Evening star., 1962-08-23
Duncan Wants
Task Force to
Tackle Welfare

District Commissioners were
at odds today over a new pro-
Iposal for curing Welfare De-
partment ills.
Favoring the proposal for
establishing a blue ribbon task
force of relief experts was Com
missioner John B. Duncan, who
has direct responsibility for
city welfare matters.
Commissioner Walter N. To-
briner, however, was cool to
the plan.
/ The third Commissioner,
Brig. Gen. Frederick J. Clarke.
is on vacation. His substitute,
Assistant Engineer Commits
sioner Thomas K. Fullerton,
made no committal. Col. Fuller
ton finally won agreement by
Mr.. Tobriner and Mr.. Duncan
that the proposal deserves fur
ther study.
Shea Supported
Today's meeting followed a
vote of confidence for Gerard
Shea. welfare director, by the
Districts Public Welfare Ad-
visory Council.
BY a 81 vote, the citizens
committee said it believes that
Mr.. Shea has done "an out
standing job" as welfare
director.
Investigations have uncovered
a heavy percentage of free
leaders on the city's relief rolls.
Hearings before the Senate Dis
trict Appropriations subcon-
mittee also have brought to
light evidence of inefficient
operations in Mr.. Shea's de-
paTtment.
City officials row are work.
ing feverishly to meet a dead
line on submission of new relief
reform proposals set by Senator
Robert c. Byrd, Democrat Of
West Virginia, who is chairman
of the subcommittee.
Face Deadline
Senator Byrd, who sponsored
the welfare rolls investigation,
has told city officials to clean
up the mess" in the Welfare
> Department. The Commission
ers were directed to submit new
, welfare proposals when the
subcommittee resumes budget
;, hearings early next month.
With time running out, and
city officials nearing the point
of mailing down their package
F. of proposals for Senator Byrd,
Commissioner Tobriner indi-
Gated strong opposition to hav-
ing a new task force come into
the picture.
Earlier this year the Com
misSionerS, at Mr.. Duncan'S
suggestion, named an action"
task force. This group, which
was supposed to take over the
full job of handling the con-
troverSial welfare matter, was
made up of Mr.. Duncan, Mr..
Shea. Mr.. Schuyler Lowe, head
of the Department of General
Administration, and j. e.
Bindeman, chairman of the
Public Welfare Advisory Coun-
Gil.
II Sign Plan
The idea of a new task force
. was proposed to the Commis-
, sionerS in a telegram carrying
II signatures. Some Of the sig
natures were identified with
7 various organizations. The tele-
gram also carried a number of
/ names of organizations with
| out names of individuals. Rec
. concentrations for membership
included such persons as Will
bur Cohen, Assistant Secretary
of the Department of Health,
Education and Welfare, and
William B. Tollen, Pennsyl-
vania's commissioner of public
assistance. ...
Also opposed to the task force
idea were Mr.. Shea, and Mr..
Lowe.
Commissioner Duncan, how
ever, argued that having the
advice of such a panel might
be extremely beneficial to the
city. The Public Welfare Ad-
viSory Council, in addition to
the vote of confidence for Mr..
Shea, yesterday also voted
against the task force idea. The
council. by split vote, favored
: the hiring of a management
consultant firm to help put the
departments operations on a
streamlined, efficient basis.