Milford chronicle., 1931-07-31
THE DOLE THREAT


sion of Congress a real battle to
prevent the serious threat of some
sort of dole legislation. It would
seem that the experience of Great
Britain and other European ma
tions with this form of so-called un-
employment relief would be suffi-
cient to prevent its serious support
in America, but it seems that poll
ticians are politicians the world
around, and that numerous propos-
ais will be made during the coming
winter to switch unemployment re-
lief from the various communities
to the federal government.
1t is reported that Senator Cou-
zens of Michigan is contemplating
scheme for unemployment relief
by which the federal government
will go in with the various states in
matching dollar for dollar for un-
employment insurance, using a plan
similar to that now employed in the
financing of road construction.
That legislation of this kind would
lead sooner or later to the out and
out dole is obvious. 1t is to be re-
membered that the dole system in
Great Britain started very innocent
ly. 1t had to do only with certain
trades in which there was season.
able unemployment. 1t was on a
strict actuarial basis and it was
claimed for it by it's proponents that
it would pay it's way. So it did at
the start, but the radical politicians
got busy in Great Britain just as
they get busy in the United States
when socialistic legislation is in the
Offing. The result was that the
benefit system was extended and
widened until now it applies to the
permanently unemployed and is a
serious burden on the taxpayers and
the government. Having gotten in
to the mess, Great Britain now sees
no immediate way of getting out.
1t may be inferred that things
would work differently in America !
but this is to be doubted. Our radi-
cal politicians here are even more
vociferous and more clever than in
Great Britain. But we already have
one example in America-an exam
pie in Senator Couzens' own state,
and that example is the city of De-
troit which has gone in for the dole.
The experience has not been a
pleasant one. Not only has the city
been crippled financially but there
have been charges of irregularity in
the distribution of the dole. To
quote from a recent editorial in the
Chicago Post:
Detroit has an unemployment re-
lief dole of something like $1,OO0,-
900 a month and the strain of the
heavy unemployment of
last winter, according to friends of
the city administration, produced
some little confusion in the welfare
This, however, scarce
ly explained the 100000 embezzle-
ment by a $3.50 a month employee or
some of the charges made by the
Ford Motor Company which have
developed into a first-class war of
words between city and company
officials.
Mayor Frank Murphy of Detroit
started the battle by unkind remarks
about large corporations outside the {
city limits which threw unemployed !
workers on the Detroit taxpayers l
'or support. The head of the Ford
private police system retorted neat +
y that fraud was widespread in the
administration of the dole and that S
If $3.50 persons listed on the well !
are rolls as employees of his COM
,any, one-third had never worked r
here. Others had been discharged t
or cause and still others actually l
lrew dole money while employed by
he Ford company. The mayor de- :
handed proof.
"The Ford police head countered c
" fixing the number of company h
workers. also drawing the dole at |
90 and promising photostatic cop =
es of the pay roll records in sub N
tantiation of the charge. Mayor 7
furphy ordered police investiga- e
ion of the thirty-two thousand fam
lies drawing benefits and insisted n
hat the city's fund was admins il
cred as efficiently as most bust e.
esses. a
"A statement which is open to
hallenge. Meanwhile enough has 6
cen disclosed in the Detroit situa- H
on to class it as another very ex- ft
client argument against the in g.
of city, state or federal ~ ~
ided dole system in the United p
tates." "'