Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-10-24
Ha|tReIiefC
District Heads
AskConuress
Request Is to Delay
For Two Months;
Byrd Holds Key
By SAM EASTMAN
Star Staff Writer


The Commissioners today
formally asked for congress
sional permission to postpone
the city's scheduled cuts in re-
lief checks to large families.
The request was to postpone
the effective date Of the reduc-
Welfare Low Reform Is Cool, RibieoFf
Says. Poqe "A
tons in welfare payments to
dependent children for two
months-from November l to
January /.
Today's request was directed
to the House and Senate APP
preparations Committees.
The answer to the Commits
sionerS' request. however, ap-
parently is up to Senator Byrd,
Democrat Of West Virginia, who
heads the Districts Senate APP
preparations subcommittee. His
counterpart on the House side.
Representative Rabaut, Demo-
crat Of Michigan. already has
said he does not favor the relief
check cuts.
Both Legislators Wait
Both Mr.. Rabaut and Sena-
tor Byrd have decided to with
hold judgment on today's re-
quest until they receive letter
from the Commissioners.
BY midday, neither had
received the request from
city heads. Their reports of
the Commissioners decision
reached them through the
press.
Mr.. Rabaut, reached in De-
troit. said he had contacted
Commissioner Tobriner yester-
day by telephone and asked for
a letter. He also asked that a
copy be sent to Representative
hatcher, Democrat Of Ken
lucky, who was acting head Of
the House unit much of last
year during the absence Of Mr..
Rabaut, who has been i'll.
November Cut Certain
Time has run out. however.
on processing the November /
relief checks. officials said. This
means that these payments will
be reduced in line with a Com
missioners' order earlier this
month.
II today's request receives
congressional approval, how
ever, the cuts will be restored
by sending additional relief
checks in November, it was ex-
planned. Officials estimated that
the city could get out supple
mental checks In less than a
week.
Today's action was taken at
the request Of Commissioner
John B. Duncan, who had an
nounced that he would make
this move last week.
Mr.. Duncan today repeated
his earlier statement that he
was seeking a postponement to
allow time for a study of the
impact relief check reductions
would have on the families.
A special Welfare Advisory
Committee set up by Mr.. Dun
can earlier agreed last week to
give priority" to this study.
The committee, headed by
the Very Rev. Msgr. Leo j.
Coady. director of Catholic
charities in the Washington
archdiocese, already has started
work on the project.
Mr.. Duncan said today that
athe two-month delay is needed
to provide enough time for city
officials and members of Con-
gress to study the committees
findings.
The reductions that had been
ordered by the Commissioners
were for families with four or
more children. The cut was to
be So a month for the fourth
child and 81 more for each
additional child. These relief
checks go to children whose
father is absent, dead or, in
some cases, incapacitated.
Would Save $224,OOO
AS an example, a family with
five children would receive a
monthly check of 5000, rather
than $215. The total savings
See WELFARE, Page AS