Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-08-26


| any family IS ever going TO be hmiteu
| in it's needs to so a week. 1t means
| that the city or town must PROVIDE LOT
| the needs of the family, whatever they
| are. but can only rely upon the state
! for reimbursement up to an amount
not exceeding $40 a week,
/ We cannot lawfully reimburse city
! or town for the money paid to the de-
pendents of commissioned ofilcer. Ine
! family of a commissioned officer may
4 need assistance In that case the city
/ or town is under obligation TO furnish
| all necessary aid but -annot be re-lrn-
bursed by the State for such expendi-
ture.
Beside the wife and children of so.-
F.! der. sailor OF marine, the law limits
reimbursement by the state to pay
nents made by the city or town TO AID
! in the support Of the aged. inhrm and
! dependent father. mother or other
member Of the household OF which a
soldier, sailor or marine is the head.
/ This is not any regulation made by the
! Governor and Council. 1t is the lam
! guage of the stat"te passed by the
! Legislature and follows the precedent
! established in 1864 except that the words
! or other member of the household OF
! which the soldier, sailor or marine IS
! the head are added. thus opening the
! way for reimbursement IN the case OF
! age infrm and dependent relatives.
| other than the father or mother. but
! on the other hand restricting re-im-
| bursement to the cases where the rela-
tive is the resident Of a family Of which
| the soldier sailor or marine is the head.
| Here again the restrictions are
binding only upon the Governor and
\ Council in determining amounts TO be
repaid to cities and towns. They do not
prevent TIE cite and towns from pay
/ ing any amount that may he necessary
and any financial aid SO paid must "e
Eaid without creating the pauper status.
In Interpreting this provision of the
law. we were advised by the attorney
| general that the words aged, infirm
! and dependent relatives meant lust
what they appear 20 mean and that
we were authorized to rein burse cities
and towns only for payment to relatives
where all three conditions were present;
q; ), age. inir.nity and dependency.
Interpretation Of aged"
The question of the Interpretation
of the word aged in terms Of years was
the subject OF lonS and careful consid-
GRAFTON. Fear in mind that we were not
considering the question Of whether aid
! should be granted to any dependent.
| This question is always to be decided
by the municipal officers and to be de-
cided upon their Judgment as to whether
! reasonable need exists. But in order to
do our duty between the State on the
one hand and the cities and towns on
the other we had to agree upon some
dividing line beyond which a dependent
| relative Of a soldier or sailor should be
deemed aged and therefore a proper
case for reimbursement to the city or
| town if he or she were also 'infirm and
dependent and member of the family
of which the soldier. sailor or marine
was the head. After careful examina-
1 ton of available authorities and CON
sultation with the attorney general we
! agreed upon 60 years as a reasona BILE
age to be regarded as a dividing line
cordingly. In view OF the recent efforts
TO make political capital out Of this So
called State aid law, it is interesting TO
note that from the best information at
my command Maine is one of only four
or five states comr eling payment OF
! aid to families of soldiers and sailors
! in addition TO the aid provided by the
| Federal government. In proportion to
our resources. the provision made for
such aid under this law is far more
liberal than in the case of any other
| state. Payments for endorsement OF
! cities and towns during the first six
months Of 1918 will amount to over $50
| 600 and for the last six months of this
| year viii probably exceed $4,000. Pay
! ments made by cities and towns TO more
7, than 2N0 families have been approved
f. for reimbursement