The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-11-19
New Social
Security Law
Explained
Gives Various Examples OF
How'll Will Work In
Operation.
BOTH EMPLOYERS
AND WORKERS TAXED

A great deal Of discussion has been
heard of late regarding the new social
security law that is to 60 into effect on
January l. Because of the far-reachin4
effects of this law, the social security
board has issued, from Washington, the
following explanation Of its provisions.
covering old age pensions and unem-
ployment insurance:
THE old-age benefit provisions of the
social security act will 60 into effect
on January l, 1897. To understand
your obligations, rights and benefits
under these provisions of the act you
should read the following general ex-
PLANTATION.
There is now law in this country
which will give about $4,000, 900 work
ing people something to live ON when
they are old and have stopped work
ing. This law, which gives other bene-
fits, too, was passed last year by con-
gress and is called the social security
act
Under this law the United States
government will send checks every
month to retired workers, both men
and women, after they have passed
their 65th birthday and have met few
simple requirements of the law.
What This Means to Yau
This means that if you work in some
factory, shop, mine, mill, store, office
or almost any other kind of business or
industry, you will be earning benefits
that will come to you later on. From the
time you are 65 years old, or more,
and stop working, you will get a gov
eminent check every month of your
life, if you have worked some time
Zone day or more) in each OF any five
years after 1886, and have earned dur
ing that time total of $1,000 or more.
1.-THE checks will come to you as a
right. You will get them regardless Of
the amount of property or income you
may have. They are what the law calls
'oldage benefits under the social Sc
curity act. If you prefer to keep on
working after you are IS. the monthly
checks from the government will be-
gin coming to you whenever you decide
to retire.
How much you will get when you
are IS years old will depend entirely
on how much you earn in wages from
your industrial or business employment
between January l, 1887, and your 65th
birthday. A man or woman who gets
good wages and has steady job most
of his or her life can get as much as
S85 month for life after age SIS. The
least you can get in monthly benefits,
if you come under the law at ALL is $40
a month.
Suppose you are making S25 week
and are young enough now to go on
working for 10 years. If you make an
average of S25 week for So weeks in
each year, your check when you are
65 years old will be $50 a month for
the rest of your life If you make $50
a week, you will get s74.50 month for
the rest of your life after age SIS.
If You Are Middle-Aged
But suppose you are about SIS years
old now and have 10 years to work
before you are SIS. Suppose you make
only SIS week on the average. When
you stop work at age 65 you will get
a check for $40 each month for the rest
of your life. If you make $25 week
for 10 years. you will get little over
$23 a month from the government as
long as you live after your 65th birth
day.
IF you should die before you begin
to get your monthly checks, your fam
lily will get payment in cash, amount
ing to 3i2 cents on every dollar of
wages you have earned after 1886. If,
for example, you should die at age "a,
and if you have earned SIS week for
10 years before that time, your family
will receive SASS. On the other hand,
if you have not worked enough to get
the regular monthly checks by the time
you are 65, you will get lump sum, or
if you should die your family or estate
would get lump sum. The amount
of this. too will be 31a cents on every
dollar of wages you earn after 1896
Taxes Are Set Up
'The same law that provides these
old-age benefits for you and other
workers, sets up certain new taxes to be
paid to the United States government.
These taxes are collected by the bu-
reau of internal revenue of the United
States treasury department, and in
quiries concerning them should be ad-
dressed to that bureau. The law also
creates an 'old-aRe reserve account in
the United States treasury, and con-
gress Is authorized to put into this
reserve account each year enough
money to provide for the monthly pay
ments you and other workers arc to
receive when you are 65.
"The taxes called for in this law will
be paid both by your employer and by
you. For the next three years you will
pay maybe Is cents week, maybe Is
cents a week, maybe 30 cents or more,
according to what you earn. That Is To
say, during the next three years, be-
ginning January l, 1887, you will pay