Evening star., 1935-08-25
WORK INSURANCE
DIRECTOR FOR D. c.
TO Be SELECTED
Commissioners Also to Plan
0Id.Age and Blind Pen
sions Program.
ADMINISTRATION SOON
TO GET UNDER WAY
First Steps to Place Social Sc
curity in Effect Requires
Many Preliminaries.

As first step to place the social
security program into effect in the
District the Commissioners this week
will start search for a highly quail
fed" director for unemployment in
surance and lay plans for adminstra-
ton of old-age and blind pensions.
Assessments against employers will
not start until January l, but before
then the District must prepare
plan" for the administration, prepare
staff organization and lay out policies
and regulations, all Of which must
meet approval of the Federal board.
Old-age and needy blind pensions
administration is to start as soon as
administration can be perfected and
funds are available. The President
signed the old-age pension bill for the
District yesterday afternoon.
After surveying the problems in
volved in the unemployment insur-
ance, the Commissioners we're some
what staggered by the need for quick
action. 1t appears obvious to them a
new District bureau must be estab-
lished with director not only well
versed in unemployment insurance.
but also having ability to organize
and direct a large statistical staff
handling reports on personnel, salar-
les. Investigators and legal work.
Mountainous Task Expected.
'This is going to be a mountainous
task and whoever is appointed prob
ably will be gray-haired by the end
Of the year." said one District off,
cial. This will be one Of the most
important divisions of the District.
since it will affect every phase Of
business and employment in the Dis
trict. The director will be on a par
in salary with the other department
heads. Unless We can find highly
qualified man there will be plenty Of
difficulties
The public assistant division, for
merly known as the emergency relief
division, may be designated to ad-
minister the old-age and needy blind
pensions programs. These phases of
social security take effect upon enact
ment. but it viii be necessary to
establish q plan and regulations. the
Commissioners have been advised by
Corporation Counsel Prettyman.
AS to the unemployment insurance
program, Prettyman states:
"The Commissioners have to ap-
point two members of a board, one
Of whom must represent employers
and the other employees. CThe Dis
trict Commissioners will be the other
three members of the board)
This board must then appoint
director, who in turn must designate,
appoint and organize staff. Further
more, the board must formulate a
plan which must be submitted to the
national board and receive its ap-
proval before the Federal Government
will undertake to pay the administra-
tive costs and before employees are
entitled to benefits.
Much To Be Done.
"The employers contributions will
begin as Of January /. Between now
and then some rather definite regula-
tions, some method of collecting and
otherwise handling these moneys. and
some method of keeping the necessary
records Of employees ought to be de-
vised. Inasmuch as a short time is
available f this set-up Is to be ready
by January /, the various appoint
ments and preliminary studies ought
to receive early attention.
Because I happen to be familiar
with the various provisions of the
statute and because I have been SO
tremendously impressed with the
enormous administrative difficulties
which will have to be met If the act
is to be q success, further venture to
suggest that the director ought to be
first of all an efficient and expert
enced administrator.
II sincerely believe that unless an
efficient, practical, business executive
have charge Of the operation of this
act, the ensuing confusion will abso-
lutely destroy the effectiveness Of the
statute"