Newspaper Page Text
PAGE TWELVE
(larke County Grand Jury Presentments
To the Honorable Henry H.
Vest, Judge of the Superior Court
of said County:
In line with the duties imposed
b the privilege of citizenship, the
Crand Jury for the April 1952
{orm of Clarke Superior Court has
met, and insofar gs it knows, has
earried out the responsibilities
imoosed upon it.
This has necessitated much
work, especially by the commit
tces, and this Jury asks, in order
that the full benefit of the infor
mation herein comtained be real
ized, that our fellow Citizens care
{--Ilv read all of, and give thought
to these presentments. We are
satisfied that there is much food
for thought contained in them.,
In a period when the world is
in the grip of uncertainty, confus
ion and even terror, this Grand
Jury voices its pride in the people
of 'our community, by far a great
majority of whom have shown by
our session they are a people of
sound moral fibre, are people
whose ideals have not been de-‘
stroyed; a citizenship of common‘
decency with an insistence upon
law and order. |
Following are the reports of the
various committees, which are in
corporated in our presentments:
County Treasurer’s Office
A committee composed of James
1. Akins ,chairman, William B.
Steedman, Jr. and Victor W.
Stephens, carefully inspected the
Clarke County Treasurer’s Office,
and report as follows:
We, the named committee, have I
found the Clarke County Treasur
er's Office to be operated in an
orderly and efficient manner. We
have also inspected the Treasurer’s
report from October 1, 1951, to
March 31, 1952, as well as the
Audit Report as prepared by Mr.
Jack W. Rundell, Jr., Accountant
and Auditor. These reports also
indicate th=t the Treasurer, Mr.
Foher” ™. Hamilton, has done a
~=»s rommendable job in this of
fien. A complete Treasurer’s report
and Receipts and Disbursements
covering the period October 1,
1951 to March 31, 1952, is attached
to and bec~—2% a vart of these
presentn - :
F Jaf?
The con .ze composed of Mr.
Bryvan Lumpkin, chairman, Mr.
James T. Hayes, and Mr. Anthony |
Costa report as follows: g
This committee has made a
thorough inspection of the County
Jail, all three committee memisers
participating. We were conducted
on the tour of the jail by Sheriff
H. T. Huff, whom we found most
cooperative and courteous. He an
swered all questions in detail even
though he was in the midst of a |
busy court week. |
We feel that Sheriff Huft has |
done a remarkably good job with '
the jail, insofar as conditions per
mit. Sheriff Huff has made many
improvements in the jail but there
are still things that should be
done. |
When the jail was built in 1913, !
it was among the most modern in l
the State, but it has been in use |
thirty-nine years and has become l
obsolete and outmoded. It may
still serve as a place of detention,
but has serious deficiences.
In the first place there is no |
way of truly segregating juvenile
offenders. They should. be set
aside, especially first such offend
ers, having absolutely and com
pletely no contact with hardened
criminals. Though Sheriff Huff is
doing hig best in this situation, he '
cannot do the job as it should be |
done because the facilities simply |
are not there. ]
In the second place, there is no |
way of properly housing demented l
persons; intoxicated persons; nar- |
cotic adicts, and etc., whereby
they may be made safe from
themselves during their incarcera
tion. At present the Sheriff often
has to hire a guard, or guards, to
watch such cases throughout the
night at consequent additional ex- '
pense. 3
This committee has ascertained
that there is a scarcity of space in
the Courthouse available for ex
panding needs, which will grow
more acute as the community
grows. With a number of new and
large industries planning to move
here, presents a problem that
should be considered now, not
waiting until later.
We feel that as far as possible,
for the convenience of the public,
various State functions should also
be concentrated in the Court
house, such as the State Veterans
Office; State Employment Office;
State Revenue Office; State Re
heop#&itation Office, and others, At
present the Welfare Department
is jammed into very cramped
quarters indeed. i
In Order to accomplish the |
above, this committee recom
mends that the Grand Jury sug
gest to the Board of County Com-~
missioners, that they thoroughly
and as quickly as possible, inves- 1
tigate ‘the possibility and advisa-\
bility of removing the county jail
from the top floor of the Court- |
house and converting that space
into offices. A new ecounty jail,
incorporatinf modern equipment,
and modernly constructed, could
be built as a wing to the Court
house. It is understood that if a
new jail should be constructed,
the county could get the services,
without cost, of a Federal Govern
ment Architect and Engineer to
submit plans, and if desired, su- |
pervise the entire building project |
until completed. j
In conclusion, we recommend
that this matter be simply as a'
suggestion to the Commissioners,
made in good faith and to evidence
our support in the matter should
they deem it wise, and in no man
ner or effort, to place pressure
- upon them.
Sheriffs Office, Tax Receivers Of
fice, Tax Collectors Office, Or
dinary’s Office, County Clerk’s
Office, Justice of the Peace
Officest
A committee composed of Mr.
