The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-12-02
MATERNITY BILL Signed
BY THE PRESIDENT
STATES Made Provision In Advance
To Take Advantage OF The Hedp
Extended BY The Federal Govern
mem

On the Gay before Thanksgiving,
| President Harding signed the Ma
! ternity Bill" providing for Federal
corporation with the States in pro-
| noting the welfare of maternity and
| infancy. After more than three
years of struggle, the bill was pass
| ed by both houses of Congress by
| Overwhelming votes. The Children s
| Bureau of the L. S. Department of
Labor is given the administration of
the act. and the Chief of the Chill
dren's Bureau is made the executive
| officer. 4 Board of Maternity and
| Infant Hygiene, consisting of the
| Chief of the Children's Bureau, the
| Surgeon General of the L. S. Public
| Health Service, and the United
| States Commissioner Of Education,
| is given certainn powers of review
| and approval. 4 total appropriation
| of 81 .4S0 600 is authorized for the
| current fiscal year, and an apprO-
| priation Of $1,240,000 for each of
| five years thereafter. Except for a
very small percentage to be used for
| administrative purposes. the money
| is to be divided among the States ac-
cepting the provision of the act, to
be used. together with State funds.
! for promoting the welfare and hy-
giene of maternity and infancy.
| So eagerly was the passage of this
bill awaited that at least six States
in the 1921 sessions of their legisla-
lures passed laws accepting the Act,
if it should become a law, and auth
orizing a State board or division to
ino will hh En1nral GnvnTn-
ment. These States include, Della
ware, Minnesota New Hampshire,
New Mexico, Pennsylvania and South
Dakota. The rest of the States will
not have to wait until the next regu-
lar session of their legislatures, for
the law provides that If the legisla-
ture has not acted, the Governor may
in so far as the laws of his State
permit, accept the provision Of the
Act and authorize a State agency to
cooperate with the Children's
Bureau until the legislature has had
opportunity to act. More than 80
States have child welfare or child
hygiene Divisions in their State
Boards of Health, and in these States
ne law provides that it's administra-
ton shall be in the hands of these
divisions. Any State desiring to
benefit from the Act must submit to
the Children's Bureau detailed plans
for it's administration and these
plans are subject to approval of the
Federal Board of Maternity and in
FAINT Hygiene.
How much money will q State ac-
cepting the act receive from the
Federal Government to be used in
making maternity and infancy more
safe? In the first place, $1,000 the
first year. and $1,000 year thereaf-
ter will be paid each State indicating
its desire to cooperate. An addit-
ional SIS 5000 will be paid providing
the State appropriates SIS 600 of its
own for the same purpose. That
makes total of $4,000 the first
year and $4,000 a year for each
year thereafter available from Fed
eral funds to each State regardless
of it's size. In addition $4,000 a
year is provided to be distributed
among the States on the basis of
population, providing the amounts
thus apportioned are matched by
State appropriations.
The act contains specific clauses
protecting parents in their right to
liberty of action, and providing that
the State shall take the initiative in
preparing and carrying out plans.