The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1929-07-11
Special Investigator Does Splendid
Tue Weeks Work in Freedom Co.

TN Ill u 1OOOOIBk W.
Mother receiving industrial COM
pensation, 1.
Older children, unmarried and
employed, H..
Relatives who contribute to the
support of family, 6.
Money out at interest ($100-
5000, 4.
On June 1, 1929, twenty-three
mothers and Is children were be-
ing cared for at an average cost
of $1O31 per child per month. The
average number Of children in the
home was three. The average age
of the mother was AZ years and 1
month which indicates that the
majority of these mothers has
passed beyond the years when en-
ployment is easy to find. found
that the fathers of ninteen of the
children had died; two were in
mates of insane asylums and two
men had abandoned their families
and were under indictment.
There should be a well defined
policy in every county regarding
the payment of mothers pensions
to divorced women and abandoned
women especially when there is an
able-bodied man in default. In
granting relief to these families,
the county is establishing a pre-
decdent which may lead to endless
difficulty. There is question
whether it is ever wise to make
a grant to healthy young women
with one or possibly, two children
Certainly not until the man has
been indicted for abandonment,
and three months has elapsed in
which the sheriff has made every
effort to locate him.
The carrying of life insurance by
county allowance mothers likewise
needs careful consideration. Very
often it is an indication of thrift
on the part of the mother. On the
other hand, it may be entirely due
to the powers of persuasian of
some enterprising insurance agent.
Where a reasonable amount of
life insurance can be carried by
the mother on the allowance she
receives without her getting into
debt or denying her family the
necessities of life, it is our feeling
that she should be allowed to car
ry it. 1t gives sense of security
and an assurance of decent burial
in case of death which is source
of real comfort to her. It is inter-
esting to find that in Freeborn
county it is possible for mothers
to carry insurance as follows:
Life insurance carried by the
mother on self, 100000.
Life insurance carried by mother
on children, $4,000.
Life insurance carried by wife
on husband insane), 100000
Fire insurance carried by moth
er on property, SD, 10000
Tornado insurance carried by
on property, $5,5OO.OO.
County allowance mothers should
be urged to carry fire and tornado
insurance on their property.
Ten of these widows received
life insurance on the death of their
husbands varying in amount from
$500 to $1,000. In all cases, this
has been used to pay up debts, to
purchase home for the family
and for living expenses prior to
application for county allowance.
Sixteen widows had worked for
wages before their marriage; six
worked for wages after their mar
riage and before the death of their
husbands. Five of them were re-
ceiving public relief at the time of
their husbands death.
Widows whose health permits
should be encouraged to do some
regular work in addition to the
care of their home and children.
It is essential, of course, that the
work be chosen with care. Out
side days work such as washing
and cleaning in private homes ap-
pears to be the leading occupa-
ton. The home sewing group is
fairly large.
The strain which any work in
wolves and the effect of the work
on the care the woman can give
her home and children will depend
not only upon the character of the
work and the ages of the children
but also upon. the number of
hours she is forced to be away
from home.