Red Cross Scrapbook 1934: page 31 - April
Collection: Red Cross Scrapbook 1934
Title
Red Cross Scrapbook 1934: page 31 - April
Subject
Great Depression, 1929-1939
American Red Cross
Food relief--Kansas
Unemployment
Description
A page from the 1934 scrapbook of newspaper clippings from the Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler, dated April 30th, 1934. The scrapbooks were created by local Red Cross volunteers. Articles during the Depression years covered food and other relief efforts, and documented unemployment issues.
Creator
Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler
Source
Arkansas City Public Library, Arkansas City, Kansas
Publisher
Arkansas City Public Library, Arkansas City, Kansas
Date
1934-04-30
Contributor
Red Cross volunteers
Rights
Used with permission of copyright holder. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Format
application/pdf
Language
English
Type
Clippings
Identifier
RC34027
Coverage
Cowley County, Kansas
Citation
Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler, “Red Cross Scrapbook 1934: page 31 - April,” Digital Arkansas City, accessed April 26, 2024, https://arkcity.digitalsckls.info/item/86.
Text
Relief Cost Is $30,000 Month
Mrs. Jesse Miller Tells Of Work in Cowley County
4-30-34
Describing the functioning of the relief system, Mrs. Jesse Miller, county case supervisor, estimated the cost of the entire relief program in Cowley county at $30,000 a month Monday in a talk before members of the chamber of commerce, at their community luncheon meeting in the Osage hotel.
With new budgets having been prepared for every distressed family in the county, the cost of work relief will be approximately $25,000 a month and the expense of caring for the indigent poor about $5,000 a month, Mrs. Miller said. She mentioned $16 a month as a typical budget for families of four members.
How Case Workers Work
Case workers, Mrs. Miller explained, are each assigned to a definite territory. They go into homes, discover the status of the families and report on the cases. These are then analyzed and an attempt is made to adjust their problems. In Cowley county, each case worker must handle from 150 to 250 families, and federal regulations require that they call at each home at least once every month.
Saying that she personally was glad that the CWA had been discontinued as she had never been in favor of it, Mrs. Miller contended that misleading charges had been made against the case workers in connection with the CWA program.
“The relief staff had nothing to do with the amounts paid by the CWA or. with the way in which the men spent their money,” she said “We were not privileged to go into homes. The men were not informed as to when the work would cease. Some of them still believe that their work is a CWA project, and it is hard to get them to understand that the CWA is through.
“Under federal regulations, we must take care of distress. What were we to do if we found no food in a home, regardless of whether the man might have made $50 the week before? You can see how misleading this thing has been.”
The present crisis is as much a social one as financial, Mrs. Miller said, and the behavior problems had started well in advance of the financial troubles.
The case workers make every possible effort to remove families from the relief rolls, the speaker explained, attempting to discover any possible resources through which a group might find support.
Favors Treatment Center
Explaining that many of the men who refused to work for their relief here last week took this stand because of misunderstandings and unjust demands made upon them, Mrs. Miller said that she favored a treatment center for men who maliciously refused to work and then demanded that the county care for their families.
Many men, still believing that the CWA or something similar is in existence, are refusing to take outside jobs for fear of losing out on relief work. Relief authorities are attempting to clear up this misunderstanding.
“Our case workers in Cowley county are new and are still in training,” Mrs. Miller said. “They will make mistakes and I want you to expect them and to be patient. The staff is working hard and conscientiously and will soon be better prepared for its problems.”
Guests at the meeting included Sam Collins of Ponca City, Wray Jukes of Wichita and three women associated with relief work in the county.
You are invited to make free and full use of this column. We ask only that you be concise as possible and your name and address accompany your communication.
