New Britain herald., 1930-08-22

NlCtlmS or all the various fnancia 2 ills that harass mankind. It is baG
 thinking to blame misfortune upor
 the individual when in so many in. stances he has no control over his
 fate whatever.
 It is unfair to refer to old age
 pensions as "doles." It isn't being
 done in relation to the cost Of main-
 taining aims houses, then why to
 another method that merely takes
 the place of the aims houses?
 The old age pension system is an
 inevitable consequence of the indus
 trialization of humanity. It is point
 ed out by critics that in countries
 where the old age pension system
 has been adopted they continued to 1 increase as the years passed It is apparently overlooked that the pen sion systems in such lands usually were adopted while the industrial system was being developed. and as the development proceeded the need for aiding the indigent aged in creased.
 The modern industrial system has 10 use for old men. Only those in the prime of life are able to give a i maximum Of production Many factories especially those operating under group insurance plans. look with disfavor upon accepting old men as Iew employees. The general application Of workmen's compensa- ton laws in the states has intensi- fled the prejudice against the aged ] in industry Every year, in the indus tries employing large numbers of manual laborers. there is less need for old men.
 There are economic benefits in the old age pension system that are gen. orally overlooked in the present dis cussion. On of these is the fact that if all aged men were supported by the state t would make room for the younger clement a considerable portion Of which is in need of jobs
 Before the advent o: the indus trial system 1t was always custom ary for Ghe more youthful members Of ,he family 10 support" the aged, and this was done as a matter ot course. The old men were given soft Jobs as the sons attended to the harder work. II came about through the development of the factory sys- tenn that the aged began 10 lose in their stability, and it has become common for men to be still at work when they have one foot in the grave 4 hardening of the human traits toward the aged IS also mani fest
 The old age pension system merely . permits the state or the communl- ties in conjunction with the state 10 carry out duty toward the aged a htch must be performed anyway. l, IS said that the costs of a pension system would amount to various rums every year. Let Us investigate these costs
 somehow and by somebody the lndigcnt aged must he supported nov. II is either in aims houses or by relatives. r in aims houses th" counues foot the cost; f by relatives. the relatives pay the bills. Such aged . persons who are able to support themselves do not come under the head oe "indigent."
 The pensions it is contemplated to pay would remain in circulation. II IS not enough 10 permit putting any of it in a bank. Scarcely anyone can live on less than nine dollars week. . The state would pay over the money and within q week the grocery stores and other purveyors of neces-
 T,rIz the money. regardless of how many millions it would be, would be in con- srart circulation If there is any truth in the accepted thesis noWa- days that good wages lead to pros perlty. then living pensions to tn" ged would also be a contribution to this end
 ConneCticut believes itself to be q state richer than the average in the { -alaxy Of the 45. It Is. It is richer state by far than equal areas in other lands which have been forced 10 adopt the old age pensions sys- tenn as the sane way out of diff siculty precipi,ated by the industrial and machine age. :
 Conservatives naturally shrink from q new idea-although in truth he old age pension system is not a new idea. Conservatives shrink by ( nature from anything new. otherwise [ they would not be conservatives. Al! liberals in the state-and fortunate y they are becoming more numer- s 7us yearly-prefer 10 move forward ( with the times. realizing that time and tide wait for no man.
 The pension system will win IT. ( his state. That is not saying it may |
 2 tl1rp H.