The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-09-18
By WILLIS THORNTON

By WILLIS THORNTON Nemccrat Washington Cores. p0ndent
 s Washington, Sept. 1S--It's rather l pitifui little acorn right now, The organization from which the great oak of the social security progam is expected to grow.
 About twenty-five borrowed em. pioyes in borrowed quarters that is all that can be seen
 to-day of an organization that is expected eventually to employ 10000 people in adminis- tering benefits that will touch more than 16,000,000 Americans. Because the bill which was to have provided funds was filibus- tered 10 death as Congress closed fits last session, nobody can be reg Ilarly hired by the Social Securi- ties Board. A dozen or so em- sf3loyes have been borrowed from 1NRA, and another dozen from Ed win witte's committee on social Security which helped frame the plan.
 No Funds & = Unless the boards appeal to the director of the budget for funds Under the emergency relief act, equal to months administrative sexpense, is granted, it's doubtfol Af even the salaries of Commis- ssioners Winant Altmyer, and Miles can be paid until Congress meets next winter and appropri- Ates some money.
 = Of course, they're going ahead Anyway.
 sstacks of 1t. Most of it boils down 4o two questions: How about a Job?' and "When do I get my pensions?"
 large enough yet even to return the simple answer that must go to all such inquiries: to the first class, "We haven't anything to use for money yet" and to the second, Nothing doing for at least two years"
 Pleas Pour In
 Plenty of the applications Tor jobs come sponsored by con- rressmen who were there the night the appropriation was fili- bustered to death, and who should kuow better.
 A woman trudges in with an invalid sister and an ailing hus- band. She wants 8 pension for one or both.
 The telephone rings. It's a "aocial psychiatrist," whatever that is. and he wants a job. The mailman dumps a big stack of mailc on a bare table. It goes : into the file that is beginning to spring up. forerunner of a system that aims in 1897 to begin to be complete personal account of every empIoye in the United States-no less-establishing his age and keeping his wage and contribution record for old-age in- surance benefits after 1942.
 The Social Securities Board, which has only just held its first meeting, is being given almost whole floor of the new Labor De- partment building formerly occu- pied by the old National Labor Board.
 It will probably have around 500 employees the fihst year, an will build up from that to the z1O,000 it eventually will take to Administer the gigantic program. Folks Back Home Profit rs The money the government spends on payrolls here circu- Hates all over the country to a Surprising extent. Go down to the local postoffice on a government pay day and look at the money order line. It's three times as long as 1t used to be a few years ago.
 Government employees are send ing money back home to relatives .who need 1t worse than they do, For to the families they have hesi- ,tated to bring to Washington be- cause of the high cost of living here, or because their jobs look too temporary.
 Your correspondent ran into one clerk who draws $90 a month and sends $40 back to the folks every month. How this employe gets three squares and a roof on 44$bV Q month III WasnlnStou Is Just one of those mysteries.
 As A local merchant of many years experience says he believes 10 per cent less government payroll money Is spent here today than was spent when there were S0,00O efewer government employees. ags The local prosperity of Wash- ington comes from visitors, out of-towners having business with the government not from the payrolls. And from the huge sums fthe government is spending for tFent at q square foot for old Buildings that haven't been occu- spied for years.
 g(Copyright, 1895, NEA Service & Incl