Claud Chance, chairman, Mr. 8.
T. Carter, and Mr. George XK.
Jones, submit the following re
rist
lo&dvefl Office: After ex
ing the office of the Tax Re-
ceiver, Clarke County Georgia, on
the 16th day of April 1952, we re
port that the records are in good
condition, up-to-date ,and much
improved since the installation of
the new filing system and book
keeping equipment. The field man
nmentioned in the last Grand Jury
report has not been provided for
this office.
The Tax Receiver, Mr. P. J.
Smith, suggests that more time be
allowed the Board of Equalizers in
order that they may do a better
job in distributing the tax burden
more equably among the tax pay
ers. : .
The Office seems to be well
staffed with adequate and compe
tent personel. An atmosphere of
courtesy and readiness to serve
prevails. Our attention was called
to the fact that the reduction of
the State Tax rate from five mills
to one-fourth of one mill, reduces
in the same proportion the re
muneration of the Tax Receiver
from this source. The same ap
plies to the officer of Tax Collec
tor. This should be brought to the
attention of the proper authori
ties.
Tax Ceollectors Office: The of
fice of the Tax Collector was
found to be in good shape. Records
were neat, orderly, up-to-date as
nearly as possible, and well kept.
The office needs a calculater and
additional fire-proof storage facil
ities for the protection of very
valuable records.
The current collection are up
to, or ahead of schedule, and de
linquent accounts and back taxes
have been reduced to a minimum.
It has been previously recom
mended that the Tax Collector be
authorized to write off certain
dead or un-collectible accounts, a
list of wg\ich ig attached to, and
becomes a part of this report, in
order to get the records cleared
up. This committee again makes
this recommendation.
This office still maintains its
high standing in the State with
reference to collections, f6r which
we commend it.
Ordinary’s Office: We found
that the County Ordinary’s Office,
as kept by Mrs. Ruby Hartman,
Ordinary, was neat, orderly and
well kept. Office equipment, re
cords and valuable documents
filed in vaults were all in excel
lent condition, and readily availa
ble for use and reference.
County Clerk’s Office: The of
fice of the County Clerk was vis
ited by our committee, and was
found to be operating very effi
ciently, with all records neatly
kept and up-to-date so far as we
could tell. The housekeeping was
good in the office and storage
vaults. Mr. Elmer Crawford,
Clerk, expressed the need for new
lighting for the vault, as the pre
sent lighting is not adequate on
dark days. We recommend that
this be done as early as practical.
We wish to highly commend Mr.
Crawford for his work, and the
manner in which he conducts his
office.
Sheriffs Office: Our committee
visited the office of Sheriff H. T.
Huff, and found it to be operated,
and the records kept, in a very
orderly and gficient manner. Co
operation between this office, and
other law enforcement agencies is
very good.
We wish to commend Sheriff
Huff and his staff for their work,
and splendid cooperation shown
this committee,
Justice of the Peace: Our com
mittee vigited the offices of Mr.
George Burpee, and C. C. Kimzey,
and found them to be in good or
der, and records up to date, as well
as we could tell.
We have no recommendations
so make in either office, as both
officers were very courteous and
cooperative in showing us their
records, and the operations of their
courts,
General Hospital
Committee composed of Mr. E.
R. Hodgson, chairman, Mr. Fred
Ayers and Mr. Ralph Snow, re
port as follows:
The buildings, grounds and fa=
cilities at the Athens General Hos
pital were carefully inspected with
the assistance of Miss Regall, Di
rector of Nurses. Mr, Oscar Hil
liard, Director, was in Atlanta at
tending a conference of Hospital
Directors.
We found the building and
equipment with the exception of
the Nurses Home, to be in excel
lent condition, In fact, we feel
that Clarke County is exceptional
ly fortunate in having such a
Hospital. The high rating given
the Hospital recently by a Na=-
tional Inspection Board, justifies
this statement.
. The nurses home, as mentioned
above, is in very bad condition.
The roof is rusting, and leaking.
It could probably be fixed if at
tended to immediately, but if left
1 much longer, greater damage will
I result. The house and rooms need
painting badly, and some repairs
! to the electric wiring is necessary.
We call to the attention of the
proper authorities, that these same
recommendations were made in
the last Grand Jury presentments,
and have not been corrected.
The services rendered the peo
ple of our section by the Hospital
are enormous. In fact, with the
new addition, bedrooms are still
scarce, and we were told that last
week 118 patients were cared for,
by putting beds in the halls, as
the rooms can accomodate only
{ 104 beds.
Court House
A committee composed of Mr.
0. C. Dillard, chairman, Mr. Bu-~
ford Kesler, L, A. Clarke and Mr.
J. T. Feir, reports as follows:
The County Court House was
carefully checked, and we were
advised that most of the improve=
ments and repairs as recommend
ed by the previous Grand Jury
have been completed. We wish to
commend the commissioners for
improvements made, with special
mention to the following:
I—The new floor covering in
Superior Court Room and Recep
tion Room of City Court Judge.
