Show u tr BETTER ADMINISTRATIVE MACHINERY IS t NEED mED IN UTAH COUNTIES t. t l i By Dy Jos A. A Geddes I President Utah State Conference of off f Social Work 1 The first great need of county welI welfare welfare wel wel- fare faIe work ork In Utah at the present time Is Improved administration Uon Salt Lake LakeI I I and Carbon Cubon counties are the only two to counties in the state In which the 4 W county commissioners have ha any trained train train- f. f cd ed d help to assist them In handling a ajob ajob job jb that not only Involves large outlays outlays outlays out out- lays of money but Is intricate and complex Commissioners have many diverse problems to work out In Jn this 1 field where here a profession is In process of emerging expert guidance is ary If 11 practices do not fall far behInd behind behind be- be hind the level of other parts of ol the I 1 i i country A recent survey of a moderate sized Iud county showed that the recorded reJet relief relief re- re lief Jet of cf various types reached a total t cf of last year Unrecorded giving ing would probably bring this figure up to or more Of this sum J 5 the county gave without quail quail- j l' fled help to Investigate to 1 I j or to follow up and check Fifteen n nJ J c j other agencies of various kinds dabbled with alth relief Among these were vere Rotary r KIwanis Lions Elks B. B P. P W. W Ameri- Ameri I t can con Legion a literary club etc None of ot there organizations have any kind t Tj ii of cf trained help for this work ork At this 1 i rate in the course of 10 years niTS this ref re- re f re- re relatively poor county would spend nearly near- near v 1 Jy ly y a million dollars through machinery 0 1 1 that that as it works out is unfair is 15 an r education in pauperism and is V r- 5 wasteful This strong statement re- re re- re requires quires proof Let us have hue It 4 I Can a county commission with hundreds hundreds hun- hun l of other matters to attend to S 1 successfully withstand the vociferous demanding poor in favor of the more moreT morer VT T r L needy but retiring quiet kind Or turn turna a deaf ear to local leaders who ho are on the job looking after the poor of their particular towns The study above re re- re to showed that 8 towns in the I j 1 county received no county aid whatever whatever what what- ever while one town had 28 families t per Fee 1000 of population on the county roll or about 1 in 7 of the The average for the county was 1 in 17 17 I Seven Beven towns were well wen above the average aver aver- R age Nineteen were below and 8 re- re received no help Quite obviously unfairness unfairness unfairness un un- fairness in the distribution of the peoples people's peoples people's peoples people's peo peo- ples money in the welfare field is in evidence This does not mean necessarily that the county commissioners are unfair it means that they are the theIr t victims Ir s' s of a system that works unfairly un- un Vv fairly The most mort important points at 1 wh which ch the present system works unfairly unfair unfair- ly y are 1 acceptance of applications for aid 2 the length of time a recipient re- re 1 remains on the roll roU and 3 in ins inthe s the of taxes The relatively noor poor c of nf ad ad- ad ri in In th the system rte tends da- da to leave the client in the t economic slew Into which he has fallen It Is the us usual usual us- us ual val thing for those who once ret pet on the county roll to remain there for life Meanwhile children n are often crowing up In the aided family getting petting pet get t- t ting u used td to the idea of rt receiving l help and learning to play the role rolt which brings it Independence is an American trait The nation was nurtured nur- nur bred and born in it With us it itis itis is more than an ideal it is 15 an arrom- arrom trait of character In its nurture nurture nurture nur nur- ture and pre preservation undoubtedly lies the hope hort of the nations nation's future The extent to which we are slipping is evident on all sides Our economic decline is more than by our spiritual losses Farm relief soldier bonus pensions free wheat relief on a lar large e scale seale poor ad- ad have ha combined to multiply mul- mul I the number who are willing even anxious to play the part of the pau pau- per r This trend must be checked The first fint requisite is the tiie development of adequate administrative machinery In the far off future it is conceivable conceit conceit- able to look for an economic social system tem in which relief will be at a minimum It may possibly be eliminated eliminated eliminated entirely Before Defore such a happy day comes there will not only be great revisions of the economic system but buta buti i a practical eugenics will have eliminated cumin cumin- aced the unfit who so 60 freely reproduce themselves today Dut But the present generation must work under the order It must face the maladjustments of a