Evening Star Newspaper, November 7, 1926, Page 13

WELFARE BOARD BEGINS PAYMENTS Subcommittee© of Three| Makes Careful Study of All Applications. With a desire to give Washington | the best possible administration of its new law for the home care of depend- ent children, the Board of Public Wel- re is going thoroughly into all fac. arising in connection with de- | cigions as to whom allowances should be paid and the amounts that should be_allotted in case The first checks are being mailed from the District Building this month, marking the advent of a system under which deserving motbers will be able to keep their little, ones under pa- rental cage In their own homes when they are left widowed or otherwisd reduced to circumstances in which it would be necessary to put the chil- dren in an institution uniess financial assistance was obtainable. While the extending of such aid has been in operation for some time in various States, it is an _innovation in the District and the Welfare Board is proceeding with the utmost care in laying down the principles by which it will be guided in administering the act. Each Case Stands Alone. For example, the board is not start- ing out upon this new phasg of social welfare by fixing in advapae a long et of rigid regulations to be used as a vardstick in passing upem the ap- plications for aid. George S. Wilson, director of public welfare and a vet- eran in his fleld of endeavor, says that experfenced social workers have learned that in seeking to preserve family life each case should be con- Sidered upon its merits and all cir-| cumstances taken into consideration Ot course,” Mr. Wilson explained, | s time goes on and es of varions kinds are decided, those decisions will serve as precedents for similar cases in_future, and in that way certain definite principles will gradually come into being.” The board will not attempt to set | up a non-flexible schedule of allowing a0 many dollars a month for each child. On the contrary. it will work out a family budget for each case that | comes before it. All necessary penses, such as rent, food an ing, will be listed, and the board set up beside those item income | or resources the mother may have to atart with. The extent to which these vesources fall short of making ends meet would be granted as an allow- ance from the municipality. Home Purchase Case Cited.’ To illustrate the point that each ap- plication must be weighed on jts mer- its, Mr. Wilson said that onf of the first cases presented the question of what should be done for a widow with children whose husband was buying a home when he died. The special committee of the board created to administer the law inquired into the value of the home, considered the amount of remaining indebtedness and decided, as a general rule, that if | the monthly payment on the house was not out of proportion to what the mother would have to pay for rented quarters, an allowance would be made. | With a limited appropriation to go on, another basic question that arises | in administering such a law is this: When appeals for ald exceed the available fund, should the board at- tempt to give a small sum to every | mother applying, or give full and adequate relief to the most deserv- ing cases? Tt is underatood that officlals of the | ! mother: OTHERS’ PENSION LAW ADVISERS THE SU e e e i o 0 ) PHOTos BY HARRIS & EWING Upper, left to right: John Joy Ed- son, Mica: Hugh S. (‘ummln[.} Lower: W. W. Millan. municipality take care of as many families as possible on an adequate busis than to distribute , inadequate allotments to a larger number with the possibility of none beilng properly provided for. Before the passage of the new law there were private welfare agencies aiding needy families, and those or- ganizations would continue to go to the assistance of homes that could not be extended financial aid by the Board of Public Welfare because of | limited funds at a particular time. | The act required the Welfare Board to create i standing subcommittee to handle this particular welfare prob- lem. Certain members of Congress wanted a separate board to administer allowances, but the peopie of Washington, striving to co-ordinate all municipal welfare activities in one agency., opposed an independent mothers’ aid board. The stipulation to create a subcommittes within the Welfare Board was a compromise which preserved the principle of co- ordinatio: i ns of recognized ability e have been placed on the subcommittee, namely: John Joy 13dson, who has been a leader in so- cial welfare work in Washington for many years as an official of the Asso- viated Charities and » member of the former District Board of Charitles; W. W, Millan, 2 former president of the Board of Children’s Guardlans, and Mrs. Hugh S. Cumming, wife of | the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service. Trained ct workers arg available SPLENDID NEW BRICK HOME IN CHEVY CHASE; D. C. SMALL DOWN PAYMENT BALANCE LIKE RENT LIFE TIME QUALITY Six rooms, pantry, finished attic, 3 large porches. tiled bath with shower—] hardwood floors throughout, built-in garage and refrigerator, open fireplace, instantaneous hot-water heéater, electric fixtures espe- cially selected, bst grade plumbing fixtures and beautiful gas range. See This Attractive Home 5333 42nd St. N.W. OPEN DAILY 1 P.M.TO 9 P.M. HALL-JOHNSON CONSTRUCTION CO. 201 Investment Bldg. Call Main 392 Evenings, Clev. 2959 Drive out Conn. Ave. to Military Road, then Welfare Board have been advised by the private social organizations of the | city that they would rather see the | left on Military Road to 42nd St. Monday---a Sale of French Room Hats lixquisite examp les of the mil- liner's art—such as vou've passed by many a time . because you couldn’'t pay the price—are now within vour reach for one glorious day! Gleaming satins, ingeniously draped velvets, failles and metalics —in flattering shap and matron. Second Floor. es for both miss Lansburgh's, 3th Street Lansburgh & Bro. 7th. 8th and E Sts. An 1860 Store NDAY - STAR. WASHINGTON. !m collect the necessary data on ap- plications for aid, but the members of the subcommittee are devoting close personal attention to the prob- em. The law itself was made rather spe- cific as to how the committee should pass on applications. After reciting that the parent or guardian applying for assistance must have been a resi- r one year and States or one made application to become a citizen, it directs the committee to determine the following essential facts: 1. Whether the mother or guardian tody and care of the child 2. Whether the home is a satisfac- tory place for the training and rear- ing of the child. 