Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-23
BY HENRY J. ALLEN,
ID hLANAsA - AAAC1Ng
ormer United States Senator and Governor
OF Kansas

BY HENRY J. ALLEN,
Former United States Senator and Governor
OF Kansas
I brought away from Kew thirty two
separate and distinct specimen blank
forms used in the record work of max
ing the register of those eligible to re-
ceiye the dole. The blanks cover more
specifications than an old-time tontine
life insurance policy. They had to do
with receipt, reconciliation and certi-
fication of benefit accounts" They pro-
vided investigations" Considerations, :"
contributions, compliance with rules"
mon compliance" stamps to be affixed
to the unemployment book which each
dole beneficiary must carry. and which
is of greater Importance to him than
the Magma Charta.
There are several unemployment
books: one for adult man. one for boy
of l6 wears, under 10, who draws less
than a boy of IS under 81, and book
for a man of FL and under IS. Each
book contains blank designations for
the weekly report OF So weeks, upon
which the weekly record of the holder
of the book is entered each week. At
the end of the year the books are can
celed and new ones issued. Then there
are blanks to contain records of "spe-
cial claims which expire in 81 days"
blanks containing occupation" declara-
lions and alternative occupation dec
larations," a report on special qualifi-
cations" a blank containing benefit
rate and period" with excerpts from
the insurance acts. and separate blanks
for declaration as to what the insured
did on Monday Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday and Saturday. with
instructions on how to answer. Blanks
also are provided for arrears" for
transfer Of claim from one local Office
to another" benefit pay sheet"
weekly summary of all FORMS" with a
"tear of portion" a full record of I'M
employment" and an invoice Of closed
claims" with relevant documents at
tached." These had to do with the
paper work Of the unemployed. Then
there was a less formidable list of
blanks for the employer beginning with
one headed application by employer
for the return of contributions paid In
error"
Large Force Employed.
As I contemplated this array of blank
forms and booklets / realized again
what the introduction of unemployment
insurance is going to do for our civil
service at home. 1t will multiply 1t
like war.
room growth. It began simply with a
few hundred clerks. 1t was not fore
seen that ultimately 1t would command
force of 10000 civil service employees
in the field, in addition to the local
force of 5000 clerks. If the live reg
lister this Winter grows to 3.275,000 I'M
employed as the chief of Kew predicts.
1t will add materially to the force.
Every $50 persons on the dole adds one
civil service employe to the administra-
tive list This force does not expect to
be demobilized. 1t costs altogether 20
per cent of every dollar to administer
to estimate, that 80 per cent goes to
those who would get along well enough
without It, Therefore, the best esti-
mates have been able to obtain is that
so cents out of every dollar of the dole
money reaches those who would be de-
pendent upon charity without it. The
friends Of the system say that even thus
it is better than charity, and that no
more of it goes for cost ard administra-
ton and to shirkers than would char
acterize a like disposal of direct aid
under the poor law. Those English
men who have studied the subject give
it as their opinion that we in the States
waste more on public aid than SO per
cent OF the dollars we spend.
The growth Of Kew's activities has
been entirely characteristic of the pc
culiar momentum that carries a sub
sidized public institution far beyond
original estimates. It is worth mo-
ment Of study in cause and effect.
Wages Are Still High.
Between 1917 and 1920 the British
wage level rose from an index of 100 to
l70-8O In 1929 the Ministry of Labor
estimated it from ITO to ITS and for
1880 Mr.. Bowley well known statisti-
clan Of the London School of Econom-
les, puts the figure at 178. showing that
there has been no reduction from the
peak figures of the postwar boom. Ac-
tually wages have increased above the
boom maximum of 1920. because whole
sale prices are lower and a consequent
decline in the cost of living has in
creased the purchasing power of the
present wage.