4-30-34
ROLLER SKATES AGAIN To The Traveler: An article in Saturday’s Traveler, page 3, states that Mrs. Alice King, who was county cash worker in Cowley county and is now assistant case supervisor, Montgomery county, had written to County Commissioner James Grant of District No. 3 that she paid for the roller skates herself that were purchased for a transient during her work here, from the Beard Sporting Goods store. Also the article continues that Commissioners Grant and Hanna stated last Friday that there had been no such bill presented to them for payment. Well, I am sure that Mr. Grant and Mr. Hanna knew nothing about this claim, “But I did.” Neither did they know anything about the excessive expenditure of clothing, board and medicine for the transient that was turned down by the federal government that Mrs. King managed, “But I did.” Nor did they know anything about some people receiving $350.00 to $450.00 in 20 weeks and also getting groceries, clothing and commodities federal orders at the same time, “But they did.”
Now, to make a long story short, according to the records, Mrs. Alice King, while working here, ordered from the Beard, Sporting Goods Company, Arkansas City, Kansas, for one said Alphonse Lombardo, a transient, one pair of roller skates $1.95 upon a County Relief Order No. 12. Mr. Beard of the Sporting Goods Company, was so surprised at such a breach of good judgment of spending county funds that he called Mrs. King and asked her about such transaction, before he would deliver the merchandise to the aforesaid Alphonso Lombardo. Upon which she, Mrs. King, said, according to Mr. Beard, that “it was OK, go ahead and make delivery.” This Mr. Beard did and mailed such county relief order in for payment, “of which we now have.” This order was rejected. Mrs. King then goes to the Beard Sporting Goods Company later and pays for said skates herself. She says in her letter to Mr. Grant, “by personal check.”
Nevertheless, it is not the pair of $1.95 roller skates that I was complaining about. It was just another sample of incompetency in the handling of county funds.
Now, Mrs. King there is no use trying to explain your actions, they are seif explanatory. If you had wanted to buy a pair of roller skates for your transient friend, Alphonso Lombardo, why did you not just take out your pocketbook in the “first place” and pay for them, instead of issuing an order upon a Cowley county Relief Form No. 12, for such merchandise? That would have been good business methods and eliminated any and all criticism.—W. F. WALKER, County Comm.
Original Format
Newspaper clippings on scrapbook page
Title
Red Cross Scrapbook 1934: page 31 - April
Subject
Great Depression, 1929-1939
American Red Cross
Food relief--Kansas
Unemployment
Description
A page from the 1934 scrapbook of newspaper clippings from the Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler, dated April 30th, 1934. The scrapbooks were created by local Red Cross volunteers. Articles during the Depression years covered food and other relief efforts, and documented unemployment issues.
Creator
Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler
Source
Arkansas City Public Library, Arkansas City, Kansas
Publisher
Arkansas City Public Library, Arkansas City, Kansas
Date
1934-04-30
Contributor
Red Cross volunteers
Rights
Used with permission of copyright holder. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
Format
application/pdf
Language
English
Type
Clippings
Identifier
RC34027
Coverage
Cowley County, Kansas
Citation
Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler, “Red Cross Scrapbook 1934: page 31 - April,” Digital Arkansas City, accessed April 26, 2024, https://arkcity.digitalsckls.info/item/86.Text
Relief Cost Is $30,000 Month
Mrs. Jesse Miller Tells Of Work in Cowley County
4-30-34
Describing the functioning of the relief system, Mrs. Jesse Miller, county case supervisor, estimated the cost of the entire relief program in Cowley county at $30,000 a month Monday in a talk before members of the chamber of commerce, at their community luncheon meeting in the Osage hotel.
With new budgets having been prepared for every distressed family in the county, the cost of work relief will be approximately $25,000 a month and the expense of caring for the indigent poor about $5,000 a month, Mrs. Miller said. She mentioned $16 a month as a typical budget for families of four members.
How Case Workers Work
Case workers, Mrs. Miller explained, are each assigned to a definite territory. They go into homes, discover the status of the families and report on the cases. These are then analyzed and an attempt is made to adjust their problems. In Cowley county, each case worker must handle from 150 to 250 families, and federal regulations require that they call at each home at least once every month.
