(The material referred to follows:)

BIENNIAL CONVENTION NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN, LOS ANGELES, CALIF., FEBRUARY 22-26, 1959

TOPICAL STATEMENT ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH

The sixth House Conference on Children and Youth, which will be held in March 1960, will be the culmination of the work of thousands of Americans throughout the country during the past decade. Held every 10 years since 1909, these conferences have made a substantial contribution to the welfare of our future citizens.

The National Council of Jewish Women, with its many services and programs on behalf of children and young people, is proud to participate in planning the White House Conference.

We shall seek consideration, at the conference, of the urgent and essential problems facing youth today, and shall work to see that the recommendations of the conference are carried out.

It is essential, however, that there be no further delay in taking long overdue action on education, juvenile delinquency, recreation and job training. We therefore call for:

(1) Immediate passage of Federal legislation to grant funds to the States for school construction and for teachers' salaries.

(2) Assumption by the Federal Government of responsibility for aiding States and communities in combating juvenile delinquency.

(3) Greater attention by States and communities for the provision of recreational facilities for young people.

(4) Greater attention by schools, social agencies, and citizen groups for Vocational training and job preparation of our young people.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Thank you very much, Mrs. Brown. We are happy to have you bring us this information, which will be very helpful. Now I recognize Mrs. Green.

Mrs. GREEN. First, may I say, Mrs. Brown, I really know of no group that does more not only talking in favor of worthwhile programs but also getting out and doing something. In my own city of Portland the Neighborhood House has been in operation for several years and open to children of all races and creeds. They have really taken the leadership in trying to do something in the field of prevention and control of juvenile delinquency.

Mrs. BROWN. We had a Juanita G. Nye House here in Washington. Mrs. GREEN. I visited that last year. Again I saw the very concrete evidence of your real concern. It is not something that you pay lip service to, but something that you get out and do.

I think you were here and heard one of the preceding witnesses who said he was very pleased at the bold approach of the request for $5 million. This, if we divided it down among the 50 States, would be about $100,000 a State.

In your opinion, is this a bold approach and is this a maximum that the Federal Government should spend on a problem that is recognized by everyone as national in scope?

Mrs. BROWN. I was very much surprised to hear the witness say it was a bold approach because, in our opinion, this is really just a bare

minimum of what the Federal Government should be doing in the field to augment what is being done by voluntary groups and by the State and local governments.

Mrs. GREEN. I noticed that you did recommend a three-pronged attack just as the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare recommends.

Mrs. BROWN. Yes. We feel that any bill reported out of this committee should include the three phases that I mentioned: the training, the research, and aiding existing institutions.

Mrs. GREEN. I am a little bit confused. I have in my hand a letter from the American Parents' Committee and I notice that they have taken a specific position on a particular bill. I notice that a Mrs. Garfunkel, who is the former president of the National Council of Jewish Women, is listed on the letterhead.

When was she president?

Mrs. BROWN. Mrs. Green, may I say that I saw Mrs. Garfunkel on that letterhead. Mrs. Garfunkel was never the president of the National Council of Jewish Women. She is a member of the New York section of the council. A section is the same as a chapter. We have sections all over the country. At the present time, Mrs. Garfunkel is not an officer at all of the national council. She is just a member of the organization, just as any other person is a member of the organization. She has never been president.

Mrs. GREEN. Then I should not interpret from this that the National Council of Jweish Women supports the recommendations of the American Parents' Committee?

Mrs. BROWN. No. We are not supporting any particular bill. Personally, I might say that this bill that is being supported by the American Parents' Committee does not seem to us sufficient at this time. As I understand, it does not include training and other features that we are particularly interested in, and we have not voted to support any particular bill.

Mrs. GREEN. You do have neighborhood houses or settlement houses?

Mrs. BROWN. We have settlement houses. We have some 900 different kinds of programs all over the country for children, that have to do with children's problems and children's programs.

