Evening star., 1934-01-02
OLD ACE SECURITY
MEETING PLANNED
First Lady, Senators Cope
land and Capper to Head
Speakers Friday Night.

Called at a time when facilities here
for old age care are strained to the
utmost, a joint meeting on old age
security in the District, to be held Fri
day evening in the United States
Chamber of Commerce. will hear ad-
dresses by Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Senators Copeland and Capper, Repre-
sentative Loring Black and Abraham
Epstein, executive secretary of the
American Association Of Social Security.
The meeting will be under auspices
of the Council of Social Agencies, OF
which DR.. Frederic w. Perkins is presi-
dent; the Monday Evening Club, San
ford Bates, president, and the Citizens
Committee on Old Age Security for the
District of Columbia, Leifur Magnusson
chairman.
To Discuss Pensions.
The special business Of the meeting
will be discussion of the old age pension
bill for the District, now pending in
Congress. All three organizations spon-
soring the meeting have been active in
behalf of the measure. Mr. Magnusson
will preside.
The bill is similar to measures now
operative in Is States and two terri
tories. 1t is predicated on the principle
that the INDECENT aged are entitled to
some measure of support from the COM
have contributed and that they should
be maintained in decency and dignity
The bill fixes SO years as the age of
eligibility for its benefits. This is the
age of retirement for civil service en-
ployes. Legislation in other jurisdic-
tions fixes the age of eligibility var
iously from IS to TO years.
Although a majority of States where
there is old age pension legislation fix
fiat rate benefits, the District bill sets
no limits, being similar in this regard
to the laws in Massachusetts, and New
York
Supporters of the bill say this f1exi-
billty Of payment permit it to function
properly both in times of imitation and
defation and to meet exactly the needs
of each particular beneficiary.
Various estimates have been made as
to the cost of such a pension system.
Experience of several States indicates
the cost is running from SO month for
each pensioner in Utah to S24.18 in New
York. California pays an average of
S23.l0 month. The average in New
Jersey is S1514.
The proposed District law would be
administered by the Board of Public
Welfare.
OvercrOwdedness Seen,
Proponents of the measure point to
statistics indicating overcroWded con-
ditions in existing agencies for caring
for the aged. The report of the Board
OF Public Welfare of June 80, 1888, it
is pointed out, showed an average pop
ulation of the District Home for the
Aged, at Blue Plains, from 1876 to 1927
to be $780, In 1927 there was a lump to
407. The average daily number of in
habitants on June 80. 1880. was 456;
1881. 473; 1882, 532. and 1888. 674 At
this rate of increase, the report says,
there will be $50 in 1885" The in
crease in numbers has resulted in over
crowding.
The average cost per person at Blue
Plains is estimated at $3.50 a month,
exclusive of capital investment.
From these facts. argue proponents
of the bill. must be drawn the conclu-
sions that the problem of the dependent
aged has about doubled within the last
four years, and that more institutions
will have to be built, or the existing
ones greatly enlarged, unless some sys-
tenn of old age security allowances is
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