raI ra- ra I I changing chaning age in which great grut forces are unleashed which our system system system tem is unable to satisfactorily control Today wage earners are un un- employed The farm farra population of is undergoing an strain Relief is considered no longer in terms of thousands of dollars or even en millions It requires billions As resources have declined emphasis has haa s. s shifted from private resources to public and from public to local loal to state sute and federal Today a federal relief measure Is being admin- admin Are we ve e spending too much Anyone Informed of conditions knows that we fire are not spending too much but he does know that much of It Is 11 being spent wastefully It is a common in Utah counties to In cerate county aid during good times Umes and cut down severely durAM dur- dur Aid AM given ghen 1920 prosperous year 29 29 ing depressions Here lIere Is 15 an example 1921 1921 depression year 18 Aid given 1929 prosperous year 1932 1932 depression year ex expected expected expected ex- ex appropriation If the people In this county could get along during the hard years of 24 1921 with an average of per year why did they need an average average average aver aver- age of at during the good years of 1925 If these increased appropriations appropriations appropriations were expended on rehabilitation rehabilitation tation and prevention no waste need develop elop but the counties have no machinery machinery machinery ma ma- chinery to do this kind of work ork There Is evidence of both waste and pauperIzation pauperization pauper pauper- here 2 A rate of 28 4 families on the county roll roll per 1000 of population in one town or about 1 in 7 Is Inexcusable in a rural farming community Another Another Another An An- other agency is helping about 1 family in 5 in this same town It is high time Ume to lay emphasis on some other things than on mere mere relief when con conditions conditions con cori reach Teach this stage 3 Eight towns tom in one county with no county aid probably means wastage wastage wast wast- age of another anether kind wastage in future physical health vocational efficiency normal cultural well-being well for the oncoming generation 4 Fifteen agencies dabbling with relief re relief relief re- re lief In tn a county seat with 1 no agency maintaining a quality of service which entitles it to membership In the FamIly Family Family Fam Fam- ily Welfare Association of America and with Ith only one agency which maintaIns maintains maintains main main- a volunteer service means wastes of no small proportions The generous generous generous gener gener- ous hearted people who want to do something collectively and insist that the organization to which they belong be belong belong be- be long do It It are probably now aware that such service is likely to do as much harm probably more than good 5 The combination plan sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times followed In the counties of Utah by which the county furnishes funds and distributes them through the L. L D. D S. S bishops falls fails to work out well for the reason that these bishops are ue generally not trained in welfare work Some Bome are very active in getting county aid for their ward membership and recommend applicants freely to the county commissioners Others make few recommendations The result is gross inequality 6 Utah counties like counties in other states are not Immune to the encroachments and demands of po po- Wastes and favoritism develop elop 7 7 Waste arises out of leaving names on the county roll too long Some Bome never tr should be on Relatively few should remain on for life The county county county coun coun- ty commissioners are in tn much the fame same position In this matter as the State Board Doard of Pardons used to be before it obtained some trained help to make mike recommendations They were simply swamped Having no ef effective effective ef- ef e se the county county county coun coun- ty commissioners have no way of de determining determining determining de- de when a name should be dropped The loudest speaker tends to stay on and many quiet people learn how to speak loudly Thus a rising tide of difficulties beats beau upon the counties as increasing I need and larger funds are handled through an Inadequate administrative I service Today a Ii prune need of each county Is a well trained social work work- er Instead of giving indiscriminately the many clubs in the count counties countiess leg would do more effective service If they would get together and assist the county commissioners to organize efficient administrative machinery One good goodcase goodcase goodcase case worker would earn her salary many times over and would save sa to those most in need much that now no goes elsewhere She would also save to hundreds of families the vital Ital spark of Independence on which the strength of a people ople rests |