatted, the second in
vestigator checked the trash in
the kitchen.
The home was clean. There
was no evidence of any wine
or of a man. The children
were strangely quiet.
The investigators left. Going
down in the elevator Mr..
Banks said a neighbor might
have turned the mother ina
Evening star., 1961-11-05

neighbor jealous of the woman
on welfare.
Maybe she has to work
everyday" Mr.. Banks said,
trying to explain the neigh
boris motives. But I don't
know where the report came
from. o..
The investigators move quick
ly. They interrogate politely,
softly, synpathetically. They
did not stay long at a home in
another public housing devel-
opment, across the Anacostia
in Southeast.
A case worker had reason to
believe man was living in the
home.
When the door opened, after
one investigator had jumped a
fence to watch the back door,
a man was sitting on a lumpy
sofa watching televiSion.
Another man came down the
stairs with a bottle of beer.
Two elderly women sat in
the kitchen.
Brother a Visitor
The mother, talking fast,
scolding the children at times,
explained that one man, her
brother. had Just arrived for a
visit. The other man, her
broth er-in-law, had just
stopped by.
There was no prolonged ef-
fort by the investigators to pin
down the relationships. The
elderly women in the kitchen
were not questioned.
Outside, in fresh air, Mr.,
Banks said, II think we got
enough"
Evening star., 1961-11-05
By PAUL HOPE
Star Starf Writer

Maryland's years Of no con-
troll over savings and loan as
sociations is being brought
home in rather spectacular
fashion.
Within the past 10 days two
associations, both in Mont
gomery were closed as State
investigators began to delve in
to the business under Mary
lands new regulations.
Officials Of the Department
of Taxation and Assessments,
which is charged with admin
istering the new law, stress
that the vast majority of saw
ingS and loan firms are we'll
managed and in good financial
condition.
Were after the bad apples"
one official said.
Auditing of the books Of as
sociations is Just getting into
full swing. Every association
will be examined.
Discoveries Listed
Here are some of the things
investigators say they are turn
ing up:
Large loans made without
security, loans made for real
estate ventures or other ac-
tivities being carried out by
officials of savings and loan
associations, loans in excess OF
the value of real estate on which
mortgages were taken, loans
made on second and third
mortgages, payment of high
dividends although in a fl
nancially unstable condition
and large sums spent for pro-
motional activities such as give
aways. -'
Maryland's General Assem-
bly, was rocked last winter with
a bitter battle over savings and
loan legislation. After years of
trying, Maryland-which often
was called the Reno of the
savings and loan business
| joined her sister States in reg
ulation moves.
Much of the publicity at
tending the battle in Annapolis
was unfavorable from the saw
ings and loan industry's stand
point, but to the average de-
positor the fight was rather far
away and the issues rather in
volved.
But closing an association
around the corner brings the
matter closer to nome, especial
| ly to those who have savings
in it.
While anxious 10 weed out
the bad ones, officials are fear
full of the public losing con-
fidence in the savings and loan
business. That's why Albert
Ward, director of the Depart
ment of Taxation and Assess
ments, issued a statement
Thursday saying that the
questionable condition of a
few associations should not re-
fleet adversely on the
savings and loan industry as a
whole" a...
Maryland's new law went
into effect June IL. Since then,
Mr.. Ward and his savings and
loan division headed by Harry
S. Wolf, jr.. and the attorney
generals office have taken
these actions:
l. Cancelled the charters of
100 associations which were
paper organizations and never
actively engaged in business.
2. Started proceedings to
cancel 155 other inactive char
ters. Most of the inactive COM
panieS were chartered during
the months proceeding enact
ment of the new law, often
Evening star., 1961-11-05
Sweeping Changes Urged
In Citizens Advisory Units
Study Suggests
Top Council
Be Abolished

The District Commissioners
have been told that their top
citizens advisory group should
be abolished and a new one
set up in its place.
Engineer Commissioner Fred
erick Clarke said the Board
of Commissioners is carefully
considering the recommenda-
ton released yesterday in a
research report Of the Wash
ington Center for Metropolitan
Studies.
1t is understood that both
the Commissioners and the
kingpin of the advisory groups,
the Citizens Advisory Council,
have been dissatisfied with the
councils role in municipal
affairs.
The author Of the report,
Charles A. Miller, a fellow Of
the center now doing graduate
studies at Harvard University,
also proposes sweeping changes
in the organization and fUnc-
tions of some 40 other advisory
groups to the Commissioners.
Under his plan, only four
councils would be placed organ
nationally under the Commits
sioners. but grouped in the
Office of Citizens Councils.
They are the Citizens Advis-
ory, Youth and Human Rela-
tions Councils and the Citizens
Traffic Board.
All other citizens commit
tees, he continued, should re-
port to the Commissioners
through their department heads
or through the Citizens Advis-
ory Council.
Complete Overhaul Urged
For the Citizens Advisory
Council, Mr.. Miller proposes a
complete overhaul, beginning
with newly appointed group
Of 20 members. The group cur
rently operates with nine citi-
zenS, each appointed for three
year terms by the Commission
ers.
He describes the councils
career, which began in 1858, as
"a gradual fall from respected
/ powerlesSneSs to ignored frus-
tration" highlighted by un-
productive relations to the
Commissioners.
He blamed the misfortunes
of the council on three sources:
the inherent limitations on
the members time, interest
and ability; the District Com
misSioners' neutral to mega
tive attitude" towards the Use
of the council and the coun-
ellis unsatisfactory organiza-
ton along with the chaotic
network of other citizens
groups that exist in the Dis
trict.
Pruning Value Seen
The Citizens Advisory Council
should form standing commit
tees at least in the fields of
employm ment, transportation
and planning and urban re-
newal, appointing ad hoe COM
mitteeS as necessary, Mr.. Miller
proposes.
He also proposed that meet
ingS of the council should be-
devoted primarily to review
and action upon its committee
reports" At least three fourths
of the council members should
reside in the District, he Sug-
gests, but others could come
from nearby suburbs.
! Along with the general re-
organization of the council,
Mr.. Miller recommends estab-
fishing an office of citizens
councils, stated by an execu-
tive secretary and necessary
clerical personnel, that would
coordinate the citizens ad-
visory groups and train respon-
sible leaders for eventual self
government.
Evening star., 1961-11-05
Maryland Probers Search
For SoVines Bad Apples

