Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1933-02-02
Could We Have Unemployment
Insurance?
To the Editor of THE SENTINEL

/ Ser:
Unemployment has become such a
nation wide problem that it is quite
certain that Congress will legislate to
relieve, in some degree, those SO
effected. 1t may be form of Federal
insurance or it may be as State-Aid.
I, like thousands of other people, be-
lieve in unemployment insurance but
do not want to see dole, neither
do want to see a form that will take
everything out of industry. The prac-
ticable plan is one that the consuming
public, rich or poor, would pay for.
! Well, suppose that Congress gives
us relief in State-Aid, what can we
do with it? We could ask the state
Legislature to enact state unemploy-
ment insurance law providing, in part,
that the state unemployment insur-
ance fund may be augmented by Fed
eral Aid, private gifts and donations.
A provision for gifts and donations
should be made because every state
has its philanthropists both in individ-
uals and in clubs and associations,
men and women who are interested in
and eager to support an institution
that will preserve the pride and dig
nifty of its beneicaries. The insurance
should not exceed twenty dollars per
month for the city workman and ten
dollars per month for the country
workman. 1t should apply to the farm
er who can not pay his tax the same
as to the rural laborer.
The second part of this insurance
law should make it mandatory upon
the county court or the municipal
government to create a job for the
workman before he can get the in
surance. The county or the municipal
ity, according to the residence of the
workman, should be required to pay
such cost as material, rights of way,
machinery, salary of superintendent,
foreman etc. The privilege to set the
wage scale per hour should be vested
in the county court and municipal
government respectively.
In essence this means that the state
will pay the unemployed an insurance,
but before he can apply for it, the
county or municipality must make a
job for him on her roads, streets, or
something that will be a public i'm
provement and pay all costs of the job
except the workman's labor. The
county court and municipal govern
ment automatically become judges of
the applicants need for insurance.
they are also privileged to discourage
unjust applications through a low
wage scale.
Before a man can apply for unem-
ploynnent insurance, he should be re-
quired to give proof that he has lived
within the state one year and within
the county sixty days.
Through an examination of the
assessors books the state can arrive
at very good approximate need for
each county and using this as guide
put NAHUM figure on the amount
of insurance going into each county.
l think that we are at a place I'M
the making of history where it isl
necessary to legislate in the interest
of unemployment. Some such legisla-
ton should take place, even if appro-
priations in some other places must be
cut off, salaries reduced temporary to
1912 figures and avenues for new
taxes be found. A logical new avenue
would be in retail sales tax on all
business exceptsfarmers peddling their
own products and grocerymen doing
a credit business.
Mrs. James E. Darr,
Cumberland Md