Evening star., 1933-05-21

productive years, and who otherwise
would have to live either by begging or
by resort to the aims house.
The population Of aims houses Of pub
lie homes" In New York State during
1931-32 was 14,696-not all old people, Of
course. But Of this number 500 obtained
discharges in order to qualify for an old
age pension, and are now living in their
own homes on the monthly grant. Thou
sands Of others, who would have been
committed to public homes under the
press of recent economic conditions, have
been cared for instead by this more hu-
manitarian method of the old-age allow
ance.
The pension has enabled old couples
to remain together. It has prevented
homes from being broken up. It has
allowed people to order their own
domestic affairs with privacy and SELF
respect, and, above all else in their eyes,
to escape the stigma of residence in
the poorhouse. It's advocates claim that
along with this it has saved the public
money-that the cash outlay in pen
sion is less than the per capita cost Of
maintaining the aged in aims houses.
Most of the States in their laws specify
pension limits. Generally the maximum
is 81 a day or $50 month. The New
York law sets no limit, but leaves the
amount of the grant to the discretion
of the administrators-ap plan that Is
also followed by the Massachusetts, and
Arkansas laws. In New York, when an
applicant is found on investigation to
be eligible for relief, budget is drawn
up according to certain standards estah-
lished by the Department of Social Wei
fare and the grant in each case is based
on the individual need. Pensions IS
high as $40 month have been author
lied in a few instances, but the usual
grant is less than SIS a month.
During 1882 the New York oad-age
pension pay roll amounted to SIS ,450 ,000,
half allotted from the State treasury and
half from !. the county or municipal
treasures. The legislative appropria-
tion for 1888 cut the States half-allot-
ment to $685., 600, which means that
the total available for New York's old
people this year has been reduced to
$12,650,000
This curtailment of funds has necessi-
tated for the current year an even more
strict administration of the law-but
Just as strict are the orders that nobody
is to suffer. Individual pensions are
being adjusted to this 16 per cent cut in
funds Thus the average grant in Janu-
ary, 1892, was $24.24. BY December the
average had been reduced to $3.50, and
by March, 1881, to $22.74. Nobody
starves. ..,
But the vital story of this project In
social welfare is more than striking of
averages, more than the cataloguing Of
cases" It is the composite of these
individual human stories-more than
$1,000 in New York State alone-each
drama that was lived.
NNE drama, quite In contrast with
~ that Of the aged dancer, concerns
little old lady in Upstate New York who
had been a drudge all her life. She had
no brilliant moment on the stage to
echo in her memory-at the age Of is
she had hired out as servant, and that
had been her life. Now, at II, she was
slow as she moved about the household
chores; she fumbled at her kitchen work,
occasionally a dish smashed; she was
mot quite bright"-and the people who
employed her felt that she was not worth