2—The flourescent lighting in
the Clerk’s office and Deed record
| room is a big improvement.
| B—The basement has been tho
| roughly cleaned and painted; and
| is free from all material stored in
| the corridors, A storm door and
Izawning has been installed at the
basement entrance.
; The following improvements are
! recommended by our committee:
‘ I—lnstall lights in emergency
| stairways and keep lights burning
when the building is occupied.
| 2—Paint emergency stairs,
| walls, and ceilings and approaches
| to the elevators on. all floors.
i 3—Repair leak around sky-light
| on third floor.
| 4—Repair water damage to ceil=-
| ings and walls of welfare office, |
| and paint. |
: s—Provide chairs or benches for
; witnesses in Ante-room of Grand
- Jury room.
| 6—lnstall acoustical ceiling in
' Superior Court room.
7—lnstall flourescent lighting,
and cover top of counter with fi
ber board in Tax Receivers office,
B—Repair floor of front en
trance to biulding.
9—lnstall flourescent lighting in
Office of Superior Court Solicitor
General.
10—Several offices are over
crowded and need additional of
fice space in order to efficiently
conduct the duties of their office.
11—The parking lot at the rear
of the building is still one of the
worst conditions existing at the
Court House. We recommend,
that if possible, additional parking
space be secured. If not, that all
office personnel who do not use
their cars in connection with their
work, be requested to park them
in some other area. We further
recommend that no one be per
mitted to park in this area, unless
actively engaged in the conduct of
business at the Court House.
County Commissioners, County
Farm, County Poor Farm, Roads
and Bridges:
A committee composed of Mr.
R. M. Snow, chairman, Mr. Ed H.
Downs, Mr. B, F. Grant and Mr.
R. T. Holmes, submit the follow
ing report:
An investigation was made of
the office of the County Commis
sioners and all records and pro
cedures were found to be in very
good order. All county purchases
are made on the basis of a requisi
tion being issued by the depart
ment desiring the purchase and
this requisition is cleared through
the County Commissioners office,
and a purchase order is issued on
all items purchased. Records of
these transactions are well kept
with a complete file available for
the auditors inspection. Mrs. Janie
Trousdale, the secretary to the
County Commissioners presented
us with various bonds and cou
pons which had been redeemed by
the county since the last meeting
of the Grand Jury and their in
spection in lgt;tobel' 1951. Each
member of our committee person
ally checked each bond involved
and each coupon, all of which
were serially numbered, and after
satisfying ourselves that they were
in good order, they were burned
in the buil&ng furnace, with all
members of the committee pre
sent, and also the clerk of the
County Commissioners, Mr. Ho
mer K. Nicholson. As a further
record we attach to this report a
complete inventory of the above
mentioned bonds and coupons, and
also other pertinent information
concerning other bonds and cou
pons outstanding and also a con
densed statement of any regis
tered bonds remaining to be ac
counted for. This report is at
tached to, and becomes a part of
these Grand Jury presentments.
At this time, we would like to
highly commend the continued
good work of Mrs. Trousedale in
the Commissioners Office. The
;County Commissioners are to be
commended for having such a
capable employee. '
. We then made an inspection of
the County Farm, which included
)an inspection of the prisoner’s
| quarters; the prison kitchen;
|laundry; guard’s quarters; ware
houses; asphalt plant; road ma
chinery, equipment and trucks.
We found all of these to be in
good condition, with good sub
stantial food beeing prepared in a
clean kitchen for the prisoners
and guards. All the surrounding
grounds are well kept.
We then visited the County Poor
Farm and found everything to be
in good order. Mrs. Harmon, who
is in charge of this project, is car=-
rying out her work in a good man=
ner, and is providing the inmates
with good food and the necessary
attention. We were ‘well pleased
to see the improvements made in
sanitary conditions in this phase
of the county work by the addi
tion of inside toilets, which were
made possible by the extension
of city water out the Lexington
Road. In the past it has been im
possible to provide such facilities
for these inmates due to the in
ability of the county to secure
enough water supply through
wells to take care of this situation.
All of the buildings have been re
centl¥ painted, and are apparently
in good condition.
! We rode over many of the
County roads, both paved and un
paved, with the Clerk of the
County Commissioners, Mr. Ho
mer Nicholson. We found the
county roads generally to be in a
good state of repairs with work
igoing along satisfactorily on the
! re-working of the Timothy Road,
' which is to be paved in the near
| future, and which upon comple
tion, will furnish a cut-off route
| from the Atlanta Highway to the
| Macon Highway. We learned from
i Mr. Nicholson that the county is
| obtaining all State aid possible on
| the paving of county roads and in
‘addition to this they are them
lselves securing as many bids for
| ;his wqu as possible, and are do
img.thls pavement on State Aid
| Projects with county equipment
iand waterial, and are actually
| showing a profit on this work.