Saying that she personally was glad that the CWA had been discontinued as she had never been in favor of it, Mrs. Miller contended that misleading charges had been made against the case workers in connection with the CWA program.
“The relief staff had nothing to do with the amounts paid by the CWA or. with the way in which the men spent their money,” she said “We were not privileged to go into homes. The men were not informed as to when the work would cease. Some of them still believe that their work is a CWA project, and it is hard to get them to understand that the CWA is through.
“Under federal regulations, we must take care of distress. What were we to do if we found no food in a home, regardless of whether the man might have made $50 the week before? You can see how misleading this thing has been.”
The present crisis is as much a social one as financial, Mrs. Miller said, and the behavior problems had started well in advance of the financial troubles.
The case workers make every possible effort to remove families from the relief rolls, the speaker explained, attempting to discover any possible resources through which a group might find support.
Favors Treatment Center
Explaining that many of the men who refused to work for their relief here last week took this stand because of misunderstandings and unjust demands made upon them, Mrs. Miller said that she favored a treatment center for men who maliciously refused to work and then demanded that the county care for their families.
Many men, still believing that the CWA or something similar is in existence, are refusing to take outside jobs for fear of losing out on relief work. Relief authorities are attempting to clear up this misunderstanding.
“Our case workers in Cowley county are new and are still in training,” Mrs. Miller said. “They will make mistakes and I want you to expect them and to be patient. The staff is working hard and conscientiously and will soon be better prepared for its problems.”
Guests at the meeting included Sam Collins of Ponca City, Wray Jukes of Wichita and three women associated with relief work in the county.
You are invited to make free and full use of this column. We ask only that you be concise as possible and your name and address accompany your communication.
4-30-34
ROLLER SKATES AGAIN To The Traveler: An article in Saturday’s Traveler, page 3, states that Mrs. Alice King, who was county cash worker in Cowley county and is now assistant case supervisor, Montgomery county, had written to County Commissioner James Grant of District No. 3 that she paid for the roller skates herself that were purchased for a transient during her work here, from the Beard Sporting Goods store. Also the article continues that Commissioners Grant and Hanna stated last Friday that there had been no such bill presented to them for payment. Well, I am sure that Mr. Grant and Mr. Hanna knew nothing about this claim, “But I did.” Neither did they know anything about the excessive expenditure of clothing, board and medicine for the transient that was turned down by the federal government that Mrs. King managed, “But I did.” Nor did they know anything about some people receiving $350.00 to $450.00 in 20 weeks and also getting groceries, clothing and commodities federal orders at the same time, “But they did.”
Now, to make a long story short, according to the records, Mrs. Alice King, while working here, ordered from the Beard, Sporting Goods Company, Arkansas City, Kansas, for one said Alphonse Lombardo, a transient, one pair of roller skates $1.95 upon a County Relief Order No. 12. Mr. Beard of the Sporting Goods Company, was so surprised at such a breach of good judgment of spending county funds that he called Mrs. King and asked her about such transaction, before he would deliver the merchandise to the aforesaid Alphonso Lombardo. Upon which she, Mrs. King, said, according to Mr. Beard, that “it was OK, go ahead and make delivery.” This Mr. Beard did and mailed such county relief order in for payment, “of which we now have.” This order was rejected. Mrs. King then goes to the Beard Sporting Goods Company later and pays for said skates herself. She says in her letter to Mr. Grant, “by personal check.”
Nevertheless, it is not the pair of $1.95 roller skates that I was complaining about. It was just another sample of incompetency in the handling of county funds.
Now, Mrs. King there is no use trying to explain your actions, they are seif explanatory. If you had wanted to buy a pair of roller skates for your transient friend, Alphonso Lombardo, why did you not just take out your pocketbook in the “first place” and pay for them, instead of issuing an order upon a Cowley county Relief Form No. 12, for such merchandise? That would have been good business methods and eliminated any and all criticism.—W. F. WALKER, County Comm.
Original Format
Newspaper clippings on scrapbook page