Evening star., 1932-03-06
CAPPER PRESSES
OLD AGE SECURITY
LAW IN RAD|OPLEA
Declares Home for lnfirm at
Blue Plains Is Really a
PoorhouSe.
JANUARY RESIDENTS
LARGEST IN HISTORY
Senator Expresses Hope That All
Interested Can Agree Upon
Single Plan.

Enactment of an old-age security
law for Washington as substitute for
the poor house was urged by Chairman
Capper of the Senate District Commit
tee, in radio speech from Station
WIAL last night. He spoke under
auspices of the Washington Chamber
of Commerce.
Referring tC the Districts Home for
the Aged and Infirm, at Blue Plains,
Senator Capper said:
The Board of Public Welfare oper-
ates the home at Blue Plains. l am
sure the board does its very best to
make the lives of the residents as
peaceful and carefree as possible. But
however well you may run such an in
stitution, and whatever you call it, it
is nothing more or less than a poor
house"
The Senator said that in January of
this year the average number of resi-
dents at the District Home for the Aged
vas 545, the largest number in the
history Of the institution" From 1915
to 1927, he said, the home was caring
for an average of about $50 persons,
and in 1928 the number went up to 407
Current Appropriation $137,9OO.
After stating that the current ap-
preparation for the Home for the Aged
and Infirm is S137,90O and predicting
that it will increase as time goes on,
the Senator continued:
L think the good people of Wash
ington would be willing to pay the
cost of setting up a really humane plan
for taking care of the INDECENT poor,
rather than perpetuate the poorhouse
with its history of misery, loneliness
and shame"
Describing the bill which he has in
troduced in the Senate for an old-age
security plan here, Senator Capper
said:
by old-age securities mean money,
paid from public funds, to old residents
of the District who otherwise would
be forced to go to Blue Plains Under
the terms of this bill the Commission
erS would also serve as - old age
security board =-==3s:=01I additional COM
penSatiGn.
So Week for Needy.
"A claimant for old-age security
would present his application to the
board or its representative The claim
would be investigated If the person
should be found to be really in need,
he or she would be paid an amount
which, together with any other income
from private sources. would total not
more than SO week. 1 know that 50
week is not much, and it may be
found that higher amount should be
authorized"
Senator Capper emphasized that he
is not insisting upon his bill without
change, and expressed hope that per-
sons interested in the subject will study
the bill and make suggestions He said
he would welcome assistance in trying
to draft model law on the subject for
Washington.
Laws Enacted in II States.
While proposed Federal legislation on
this subject has not made much head
way, Senator Capper said that since
1914 old-age pension laws have been
enacted in II States and in Alaska The
Senator said the legislation he is ad-
vocating is not intended to take the
place of employees retirement funds. The
chairman of the Senate Committee con-
cluded as follows:
LAS 1 have said before, I am not
committed to any one particular plan
of administering this law, and I will
be glad to receive any ideas that YOU
have on the subject. In the meantime
the District Government authorities are
making study of the bill I hope that
it will be possible for all those interested
to agree upon single plan, SO that we
may enact it into law, paddock the de-
serted poorhouse and throw the kew
into the Potomac River"