Evening star., 1962-10-07
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were cashed in one credit store
or another.
Many firms send collectors
out on the first of the month
with money to cash recipients
checks, get payment on theii
account, and If possible sell the
recipients something else. One
firm has at least 25 collectors
Other firms, including Mr.
Meckler's, cash checks at the
store.
Mrs. Viola Lee, assistant
chief Of the public assistance
division, said the investigation
Is revolving around whether
some one on relief has another
source Of income that makes II
possible to buy luxury items on
credit.
"Our staff was never given
instructions to tell any one to
have the purchases put In some
one else's name" she said.
Rule of Reason
Some workers did apply the
wrong section of the public as
sistance manual to some cases,
she added. Only new applicants
should be asked to find some
one to take over payments they
were making when their for
tunes turned and they had to
apply for relief, she said.
I'VE wouldn't object to their
buying anything if it was with
In reason and they could show
the funds that made 1t possible
to do this" Mrs. Lee said. But
II you have a case where the
rent takes up almost all OF the
payment, and there's not much
left for food or clothing, the
serious question is raised OF
how they're managing to make
payments Of, say, $25 month. "
The departments investiga-
ton revclves around this para
graph in the manual: "The &C
uuisition of a luxury item or
any article that represents an
expenditure not commensurate
With the recipients known re-
sources, shall be Immediately
Investigated to ascertain his
continuing eligibility for assist
ance."
Some recipients are found in
eligible because they could not
or would not explain their cir
ctmstances, Mrs. Lee said.
Others, because a worker Is
convinced the recipient has an
outside source of income. The
recipient may have furniture,
clothing and toys in the home
far beyond the amount she
could be expected to afford.
Ratified by Quiz
Even buying new television
sets, or record players, isn't
ruled out if recipients can show
they are able to make reason
able payments out of their re-
lief grant, Mrs. Lee said.
But this hasn't been COM
municated to many recipients.
One woman who could have
ended up with both her relief
check and her phonograph may
lose them instead because con-
fusion and fright led her to
evade her social workers ques-
tions. Her check has been held
UP, and she is in danger Of
being dropped as one of those
who wouldn't explain her sit
uation.
This recipient did more than
call Mr.. Meckler and plead
with him to take the phono-
graph back.
She brought it in, neatly
wrapped in brown paper. and
left it on his floor.
Questions about credit buy
ing meant one thing to her
she would never get a check
again as long as the phono-
graph was in her house.
Stories Differ
The woman, call her Mrs.
Smith, lives alone and is on
relief because she is disabled.
She has been paying $40 a
month to New York Home and
still owes $156.32. She stands
to lose her entire investments
as well as the phonograph.
Mrs. Smith said a worker
once told her she could have
a second hand television set.
but workers differ. A friend
was told the same thing by his
caseworker but he's in trouble
now, she said.
II hid my phonograph from
the worker" she said. II kept
it behind this curtain. It's just
a little set that sits on a table. Z"
When asked to explain her
credit purchases, Mrs. Smith
told the worker she had credit
in Baltimore. But he WASH t
interested.
He said, That's not my ter
ritory' and passed it by" she
said.
IF he'd asked me right about
my credit in Washington I'd
have told him, but he was just
fishing. So I said I didn't have
no credit here"
Mrs. Smith has bought
clothes on credit from the Bal
timore firm. She doesn't like to
wear secondhand clothes
"You don't know what diseases
other people. have had" she
explained.
II get all my clothes in Bal
timore. You get them cheap ano
the payments are reasonable
You only have to pay $4 a
month. Whatever kind you
want, they bring them to you.
Plenty Of people around
here deal with the Baltimore
company I deal with"
Another recipient didn't tell
the department she was buying
a television because I already