{ This profit is immediately being
{ turned into additional road work
i on county roads on which there is
{ no State participation. The County
! paved roads are iff general, in good
THE BANNER-HERALD, ATHENS, GEORGIA
imndition, with work going for
| ward as scheduled. We wish to
commend the County Commis~
\sioncrs for their progressive ap
proach to the ultimate paving of
'all county roads, and would like
to urge that they continue to se
cure as much State Aid as possible
as they have been doing in the
past. We did find one condition
on Clover street, in the new sub
division in the County, which
needs correcting. There are places
in the pavement which were torn
up by the installation of various
utilities, and were not put back
into first class condition; and it
is the recommendation of this
committee that this be done im
mediately; and also, that the mat
ter of drainage and storm sewers
on Clover Street be corrected, as
soon as possible, to avoid a very
unsatisfactory water condition be
ing experienced by some of the
property owners. It is also the
recommendation of this commit
tee that immediate attention be
given to the bridge near the en
trance to the Y. W. C. A. camp
which, because of the nature of
the approach to the bridge, is very
dahgerous. We would also like to
recommend that the County Com
missioners work as closely as pos
sible with the City of Athens in
the matter of street improvements.
We would also like to recom
mend that the County Commis
sioners continue their vigorous
efforts to work out with the State
Highway Department and the Bu
reau of Public Roads, the matter
of bringing the new entrance of
the Macon Highway intg Athens.
Any action that would speed. up
the completion of this project
should be taken immediately .
We wish to commend the State
Highway Department for the new
directional signs that have just
been erected in the city of Athens.
We wish to take this opportuni
ty to commend the Clerk of the
County Commissioners, Mr. Ho
mer K. Nichokon, for his dil
igence to his job, which beyond a
doubt is saving the tax payers of
Clarke County a considerable sum
of money each year.
County School System
The committee composed of Mr.
Fred Ayers, Chairman, Mr. J. T.
Weir and Mr. Claud Chance, sub
mit the following report:
The committee, accompanied by
Mr. W. R. Coile, County School
Superintendent, made a tour of
all schools in the County System.
We were favorably impressed with
many things found in the system
as a whole, but there are certain
deficiencies that .should be cor
rected as soon as possible. The
committee appointed for this in
spection by the October 1951
Grand Jury recommended that
the County Board of Education
investigate the feasibility of hir
ing a man, either part time or in
fuil, who is capable of doing re=
pair work for all the schools in
the county system. We discussed
this with Mr. Coile and he stated
that after investigating the mat
ter, the County Board of Educa
tion had reached the decision that,
due to the cost involved, and due
1o the size of the school system, it
would not be practical to hire
such a man. He stated that the
County Board of Education was
of the opinion that it could have
maintenance and repair work
done in a more economical man
ner.
The committee appointed by
the October 1951 Grand Jury also
made the following observations:
Winterville High School needs
additional equipment and class=
room space for it's Science De
partment.
The Gymnasium is inadequate. -
Midway School for colored chil
dren needs blackboards very bad
ly, the roof leaks, and the boys’
latrine is in need of repair.
Whitehall school is in poor con
dition. Additional classroom
space is needed. Gutters and
downspouts are in need of repair.
Rest rooms are unsanitary from
lack of care and proper cleaning.
There is a definite need here for
supervision and teaching the chil
dren the proper respect and ap
preciation of good housekeeping.
Mortons Chapel School for col
ored children does not have pro
per classroom lighting, and class
rooms need painting,
Princeton and Whitehall Schools
still do not have lunchrooms due
to limited ground space.
The Julia C. Jackson Harris
School for colored was last year
the only colored school in the
County system operating a lunch
room. However, this year the
County Health Department closed
this lunchroom because they were
not equipped with running water.
We, as a committee, found shat
very little progress has been made
since the October 1951 Term tow
ard remedying the conditions as
noted by the committee from the
Grand Jury at that time. The only
item, as observed by the last
Grand Jury that has been cor
rected, is the gutters and down
spouts at the Whitehall school.
They have been repaired.
We recommend that the County
Board of Education reexamine the
observations made by the October
1951 Grand Jury, and correct
these deficiencies as soon as possi
ble.
We further recommend that
proper drainage be provided for
grounds at Midway School; that
some work be doné on the grounds
at the Billups Grove School; that
the County Board of Education
investigate the possibility of a
central heating plant at the Gaines
School; that lunchrooms be pro
vided for all the children of the
County as soon as possible. We
found only three schools operat
ing lunchrooms.
We recommend that the Coun
ty Board of Education have run
ning water and flush toilets pro
vided for all the children of the
county as soon as possible after
making a study of the existing
schools and after giving consider
ation to future consolidation.
This committee is fully aware
that all of these recommendations
should not be carried out in the
school as they exist today. We
recommend that a careful study
be made, and that a consolidation
be made, and, after this is done,
that the facilities we recommend
be provided for all the children
in the county.