Mrs. GREEN. Yesterday we had a witness, Mr. Bosworth, from Philadelphia, a very fine gentleman, I might say, and I have known for some time of the excellent work that has been done under his leadership in Philadelphia. I did not ask him if he were speaking for the settlement houses of the country, but have you been consulted in regard to recommendations that the settlement houses, as a group, would make?

Mrs. BROWN. As far as I know, we have not. The National Council of Jewish Women is making a statement completely on its own. We are not cooperating with any other group in our approach to this problem at this time.

Mrs. GREEN. Thank you very much, and again may I say how much impressed I am with the work that your organization has done in the areas where I personally have known of it.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Mr. Daniels.

Mr. DANIELS. Mr. Chairman, I have no questions of this witness; however, I would also like to join with the other members of the com

mittee in congratulating the National Council of Jewish Women for their interest and activity in community affairs, and for their interest in this particular project that we are studying at the present time. Mrs. BROWN. Thank you.

STATEMENT OF MRS. ELSIE AUSTIN, NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NEGRO WOMEN, INC.

Mr. ELIOTT. Our next witness was to have been Mrs. Ruth B. Spencer, speaking for the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. Mrs. Spencer has filed her statement with the members of the subcommittee.

Mrs. AUSTIN. Mr. Chairman, may I say that Mrs. Spencer is confined to bed with illness, and I would like to present her testimony. I am Elsie Austin, executive director of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc.

Mr. ELLIOTT. You may proceed to present Mrs. Spencer's statement, or proceed on your own, if you wish.

Mrs. AUSTIN. This is the statement of the national council. I would like to thank the subcommittee for this opportunity to express the national council's views on the proposed legislation on juvenile delinquency. I will not read our introductory remarks about the founding of the National Council of Negro Women. Suffice it to say it is a council of national organizations which include some 22 national member organizations and 92 local councils, and can reach and stimulate about 800,000 women.

Juvenile delinquency is a matter of serious and sustained interest for our women. It has touched constantly upon the services and leadership we are trying to give and to stimulate in communities across

the Nation.

All of the church groups affiliated with the National Council of Negro Women are pursuing, in one form or another, projects which touch upon youth conservation and upon juvenile delinquency directly. Out of the experiences which have come from our services and leadership at all community levels, we should like to respectfully present our concern on the following matters:

(1) The problem of juvenile delinquency has reached such national proportions that it reflects the influence in our society of the twin evils of excess of poverty and excess of affluence, complicated by a serious breakdown in parental control and responsibility.

(2) The normal resources of the family and the community are unable to cope with complex home and community problems which give rise to juvenile delinquency.

(3) Existing public, private and voluntary agencies with historically inadequate resources now find themselves critically strained by the extent and enormity of the juvenile delinquency problem.

(4) There is an absence of programs to upgrade the standards of families living at subsistence levels in far too many areas of our country. We are concerned that the rehabilitation of American citizens should receive as much interest and concern as the rehabilitation of peoples in other countries and areas of the world. Until more Americans are concerned about the plight of these "depressed" citizens, our country cannot give the needed convincing demonstration of our democracy's ability to deal with its own version of the serious problems

now facing other countries and peoples in areas of the world which look to America for leadership.

We have come out specifically in support of House bill 3464 because we believe this proposed legislation will provide a long overdue initial step and will make possible pioneer leadership and creative work on the serious problems resulting in juvenile delinquency and emanating from it.

We should like to respectfully ask the Congress to consider the following matters in relation to the proposed bill and the proposed legislation:

(1) That some provision should be made for a secretariat of experts to service the advisory council to be established by the bill, as such experts would greatly assist the advisory council in its decisions.

(2) That it would be helpful to the national organization interested in juvenile delinquency if the intent of Congress could be reflected in the House and Senate debates regarding the desirability of using Federal grants-

(a) to implement studies currently available and to establish and maintain a register of studies on juvenile delinquency;

(b) to finance action-research on experimental programs in strategic areas;

(c) to stimulate the development of family clinics to reach juvenile delinquency rooted in family maladjustment;

(d) to initiate in schools, with the cooperation of parentteacher groups, early detection and treatment programs;

(e) to foster and stimulate inservice training programs for established agencies which have a special need for good intergroup relations, skills, and attitudes.