new, Maryland law would have
banned capital stock companies
altogether. The General Assem-
bly, modified this and allowed
those in operation as of jan
uary l, 1861, to remain in bus
mess. But the new law provides
that all types Of shareholders
shall have the same voting
rights. Further, 1t prohibits
any new capital stock sales un-
less approved by the director
of the Department of Taxation
and Assessments.
The law provides that as
sociations shall furnish finan-
cial statements annually and
shall list all salaries, fees and
expenses paid to officers and
directors. 1t requires notices of
annual meetings to be sent to
all shareholders.
The Department of Taxation
is given the right to examine
any associations books at any
time. 1t is required to examine
every ASSOCIATION at least once
every three years. 1t has power
to subpoena witnesses and take
testimony under oath.
Incorporators of new aSsoci-
ations must meet reSidency re-
quirements and must invest a
minimum of $4,000 to S100. 900
depending of the size of the
town or city, before they can
start an association.
No loans can be made to Of
ficers or directors or other cor
porations operated by them un-
less approved by Mr.. Ward.
Taking of second mortgages
is prohibited unless the associa-
tion also holds the first mort
gage on the property involved.
Dividends cannot be paid if
reserves fall below certain
point. Furthermore, dividends
must be paid out of profits,
which would eliminate what
officials believe has been a
practice in some associations OF
maintaining high dividend rates
by paying them out of money
J put in by savers.
Regulations Adopted
! Another important provision
gives the director of the De.
partment of Taxation and AS.
sessmentS authority to establish
regulations to carry out the in.
tent of the law. One of the
first adopted imposed a $2.5(
limit on the value of any pro-
motional giveaway.
To lure 6epositors, some asso'
Citations have been giving ava!
expensive items, such as telp
vision sets, and even mini
stoles for large accounts. There
usually was a CATCH, though
The depositor had TO leave hi
money in the association for Z
long time or pay for the gift
The $3.50 limit went into effect
last month. ~.p ~
Mr.. Wolfe said there wert
703 State charters eon the roll
when the new, law went intC
effect. He expects there viii
he about 450 operating firm,
when the inactive charters arr
weeded out.
This does not include around
70 Federally chartered and in.
sured associations operating il
Maryland nor about 20 State,
chartered but Federally insured
firms.
If a Federally insured firm
fails, the depositors. are either
paid off CUP to 100000 or theil
accounts are transferred to an.
other association.
I of the 450, without Federal
connections. about 80 have &C.
counts insured with Security
Financial Insurance Corp. OF
Baltimore. The others have nc
insurance on their accounts.
Evening star., 1961-11-05

by persons who hoped to ped
die them for a handsome sum
Before the law went into ef-
fleet, anyone with $50 and
three names for incorporators
could get a savings and loan
association charter. It's not
that easy now.
1t turned out that much of
the rush to beat the deadline
was for naught, because the
new law says that if an asSo-
citation does not become active
within 80 days the charter can
be Cancelled. The 80 days were
lup September IL.
3. Cancelled the charter of
a savings and loan association
which was funneling savers
money to a New York loan
company. Savings and loan
associations are supposed to
deal primarily in real estate
mortgages.
/ 4 Petitioned a Baltimore as
sociation into a court-ordered
"conservatorship" on grounds
that it was violating the law.
This procedure, set forth in
the new law, keeps the firm
open under direction of the
conservator until he straight
ems out the operation or de-
cides it should be placed in
lreceiyership.
S. Petitioned two Montgom-
lery associations into receiver
ship on grounds the firms were
financially insolvent. These
we're closed and a receiver
appointed to gather available
assets.
Stock Sales Halted
In addition. Attorney General
Thomas B. Finan has halted
the sale of several million dol
lars worth of questionable saw
ings and loan stock. This has
been done under laws regulat-
ing sale Of stocks and bonds.
Mr.. Finan moved against the
stock sales after some associa-
tionS tried TO peddle large
blocks of capital stock before
the new savings and loan law
went into effect.
Capital stock associations
provided a good deal of fire
works at the General Assembly
session. Most of the old line
Maryland savings and loan as
sociations are what is known
as mutual associations-that is,
when a saver puts in his money
he becomes a shareholder and
has a right to vote in the run
ming of te company.
Capital stock associations, on
the other hand, issue more than
, one class of stock. The saver
gets one kind. Another XII
called capital stock is sold to
! investors, usually a small group,
which controls the company.
Il AS originally written, the