3. What resources may be available for the complete or partial mainte- nance of the child, including the full amount, If any, of real and personal property ownad by the parent or held in trust for the child: whether there are any persons or organizations legally obliged t ist in the support of the child. 4. Whether legal steps have been taken to compel the father of the child, if he be living, to provide sup- port when he wilifully refuses to do 80, and with what result. 5. What amount of aid is needed 314 Tth N\ ¥4 e % . 8§ = ) > To0 [+ LT & Coats of th (] § e The Richest Lavishly Used and Com- and Dyed Squirrel, Fox, Beaver, Wolf, Badger, Lynx and Raccoon . .. Of the Highest Qual- prise Natural is a proper person to have the cus.{ St. N.W. See the Luxurious Furs D. G to keep the child in its own home and to provide proper care. The board then is required to make written findings on these subjects. If it finds affirmatively on questions 1, 2 and 4, and further that the income from or the amount of real and per- ,sonal property is not of an amount or character which makes the giving of public aid inappropriate or unnec- essary, the board may then make an order for a monthly allowance suffl- jclent to keep the child home with the | mother. " If it deems such a course i necessary, the board may impose such conditions upon the granting of the allowance as will promote the welfare of the child. Representatives of the welfare board will make regular visits to all homes to which aid is extended to observe the care the child is receiving and to offer friendly counsel and | advice, Mr. Wilson says it is impossible to predict at this time the average num- ber of families the board will be aid- ing after the law is in full operation. Up to October 28 the board had re- ceived 214 applications, involving 649 children. While the early rush of cases has fallen off, the board is still receiving one or two applications a day. It is expected that eventually a stable figure will be reached; in other words, that as time goes on e Highest Type! A Combina- tion of Style and Quality Such as You Have Never Seen Be- fore! For So Little as K2 o Fabrics Touch . . Furs Are Acorn Brown, NOVEMBER 7, 1926—-PART 1. the number of new families added will be offset to some extent by the drop- ping of older cases that have ceased to need assistance. One Family With Eight Children. The applications received thus far include 23 families with one child, 33 with two children, 62 with three chil- dren, 36 with four children. 20 with five children, 9, with six children, 4 with seven children and 1 with eight children. As the first two stipulations in the law indicate, the mother must be a proper person to have custody of the child and the home must be a sat factory place to rear the child. Juvenile Court, therefore, will con- tinue to take as its wards and place in foster homes or institutions chil- dren of families in which there is some other factor besides poverty. The law for the home care of de- pendent children contemplated an a propriation of $100.000 for the fiscal vear, but, realizing that the board would not be able to put the act into operation at the beginning of the fis- cal year, the appropriation was made $75,000. A plan to construct a road exclu- sively for automobiles between Mann- heim and Heidelberg, Germany, is un- der way. The Year’s Coat Achievement Coats That Sell Usually From $69.50 to $95 See the Lustrous Fabrics You Love to . Deep Pile and Suede Finished Materials in Fashion’s Smartest Colors, Brown, Mistletoe, Red, Bisque, Jungle Green, Golden Chanel ity . . . Beautifully Matched. & Navy and Black. For Monday— One : Day Only— NEW SILK DRESSES There are only 78 Dresses colors—mostly one of a sizes 16 to 54—in all ti {WIVES OF PREMIERS PROMINENT IN LONDON Visitors During Imperial Confer- ence Are Silent on Hus- bands’ Jobs. By tbe Ascociated Press LONDON, November 6.-The wives of the Dominion premiers here for the imperfal conference are very much in the public eye, but, like good diplomats, they never talk about their husbands’ politics. The wives move around London in long dark cars bear- ing the royal arms and marked “im- perial conference.”” They are seen mostly at women's clubs and organi- zations where they have been made heartily at home. Mrs. Coates, fe of the New Zea- land premier, is the busiest. She is a Londoner by birth and, in addition to official receptions, has many per- sonal visits to make after 16 years' absence. She is said to be a “restful” woman, loves dancing and “does not do a lot of talking.” Mrs. Bruce of Australia is not fond £ .Cunningbam Co ) The Greatest Coat Values in Our 14 Years of Merchandizing Choice of any FUR COAT Greatest 20% OFF For Monday Only 13 ' of publicity, but helps her hushnn’ with his official duties at home. S spends most week ends with her hus band at a seaside resort near Meh bourne, where they both play =oif, Behind her graceful, dignified bearin |she is credited with quickness 133 resource, which are sald to have st her in good stead on many occasions, Here sho plays golf when her socta) engagements permi v S | CHIMES ON PULLMANS. Soft Notes to Replace Raucous | Calls of Porters in West. | Special Dispateh to The Star. OLYMPIA, Wash., November & No more will Pullman porters pull st |bed covers to awaken passengers for |late breakfast, and the time-worn rai cous calls are eliminated in the newer |order of things. Following the Soutk- ern Pacific, other roads are equipping their sleeping cars with soft mission * chimes to lure passengers from sieep and to dinng car. ’ . At stated periods of five minutes the chimes ring out first, second and las: calls for seats in the buffet cars, a. sat of the bells having been installed in each Pullman coach. 316 Tth % 5% % o - = % s ) 7] [ q = > 53 }?\ e 8! D)4 po= o )" E8) L Y8) / Ji 7oV 7 X 2‘7 Py 2,0 s ) > 0 in the house Sport Coats 15 35 Trimmed; All Are Fur or Silk Lined Sport Coats Formerly From § $19.75t0 $25............ Sport Coats Formerly From § M5t:505.........c...... Many Fur \ Regular Price, $15 he wanted ind—priced for instant disposal—