Evening star., 1923-07-15
PENSIONS FOR MOTHERS
FOUND GOOD BUSINESS
Success Attained in States, Reported by
Labor Bureau, Likely to Hasten
Legislation Here.

opinion. the families receiving aid
were entitled. Judge Edward T.
Waite Of the juvenile court of Hen
nepin county put it this woy:
"The standard of living for the
families where the mother receives
aid should furnish everything neces-
sary for the health and moral well
fare of the children. Particularly
should they be adequately fed. in or
der that they may grow up with
strong, healthy bodies. The mother
should not be away from home at
work at any time when her children
need her. nor do work that is beyond
her physical strength.
Service of Mother.
Judge Ben B. Lindsey Of the ju-
venile court OF Denver is reported to
have maze a similar statement and
added: THE care and training that q
mother gives her cchildren are the
greatest service she can render, and
nothing should be allowed to inter-
fere with that"
The report of the bureau investi-
gators summarizes III d SeHeTdl way
what the standards of living for these
families should be, as CLEANED from
the opinions of the administrators Of
the laws in the places visited III
Denver. II was found. and to a less
degree in Minneapolis, the families
were encouraged to live in the out
skirts of the city, where it would be
possible for them to have four or
five room cottage with yard and
space for a vegetable garden and
chickens.
Perhaps a COW or a goat could be
kept also for milk for the young
children. In Boston, ST. Louis and
other congested areas 1t was found
rather impractica:ble to house the
families in separate houses of their
own and flats" were the homes of
the families receiving aid. 1t was
generally considered that in any
home. however, consisting of
mother with both boys and girls Of
school age, should include kitchen,
a sitting room and at least two bed
rooms, one for the chcildren of each
sex. There should. of course, be ad-
| ditional bedrooms in case Of large
families. Attention should be given
to ventilation, light, etc. bathroom
was considered desirable but not alb
solutely essential. Among the other
necessities. a sewing machine was
+, included, and. in some places, an ice
| box, depending largely on the climate.
| Especial mention was made of ade-
| ouate food to permit the proper
| nourishment of mother and children.
| A minimum OF one pint of fresh milk
| a day for each child was recon-
| mended.
The standards of clothing varied.
But it was agreed that there should
| be sufficient clothing for protection
| and cleanliness, and comparable to
| that of the companions of the wearer.
1t was found that opinions differed
| az to the accumulation OF savings
| funds while the families were re-
ceiving aid. But in more than half
the places it was held that a mother
should be entitled to put by savings
! in order to meet emergencies, such
| as sickness and death. Such a re-
| serve fund, IT was said. should run
from $50 to $500. In some cases, this
money could be used to purchase
homes. There should be adequate
| aid given to permit of the education
! of the children, to care for their
health and to provide some recreation
| for the mother as we'll as for the
| children.
OF much interest is that part Of the
| report which deals with the legal
| limits set for the amount Of aid that
may be given. 1t was pointed out
! that frequently adequate aid was pre-
vented by provisions In the law, or
by rulings of boards, which set a
maximum beyond which the relief
i could not go, regardless of the cir
cumstances in an Individual case.
Massachusetts, and Colorado were the
only states visited by the bureaus
agents which were entirely free from
such restrictions. This is a matter
which Congress must give considera-
tion to in framing a law for the
District.