Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-05
j. s. MAKES STUDY
OF FAMILY DOLES
Mary T. Waggaman Finds
Many Systems in Use in 27
Countries Surveyed.
BY WILL II. KENNEDY.


private industry.
Mary T. Waggaman made u sur
vey of family allowances in 27 coun
| tries for the United States Bureau
of Labor Statistics. She found then
differing so widely that tabular com
PARSONS could not be attempted. Sh'
cities the following as examples:
Allowances for married men regard
less of the number Of children.
Allowances for children only, FIRE
| quently including legitimate. illegiti
! mate. adopted, foster and step chill
| dren.
Allowances for widows with de
pendent children and for unmarried
mothers.
I Allowances for both wives and chill
dren, in many instances including
common law and divorced wives, wher
the latter are entitled to support.
Allowances for Parents.
Allowances for aged parents. sisters
and brothers.
Allowances on an hourly, weekly
monthly or annual basis. by the shift
as high wage, as a percentage of the
basic wage. without alleged connec
ton with the wage. or as a part Of q
cost-of-living bonus.
Allowances to all families with
family responsibilities or only to
workers and employees in the lower
salary or wage groups.
Allowances for certain number OF
children only, or for all children under
a certain age.
Allowances for children under 10, IA
Is. 16. Is. 20. 81, and even "a years OF
age.
Allowances for children in the high
er age groups, usually under certain
conditions; for example. because such
children are continuing their educa
ton or are suffering from physical o,
mental disability which prevents them
from earning a living.
Allowances for all children except
the first, or for all children except the
first two.
Allowances which increase or de
crease in amount according to whether
the child Is the second, third or fourth
in the family.
Influence Deduction Futile.
80 many matters concerning the
family allowance systems in their
present tentative existence are de-
batable that the drawing OF definite
conclusions Is difficult and frequently
AilpcSoIOiC, says TIC IHftStISdlOT.
For example, it would he indeed fu-
tile to attempt any deduction as TO
the actual influence of these systems
on the birth rate. Even in France,
where some Investigations have been
made along these lines, the findings
are of doubtful value. 1t is perfectly
obvious, however that the depopula-
ton crisis is very much to the fore
in the minds of the leaders of the
family allowance movement in that
country.
Another moot question IS the ef-
feet of family allowances upon indus.
trial production. The elements in
f1uencing production are SO numerous.
however. that any sound conclusions
as to what extent family allowances
are to be taken into account in this
connection should be the result of in
tensive scientific investigation, and
particularly so under the abnormal
industrial conditions following the
war.
While reports from several coun-
tries state that family allowances af-
feet production adversely, certain EN-.
ployers in other countries hope by
such grants to reduce strikes and to
lessen labor turnover, and conse.
quently to stabilize production.
varying replies were made to the
inquiry as to the reactions of family
allowances on the basic wage. II is
SAFE to say. however, that in the civil
services in various countries, and to
a considerable extent in industry
family allowances have without doubt
constituted a breakwater against de-
mands for higher wages.
Aid Given i'm Civil Service.
While family allowances were be-
ing paid in the civil services of %
of the 27 countries covered, the prae-
tice Of making these grants in private
industry has declined in almost all
Of the countries I'M which it has been
tried out. This decline is especially
marked in Czechoslovakia, Germany.
Switzerland and the Scandinav Wan
countries.
"On the other hand, there has been
a recent vigorous development Of the
allowance system in France and Bel.
GUM under the enthusiastic leader.
ship Of private employers, and a. re-
newed interest in the question Of fam
lily endowment is being manifested in
England and in Australia
ANY attempt to evaluate the
various experiments with family al.
lowances is battling not only because
of the conflicting testimony of those
associated with such experiments and
of the short period over which they
have been made, but because Of the
confusion Of thought as to the nature
and character Of family allowances
and the varying plans for putting
them into effect.
"On the one hand, family allow
ances are regarded as closely tied up
with md hA Q
payment Is put in juxtaposition with
the standard family wage and Is de-
clared to be more just and economical
because 1t takes into consideration
actual instead of hypothetical family
responsibilities.
Based on Standard Wage.
ION the other hand, there are
schemes for mother or child endow-
ment or insurance for family respon.
sihilities apart from the competitive
wage of the father. Between these
extremes there is the combination to
a greater or less degree of the family
allowance system with the standard
wage theory; for example, the paying
of a wage which will support a man
and his wife with supplementary
grants for each dependent child, or
the payment Of a standard wage and
the exclusion of the first child or of
the first two children from such
grants.
There are evidences, however. in
certain countries which are more
vitality interested in the subject Of a
trend away from concept of the family
allowance as a supplementary wage
and toward proposals for State family
endowment or some form of national
social insurance for family RESPONSE
bilities.
This trend lends support to the
fears of those who see in family al.
lowances or child endowment a more
penetrating invasion of private rights