New Britain herald., 1930-02-22
OLD AGE PENSIONS
 BEING CONSIDERED
Old Socialist Proposal Finally
 Arrives in Congress

Washington. Feb. 23.-For the first time in If years Congress is formally considering proposals for old age pensions. thereby taking up an issue which has gained rapidly increasing importance in state lc5- lSlatUrcs.
 In January. 1916. Congressman Meyer London. the New York So- c'alist, obtained hearings before the House labor committee for his Dill providing a commission to study problems of social insurance and old age. Subsequently the late Congress- man Victor Berger of Mlwauk 22. another Socialist, undertook 10 keep the issue alive.
 Both London and Berger arc dead. but on February 20 and .I he same committee held hcarinls on several old age bills, introduced ny both Republicans and Demo- crats and all looking forward 10 fed eral cooperation in saving the aged and infirm from complete dcstituti0n and staryaton
 Nine States in Line
 Three years ago there waS formed the American Association for Old Age Security. which in- cuded such men as E.thelbcrt Stewart, the |, $. commissioner ot labor statistics; Bishop Francis J. Mcconnell of the Method st church. and Father John A. Ryan, an originator of minimum wage laws, As result of an effective pension laws in nine states, some effective and some not as Ill cases where pensions and poo,'- houses are optional with counties and counties prefer poorhouscs.
 Tho labor committee will con- sjder a fairly wide range Of bills. There's an actual fcdcral-stato pension bill introduced by Con- grcssman Sirovich Of New York and another by McKcown of Okla homa, the Srovjch bill corr2- spending rather closely with that presented in the Senate by Dill of Washington.
 Hamilton Fish Of New York urges select committee of five congressman to inquire into old age pensions systems and stuiN 1he modern methods by which practically all of the advanced nations of the world afford con- rructive relief 10 the worthy agod poor.' Srovich also has a reso- lution for an investigation Of lte extent of old age dependency and vhat is being done about it and o; his numerous whcrcascs says 1hat the United States, China and India arc the only large Countrtns making no modern adequate pro- ylsion. Another resolution by senator Dill would have such all investigation made by the Scna,c Judiciary committee.
 The McKcown bill would ap propriate an initial $4,Q0o,o0o q year for allotment on a popu;a ton basis 10 states agreeing 70 spend a dollar Of their own for every uOlIdI bl I'utl dI l'lol4'N granted. the states 10 administer the fund. Eligibility rcquir2 mcntq for aid would include l5 years' residence in the state, a5t O, 65 or more, inability 10 earn q living, absence of as much income as S365 a year and lack of aaN person both legally responsible and able to support the indigelt individual. The maximum pension under the act would be $G6J Il year.
 The snoyich bill would create al old Age Security Bureau iH the Labor Department. The amount to be appropriated would be determined by Congress, but assistance would be limited 10 $ a day. Twenty years of citizen ship would be required and statc law would determine necessary state residence. A person cnutle 10 relief must be 60 or over, must 1 not possess property valued it more than 5000, or have an legally responsible person able io e,.pport him and must be Of SooI moral character. Dills bill, rather similar, would appropriate SI.QO9- GOO.
 The tendency Of witnesses probably will be 10 dwell on th> | increasing difficulty experiences | in getting job by men past A.. The most common arguments for old age pensions arc that the "N- unctancv of life has increased | while expectancy of prolonged cm- 1 plovmcnt has decreased, that mass production has brought about l lrchnological unemployment while i illness and Industrial accidents | increase old age destituton, that two or three persons can he main- taincd in their own homes for the | cost of supporting one inmate nt at almhousc and that whereas GS foreign governments have old age pension or insurance systems we arc the only industrial nation making no adequate provision of the sort.
 It is estimated that there af" 100000 persons, or one out ot three of those over 65, who ar2 pennilcss and totally dependent upon charity or relatives for sup pert