Superintendent W. R. Coile, in
discussing these matters with the
committee, stated that he and the
members of the County Board of
Education are fully aware of the
deficiencies as listed in this re
port but they are of the-epinion
that # would not be good busi
ness to proceed with providing
the recommended facilities until
after the survey of the entire
County School System has been
brought up to date and a long
range building program adopted.
He stated that it would be neces
sary for this to be done in order
to go into a long range building
program with Capital outlay funds
provided by the State of Georgia
under the Minimum Foundation
law.
We wish to express appreciation
to Mr. Coile for the courtesies ex
tended us, and we wish to com
mend him and the members of the
County Board of Education for
the many fine things they are do
ing in operating the schools in
Clarke County.
Department of Public Welfare
A Committee composed of Mr.
Heyward Allen, chairman, Mr.
John Bondurant, and Mr. E. R.
Hodgson submit the following re
port:
The Clarke County Department
of Public Welfare has offices on
the third floor of the County
Court House, and is operated by
the Director, Miss Mary Collier,
and a staff composed of three wel
fare workers and three stenog
raphers. This staff is responsible
to the Clarke County Welfare
Board.
The functions of this Depart
ment are described under the fol
lowing headings, and each func
tion is described in general terms
and commented upon:
Special Public Assistance: All
grants-in-aid under this heading
receive subsidies from the Federal
Government (approximately 72
per cent) from the State of Geor
gia (approximately 24 per cent)
and from Clarke County (exactly
4 per cent). The precise subsidy
formulas are covered by regula
tion and will not be discussed
here.
It is very important to note at
this point, that Special Public As
sistance funds are required to be
administered precisely by regula
tions emanating from the State
Department of Public Welfare;
also, that these State regulations
must meet certain Federal stand
ards-in order that the 72 per cent
Federal subsidy can be obtained.
This non-locai control makes it
illegal and impossible for the lo
cal Welfare Board to use their
judgment in passing on cases in
which the application meets the
written regulation, but in which
the Welfare funds granted to the
applicant are not being used by
the applicant for the true purpose
for which they are intended.
To be eligible for Special Public
Assistance, the applicant must
prove the need for this help. Reg
ulations provide a uniform for
mula establishing financial re
quirements for individuals and
family groups of varying sizes. For
example, a single individual is
assumed to require SIB.OO for food,
$4.75 for clothing, $20.00 for rent,
SB.OO for fuel, SI.OO for lights,
SI.OO for water, and $3.00 for
medicines, etc. This makes a total
of $55.75 per month which regu
lations assume to be minimum
needs for a single individual. Sim
ilarly, a family of six people is
assurmmed to require $165.00 per
month. Thus, a single individual
whose income is less than $55.75
per month can receive assistance
sufficient to bring the applicants
income up to $55.75 per month—
except that $50.00 per month is
the maximum grant-in-aid that
can be given an individual. Sim
ilarly, for the family of six, their
income can be subsidized by the
amount necessary to bring their
income up to $165.50 per month—
except that $99.00 is the maxi
mum assistance that can be given
to a family unit as a grant-in-aid.
Now to describe the three types
of aid under the Special Public
Assistance Program:
Old Age Assistance: Old age as
sistance is provided for persons
who are 65 years of age or older,
and who cah establish need under
the written formula. There are
certain other requirements of eli
gibility which need not be con
sidered here.
In July 1951 a total of 962 per
sons in Clarke County received a
total of $25,020.50 for the month.
In April 1952, a total of 1015
persons in Clarke County received
a total of $33,546.00 for the month.
This amounts to a 5 per cent in
crease in recipients, and 34 per
cent increase in dollars.
Georgia Law No. 444 requires
that financially able children sup
port their aged parents. It also
provides a means for requiring re
imbursement from financially able
children for sums paid to their
parents through Old Age Assis
tance.
Regulations require that the
Clarke County Welfare Depart
ment report to the State Depart
ment of Public Welfare the names
of children who are believed to be
financially able to support parents
who are on Old Age Assistance
Rolls. Two such letters, involv
ing 7 Old Age Assistance cases
were written on November 5, 1951
in compliance with this regula
tion, but there is no local evidence
that any action has been taken on
these cases, and the Old Age As
sistance checks continue to flow
from tax sources to these clients.
Georgia Law No. 444 does not
require financially-able “in-law”
children to support their “in-law”
parénts. Thus it is legal for a
well-to-do man to have his wife's
parents on the Old Age Assistance
Rolis.
(2) Aid to the Blind: This assis
tance is available to those who are
blind, or whose sight is severely
limited, provided they can show
need under the written formula.
In July 1951 a total of 26 per
sons drew $827.50 for the month,
In April 1952 a total of 27 per
sons drew $986,00 for the month.
