Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1936-12-10
CUT in WPA ROLLS STARTING TUESDAY
C.G9ING DOWN TO
''E5k644SS hACAS''
Continued from last week,
SOCIAL

SOIIhL
Public assistance Has three main
branches-aid to the NEEDY aged. aid
to the NEEDY blind, and aid to de-
pendent children WHO arc il NEED. To
have public assistance your state must
pass public assurance laws. for the aid
of these three classes If NEEDY indiv-
iduals. These laws are administered by
state agencies for the dependents with
in their own boundaries. All the feder-
al government does is help the states
with their finances like it does for fed
eral highways. After the state passes a
public assistance law, the social secur-
ity board decides if it meets the stan
dards Of the social security act. Even
then, the federal government makes no
payment under this system to any per-
son. What it does do is this the state
estimates how much i will need each
quarter to take care Of its needy in
dividuals and the federal government
pays a lump sum in quarterly amounts
TO the state to help out ard adds ) per
cent extra to cover administration ex-
penses.
The difference between old-age as
sistance and old-age benefits: Cld-age
benefits is a type Of insurance. When
you are IS and have stopped working
you can draw monthly benefit pay
ments if you are a millionaire or have
MT a dime, because you've PAID money
toward tin taxes--and are entitled
to them as a matter Of right. But there
are 6l2 million people in the u. S. 20
dav-5h per cent of our total popula-
tion-who are already 65 years of age
or over, and it's too late for them to
begin building up an 'old-age benefit
account" Some of them don't need
help, or have children to care io- them,
but some of them have lost their saw
ings or made poor investments and
now need help. For these old-age as
~sistance is givtn. it is paid on a basis
of need and not Of tight. The blind who
are in need eve provided for in the
same way. And children under 10
years of age who have lost parent OF
breadwinner are IN like manner pro-
vided for. If the state passes d law for
aid to dependent children the federal
government, feeling thar a home en-
vironment and relative care makes a
DttltI ClllLtLl tA'Cl III ilSiiitttiDsi 0tCo,
offers to equal ID Of any amount up to
S18 per month that the state pays for
the first child. ard up TO SD for addl-
tional children under the same roof
To cot this payment, I parent Or a near
relative must keep the child or chill
dren in his own home. In regard tc
these payments, each state may give
its aged, blind, and childen, as much
as il wishes, but the Federal govern
ment just says ii can. afford to give
any more than these amounts
How 10 get public assistance: In the
frt place, if your State hasn't passsc
approved public assistance laws, yol
can't get any. But if it ha, go to lht
nearest county or state public welfar,
agency. They'll look into your proper.
ty and life insurance. II you have lot
Of salable property you're naturally no
entitled to assistance. But if you hav,
a modest home and small life insur'
ance policy, and no cash. you still Cal
get assistance. They'll figure out how
much you need to get along on. Thel
the welfare agent will deduct an.
amount you get from employment, 0
property-rents and such-or relatives
from what you really need, and pa.
the difference every month by check
Usually they'll come around every s,
often to see if you suddenly got ricl
meanwhile, or if your children nee'
medical or dental care, or recreationa
facilities or schooling or something
Seems as if that's doing right well b.
us, but we have to need it and not Jus
be spongers.
Unemployment compensation:
mostly a state matter, too. Some state
used to have unemployment compen
sation laws. Their employers wer
taxed to take care of the unemployed
and besides that they had to charg
higher prices to make any profit an
then they lost business to the neigh
boring states that had no such laws
The federal government decided hi
wasn't fair to the employers, especial
w as taking care of the unemploye
is a good idea. So-this is all the FEEDER
al act did-it paved the way for a
states to pass unemployment compen
sation laws without putting their EN-
V at an unIdlT ulSduVdiitdSe v
levying an unemployment compensa
ton tax on all employers of eight @
more employees. The tax began at
per cent in 1886, raises to 2 per Ger
in 1887. and 3 per cent in 1888, an
STAYS there. Their when a state passe
a state unemployment compensate
law. the federal government allows
TO keep 80 per cent of that amount
home to pay the states unemplove'
and besides the federal governmer
helps with the administrative expens
The state laws are all different. TT
first thing you do when you're out
a Job is register at the "re-employmei
office" Then they'll try to find you
Job. The laws mostly require that yo
wait a few weeks to see if you get al
other, and until your cash gives o
before you can start drawing compel
cation. Then you'll get somewhere ne
one-half of your regular salary l
from 10 to rs weeks, depending on u
state. to tide you over. If YOU iefu
TO take q job. you can't draw compei
sation, but you don't have to take
lob that's under worse than the ave
O conditions in your community.