With the establishment of Sub-committee No. 1, which had a revolving fund, the work was placed on a much better basis. With any letting down of the bars, the number of requests brought up, not only by paid workers, but by committee members, constantly increases. In the early days, the Rehabilitation Office was overrun at times by persons who were asking for special attention for families they knew. The need of taking up some cases out of turn is granted; the emphasis should be laid upon its regulation. It should be borne in mind that there is a high principle involved; that is, the rendering of strict justice to those families which have no friends at court, and which have not pressed their own claims.
VI. A Lesson Learned Regarding Records. In the review of the rehabilitation work, it is quite apparent that the theory that a case can be dealt with completely at one time is impractical. No set of rules could or should effect the result of a family’s being considered once only and then as a case be marked “finally closed.” A rehabilitation committee should recognize that a large number of cases may be re-opened, and plan its record system so that there will be no confusion in interpreting the re-openings.
The second Red Cross card[290] and supplementary blank cards for extended investigations, were the only general record cards in use. To the Red Cross card a “paster”[291] was attached by its gummed end, each time that a case was re-opened. The number of pasters on some record cards was from five to 10. The charity organization experience is that nothing can take the place of the chronological record. Owing to the use of the pasters without the carrying on of the chronological record the system failed.
[290] [Appendix II], [p. 428].
[291] [Appendix II], [p. 433].
Though the supplementary cards used in connection with the Red Cross cards made a chronological record of the facts possible, there was no uniformity in the keeping of the records. In connection with records of rehabilitation work, the important points are to learn the exact date of each application, the date upon which it was passed or refused by the committee, and the size of the grant, if any. These important points should be grouped somewhere for quick reference. In addition, a summary should state the kind of rehabilitation asked for in each application. The suggested form of summary to be filled in at the time that each application is passed upon would be as follows:
- Date of application
- Application for
- Date of action
- Amount of grant
- Refusal
- Date of payment
The sub-committees under the centralized system failed to maintain a uniform standard. The most orderly records were those of Committee VI, the business committee, and Committee I, the emergency committee. The housing committee used numerous blanks, but in order to trace a housing case it is necessary to wade through the entire correspondence, because the applications were frequently filed within the correspondence. In the examination of cases from the other committees for this Relief Survey, it was wellnigh impossible for the tabulators to learn in what manner, and at what time, and for what reason, the re-openings occurred. The only fact that was evident was that there had been reopenings, because there were successive pasters indicating refusals or grants. In some instances the reason for re-opening, instead of being placed in its proper order upon the chronological sheets was written on top of the paster itself in the space allowed for “Recommendation.” Sometimes by an exhaustive study of all the documents on file, it was possible to guess approximately the date of re-opening and why there was a re-application. If the various chairmen of sub-committees had been working in daily contact, as they were in the second and third periods, a better standard would have been maintained.
Two things have been absolutely demonstrated; first, that the records should approximate in form those used by charity organization societies. First, dates should be given for everything said or done, these dates should be arranged chronologically on sheets or cards in sequence, and the fact of the receipt of letters or documents, or of the sending of letters or documents, should be entered in their proper chronological order. Second, there should be a place upon the face of the card or immediately attached to it for the summary of applications and decisions.
VII. Loose Ends. The Rehabilitation Committee made endeavors to gather together the loose ends that resulted from the fact that small relief funds were distributed of which no record was given to the Rehabilitation Committee. Among such funds may be mentioned those in the hands of the Town and Country Club; the Doctors Daughters’, the Physicians’, as well as the Portland (Oregon) fund and the various church funds. In spite of there being special funds, for instance for relief of doctors, the committee was constantly receiving applications from physicians. It is hoped that the givers of similar funds in the future may be gradually educated to the point of insisting upon system and concentration of authority in their distribution; otherwise there is bound to be waste.