(3) Aid to Dependent Children:
Provided that need can be shown,
children are eligible for Aid to
Dependent Children, if they are
under 16 years of age and if they
are deprived of parental support
or care by reason of death, con
tinued absence from the home, or
physical or mental incapacity of a
parent, A, maximum of $27.00 per
month can be granted for one
child, with SIB.OO maximum for
each additional child in the fam
ily; the maximum A. D. C. grant
for a family is $99.00 per month.
In July 1951 parents of 300
children in Clarke County re
ceived assistance in the total
amount of $5,281.50 for the month.
In April 1952 this has risen to
391 children and $7,693.00 for the
month, This is an increase of ap
proximately 30 per cent in chil
dren, and 45 per cent in grants in
this county within ten months.
During the fiscal year 1950-51
a total of 31 States had a decrease
in families receiving Aid to De
pendent Children. These decreases
varied from 26.2 per cent to 0.5
per cent. At the same time 19
States experienced an increase in
A. D. C. These increases varied
from 0.2 per cent to 27.0 per cent,
with Georgia being the State
which added the greatest percent
age of families to its A. D. C. rolls.
This increase is recognized to be
a shocking situation.
Many cases involving Aid to De
pendent Children appear to be
deliberate and intentional abuses
of the purposes for which A. D. C.
was established. Nevertheless, the
cases qualify as being eligible un
der the written regulations, and
the local department can not con
trol or deny them. Such a case is
one in which a colored father of
4 children deserted his wife and
moved from the State. The wife
received SBI.OO per month for the
children, but is herself an alco
holic and does not use the A. D. C.
money for the children. But regu
lations do not permit denying this
assistance to this family, nor do
they permit any control over the
spending of the A. D. C. funds
which this alcoholic mother re
ceives from tax sources.
As is true with Old Age Assis
tance, blood relationships are
necessary before the Department
can deny Welfare funds to an ap
plicant who is related to a finan
cially-able person. For example a
financially-able step-father is not
required to support his wife’s de
pendent children. A. D. C. funds
are available for this purpose and
the local Department can not deny
such an application.
Recommendations concerning
special public assistance, old age
assistance: s
I.—That Georgia Law No. 444
be amended to make it mandatory
for financially-able children to
support their needy in-law pa
rents as well as their own parents;
and that the law be amended to
make it possible to recover from
such financially-able children all
sums henceforth paid in Old Age
Assistance to their In-law parents.
2.—That the provisions of the
existing Georgia Law No. 444 be
meticulously followed, by report
ing to the State Department of
Welfare the names of financially
able children whose parents are
or have been receiving O. A. A.;
that the State Department of wel
fare be required to act immedi
ately and vigorously on each such
case, and that all sums of Old Age
Assistance which have been paid
to parents of financially-able
children be recovered from such
children through immediate legal
procedures.
3.—That we enter immediately
on a publicity campaign designed
to correct the common impression
that Old Age Assistance is a pen
sion to which people are entitled
upon reaching age 65, and that
each applicant be required to
show convincing evidence that he
is conscientiously trying to sup
port himself.
~ Aid to the blind: No recommen
dations. This seems to be well
handled.
Aid te dependent children:
1. That State Law and Welfare
regulations be changed so that a
financially able step-parent will
be responsible for his step-chil
dren, just as for his own children;
and that the law be so amended
that any future assistance that is
given to such step-children shall
be recoverable from the financial
ly-able step-parent.
2.—That regulations be amend
ed to permit the County Welfare
Department to have more local
control over families receiving Aid
to Dependent Children, While it is
realized that local control could
be abused, it is believed that its
advantages far outweigh its haz
ards. Local control could elimi
nate known practices such as:
A.—A parent using A. D. C.
funds for liquor, rather than for
the benefit of the children.
B.—A parent deserting his chil
dren and going elsewhere to work
with the full knowledge that the
Welfare Department will take
over his responsibilities towards
his children.
C.—The mother of dependent
children being ahle to obtain A. D.
C. funds, even though her hus
band, the step-father of the chil
dren, is able to support them.
D.—An unscrupulous man mar
rying a mother of dependent chil
dren to get A. D. C. funds which
she is drawing for the children.
E.—A lazy parent applying for
and obtaining A. D. C. assistance
for his children, when there is
employment available to him. The
regulations should be amended so
that an employable person can not
purposely classify himself in such
skills as will permit him to remain
unemployed and at the same time
receive public assistance.
3.—That regulations be amend
ed so as to permit paying A. D. C.
funds to a guardian appointed by
the Court, in cases where the pa
rent is not properly caring for the
dependent children, and is not
using the A. D. C. funds for their
proper support.