(3) That it is reasonable to expect that leadership close to the needs of the children who are to benefit from juvenile delinquency programs would be eminently qualified to assist in identifying the merits of projects designed to reach these children. It is, therefore, our fervent hope that there will be representation from minority groups in the membership of any advisory council to be established should H.R. 3464 become a law.

(4) That Congress should make clear its intent to have this legislation supplement and expand ongoing programs of existing public and private agencies. We feel that this should be made clear to avoid the budget practices of curtailment, which have many times resulted in the crippling of established programs because emphasis was being given to a new one.

(5) That Congress should keep in mind the fact that the mere giving of Federal funds for projects to alleviate the symptoms of distress without a corresponding emphasis on remedial services to remove the causes does nothing to break the cycle of subsistence living. Is it not time that we made this our goal?

We of the national council are so encouraged that Congress is concerned with children who are proceeding toward juvenile delinquency as well as those who are already youthful offenders.

We know that you are aware of the dangers to our children and our society if such conditions as delinquency continue to be self-perpetuating.

Dr. John Galbraith in his book "The Affluent Society," calls attention to the force of poverty in our society. He points out the fact

that we all must recognize that they are indeed many children on the verge of leading lives of violence and offense who have limited opportunities to escape from the confines of poverty, the degradations of slum life, and the destructive restrictions of racial bigotry, unless they can receive bold and courageous help. Unattacked, the environment of these children will continue to perpetuate its handicaps through poor schools, evil community influences, and a critical absence of preparation to cope with life, except by means of aggression, violence, and deep-rooted patterns of hate.

We are supporting the measure because we hope that it will help to create conditions which will contribute to the wholesome growth of our young people. We believe that the bill will give stimulus and opportunity for the kind of courageous effort on the part of citizens and organizations which will reinforce today's children's confidence in the ability of their elders to help with their problems and to meet their needs.

I should like to respectfully request that our statement be made a part of the record.

Mr. ELLIOTT. Without objection, the entire statement just read, the statement of the National Council of Negro Women just read, will be made a part of the record at this point.

(The statement referred to follows:)

STATEMENT OF NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NEGRO WOMEN, WASHINGTON, D.C.

Chairman Elliott and members of the Subcommittee on Special Education: I am Mrs. Ruth B. Spencer, representative of the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. On behalf of the national council, I wish to express our appreciation for the opportunity to testify on H.R. 3464.

The National Council of Negro Women was founded in 1935 by the late Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune to afford a council of national organizations among Negro women which would unite their efforts and strengthen their services in education, social welfare, and youth conservation in their communities. In addition to the national organizations affiliated with the national council, there are local councils which further implement the ideals and services of the national council. At present the national council includes 22 member organizations and 92 local councils, and can reach and stimulate about 800,000 women.

The headquarters of the national council is located at 1318 Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, D.C.

Juvenile delinquency is a matter of serious and sustained interest for our women. It touches constantly upon the services and leadership we are trying to give and to stimulate in communities across the Nation. The groups of church women affiliated with the national council are sponsoring projects involving guidance and education to young people. The groups of business women with the council, in many areas, are working at better facilities for vocational training and guidance. Our groups of college women, comprising teachers, social workers, and professional people have for years afforded educational aid, services for less advantaged children, assistance and rehabilitation service for young people. Our fraternal women carry on an extensive program of educational grants and family help. Out of these experiences involving services and leadership at all community levels, we come today to respectfully present our concern with the following:

(1) The problem of juvenile delinquency has reached such national proportions that it reflects the influence in our society of the twin evils of excess of poverty and excess of influence, complicated by a serious breakdown in parental control and responsibility.

(2) The normal resources of the family and the community are unable to cope with complex home and community problems which give rise to juvenile delinquency.

(3) Existing public, private, and voluntary agencies with historically inadequate resources now find themselves critically strained by the extent and enormity of the juvenile delinquency problem.