The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1935-02-07
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National Topics Interpreted - nMlIL
by William Bruckart z<<sS1E4l|

through which we nave PASSED
since 1929. In other words, this
phase of the legislation is design
ed to cause workers and their en-
ployers to lay aside a certain per-
centage of their income while they
are employed to be used when
times are hard.
There are countless subdivisions
in the bill, none of which are SIM
pie, that seek to protect the many
who for one reason or another do
not qualify under the general
terms of the legislation. For in
stance, aid to dependent children is
provided. Federal health subsidies
"a kind of health insurance-is
proposed. Maternity aid is ar
ranged, and extraordinary cases
are covered, such as aid to Grip
pied children. There are other sub
divisions much too intricate to an
alyze here for the reason that their
application is decidedly limited.
The drafters of the legislation
sought to cover all. Whether they
have done so can be determined
only after the legislation has been
in operation some years.
Counting the Cost
/ have been unable to compute
the cost of this legislation to the
federal and state governments and
no one, of course, can approximate
the expense it will be to industry.
1t is one of those things so far
reaching in its effect as to make
utterly impossible advance in cali
culations of the cost in dollars and
cents. Suffice it to say that all
through the bill as it now wends its
way through legislative channels
aref requent paragraphs where
money either is appropriated in the
future. One wag covered the
money phases of the bill the other
day with a remark that 1t was not
unlike the conversations between
Amos and Andy, the radio comed-
ians, for there is five million, three
million, twenty million, seventy
eight million and so on through
the list.
Yet it is not the money phases
that constitute the difficulties in
the legislation as the leaders in
congress see them. The bill sets
up an intricate system of admin
istration against which even the
present far flung list of New Deal
agencies pales into insignificance.
First, there is the ponderous or
ganization for administration to be
created here in Washington. Be-
meath that there are state organi-
cations in every state, regional and
county organizations and even
city administrative bureaus. I
think it takes no stretch of the
Imagination to forsee how many
workers will be necessary to do
just the plain chores of keeping
a record of all the individuals on
the government payrolls, federal
and state, for administration Of
this legislation.
Here in Washington, we will
have a social insurance board, a
group of three members, receiving
$4,000 a year each and serving
for six years. The federal emery
ency relief administrator will have
duties to perform in conjunction
with the social insurance board as
well as apart from it.
This is not all. The secretary of
the treasury is charged with the
management and investment of all
of the monies under the various
funds and it is he who must see
that they are properly disbursed.
Jealousy Aroused
In congress, considerable jeal-
ousy has arisen among committee
chairmen, party wheelhorses and
those who would enjoy being adj
ministration spokesman. Some of
them, it hardly need be said, be-
lieve their political salvation lies in
following the administration blind
ly and in addition there is another