4. —That in every case involv
ing desertion of children, the law
enforcement agencies be directed
to pursue with utmost vigor the
deserting parent; and that the
parent be brought to justice with
the least possible delay. Although
extradition cost may be high, it
will take only a few months of
Aid to Dependent Children grants
to exceed the extradition costs;
and it is believed that quick and
determined justice for deserters
will quickly eliminate the practice
of desertion of children.
s.—That the new law pertaining
to cooperative activities by the
several States (known as the Fug
itive<Husband Law) be taken ad
vantage of whenever it will serve
to eliminate the need of Aid to
Dependent Children.
General recommendations per
taining to special public assis
tance:
I.—Under each program there
is provided an extra amount of
assistance available for special
diets for persons suffering with
pellagra, diabetes or tuberculosis.
It has been found that some cli
ents are suffering with other di
seases—such as pernicious anemia
—and require a special and ex
pensive diet. It is ' recommended
that regulations be amended to
make it possible to make special
allotments to clients for whom a
doctor’s prescription requires a
special diet. -
2.—Under the existing regula
tions, there is a uniform alloca
tion of aid funds to people from
each race and from whatever walk
of life they may come, and re
gardless of the comforts of life to
which they have been accustomed.
While this appears to be fair, just
and democratic in principle, the
fact remains that the normal eco
nomic position of some of our peo
ple is so low that they are en
couraged to try to get on a wel
fare program because under cer
tain family conditions they can
receive almost as much in wel
fare funds as they would have re
ceived in wages. This leads to
the belief that the County Wel
fare Department should be em
powered to study the needs of an
applicant based upon his economie
position, and make awards in line
with the applicants normal living
standards. We so recommend.
Summary of expenditures of
special public assistance:
Old Age Assistance
Month Year Cases Amount
July 1951 962 $25,020.50
August 1951 960 2%%175.50
Sept. 1951 959 25,060.50
Oct. 1951 945 31,057.00
Nov. 1951 982 32,252.00
Dec. 1951 983 32,508.00
Jan. 1952 980 32,320.00
Feb. 1952 992 32,745.00
Mar, 1952 997 32,938.00
April 1952 1015 33,546.00
Increases 5.5% 34.1%
Aid to Blind s
Month Year Cases Amount
July 1951 26 $ 827.50
August 1951 26 851.00
Sept 1951 26 849.00
Oct. 1951 25 947.00
Nov. 1951 25 949.00
Dec. 1951 27 952.00
Jan, 1952 27 1.023.00
Feb. 1952 26 963.00
Mar. 1952 25 938.00
April 1952 27 986.00
Increases 38% 19.2%
Aid to Dependent Children
Month Year Children Amount
July ' 1951 300 $5,281.50
Aug. 1951 292 5,351.00
Sept. 1951 302 5,557.00
Oect. 1951 306 5,981.00
Nov, 1951 313 5,984.00
Dec. . 1951 319 6,310.00
Jan. 1952 333 6,602.00
Feb. 1952 352 6,984.00
Mar. 1952 379 7.532.00
April 1952 391 7,693.00
Increases 30.3% "45.7%
If the rates of expenditures for
May and June are equal to those
of April, the total expenditures of
Special Public Assistance in
Clarke County for the fiscal year
1951-52 will have been $461,-
585.55. The total for the previous
year was $364,479.50. Thus, there
has been a percentage Increase of
approximately 27 per cent in the
past year,
General Assistance
The Department is at present
receiving $8,000.00 per annum
from the City of Athens; this sum
is administered in giving assis
tance to eligible residents of the
City. In general, it goes to needy
individuals who are not eligible
for Special Public Assistance
funds, or for those who are await
ing certification for eligibility for
these funds. The $8,000.00 grant
from the City is handled under
purely local regulations, and State
or Federal regulations do not per
tain to these funds.
Month-by-month the Depart
ment certifies to the Clarke Coun
ty Commissioners specific sums
that are recommended for assis
tance to the rural residents of
Clarke County. Small sums aggre
gating approximately $35.00 per
month are certified for groceries,
etc for needy citizens. However,
the principal assistance from the
County comes through the Athens
General Hospital where in the
past 9 months the Department has
certified $25,335.32 to the County
in the form of hospital bills for
charity cases. The county’s prin
cipal subsidy is in this form, and
this is administered with com
pletely local control.
So far as we could ascertain, the
General Assistance funds are well
used and we have no recommen
dations concerning their adminis
tration.
This committee also recom
mends that some form of air con
ditioning be provided the Welfare
Offices, as they are cramped. for
space, and usually well crowded
with people.
We also commend most highly,
the work that is being done by
Miss Collier and her staff under
the existing regulations, and feel
that she could do a much better
job with a little more local con
trol.
Following is a resolution sub
mitted by this committee and the
April 1952 Grand Jury:
Resolution:
WHEREAS, we sincerely be
lieve that it is the absolute re
responsibility of each individual
to expend his enerzy and initia
tive toward the support of himself
and his family; we believe that
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 39, 1952,
God wills it so; and
WHEREAS," we sincerely be
lieve that the geatnm and sta
bility of our County, our State
and our Nation was derived large
ly from the individual productive
ness of each citizen; and
WHEREAS, we sincerely belicve
that neither our County, our State,
nor our Nation can continue to
progress or even to remain eco
nomically and politically stable
without the maximum personal
accomplishments of our individya]
citizens; and
WHEREAS, we sincerely be
lieve that every individual shoulq
be encouraged to work, to he
thrifty, and to accumulate for
himself and his family savings 1o
tide him over in his time of neeq:
and
WHEREAS, we sincerely belicve
that we are “our brothers keeper
and we are willing to—and think
we should—provide assistance to
those who, while doing all they
can to help themselves, still re
quire additional help; and
WHEREAS, we sincerely be
lieve that it is a grave mistake
and that it is absolutely wrong—
to provide welfare funds to any
individual who can provide for
himself; and
WHEREAS, we view with alarm
the rapid rise in welfare cases and
welfare expenditures at all levels
—County, State and National: and
WHEREAS, we view with alarm
the growing attitude among many
of our people that welfare assic
tance is a RIGHT to which thev
are entitled, even when their nee
is a result of their own laziness,
indifference, mis-management, or
misconduct; and
WHEREAS, we view with alarm
certain welfare regulations im
posed upon County Welfare De
partments by the State and Fed
eral Agencies, which regulations
tear down the moral and economic
standards of our people by abuses
of sound welfare principles.
Among these undesirable regul:-
tions are those which:
(a) hold it to be the RIGHT of
the recipient to spend assistance
money as he pleases. Under this
regulation the recipient is allowed
to spend relief money for liquor,
gambling—for any purpose. And
the County Welfare Department
can neither control the expendi
ture of the funds, nor ean it stop
the relief assistance money.
(b) set up uniform standards
of relief assistance which are hizh
enough to encourage some of the
lower-income groups to get on
the assistance rolls, rather than
to seek and accept employment.
(¢) permit registration at an
unemployment office to be accept
ed as proof tha&a physically-able
recipient is making a conscientious
effort to obtain employment.
(d) place a premium on bastar
dry. A woman with illigitimate
children of a low-income father,
finds it advantageous not to di
vulge the name of the father of
the children. If the father’s identi
'ty were known, the Court would
require him to support the chil
dren; but the relief assistance
moeny that will be paid to the
mother of the illigitimate children
will be greater than the low-in
come father can provide.
(e) allow relief assistance io
the mother for her dependent
children, when the step-father of
these children is financially able
to support them.
(f) allow relief assistance to de
pendent parents, when the in-law
children are financially-able to
support them,
(g) make it more advantageous
to an elderly person to be desti
tute and on “old age assistance”
rather than have $10,000.00 in
Government Bonds. The Bonds
would yield the owner only $300.00
per year, while “old age assis
tance” can yield the recipient
$600.00 per year.
(h) so “ham-string” a fine
County Welfare Department that
it can not act to remove from
wwelfare rolls those cases that are
known to be undeserving of re
lief assistance.
THEREFORE, we urgently rec
ommend that our County, State
and Nation embark now on an
educational and publicity pro
gram which will point out to the
individual, his obligations to sup
port himself and his family; =
program which will impress upon
our people the fact that only dis
aster can result if undeserving
cases continue to require the pub
lic to support them; let the Voice
of America speak at home; and
THEREFORE, we urgently rec
ommend that the Welfare Depart
ment revert to the use of the term
“relief” rather than the currenti
used term “assistance”—in the
hope that this will impress upon
the individual the fact that wel
fare money is relief money and
not a pension; and
THEREFORE, we urgently rec
ommend that the citizens of Geor
gia call upen their representi
tives in Congress to make it possi
ble for the Georgia State Welim
Department to amend its reguli
tions without sacrificing the Fec
eral subsidy; and
THEREFORE, we urgently rec
ommend that the citizens of Geor
gia call upon the Georgia Stal
Welfare Department to amend %
regulations so-as to make Impe
sible all of the abuses covered 11
this resolution, and such othc!
abuses as are known to that -
partment; and
THEREFORE, we urgently rcc
ommend that the Citizens ©
Clarke County call upon th
Representatives in the State Lezi*~
lature to follow through at Sta®
Level to assure that these chans
are made; and
THEREFORE, we uregntly rec
ommend to the Grand Jury !
each of our sister counties
Georgia, that they investigate '
merits of these Resolutions
join us in them. E
We direct that copies of th
Resolutions be sent to the so! :
ing: ;
The members of Congress ro™
Georgia; Legislators from Clar™
County: Pudges of all Supel't
Courts in Georgia; Georgia o
Welfare Department; Clars®
County Welfare Department,
Press and Radio. L
Resolution of Clarke Cout®?
Grand Jury April 22, 1952, (07
cerning County Schools: 2
WHEREAS, it is our desire '
our County to join with the C 1
and the University of Georsi®
(Continued On Page Thirtes