The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1937-05-20
Dependent Child
Act Goes i'm Effect
i'm North Carolina
FatherIeSS Children to Benefit
by Law Enacted by 1897
General Assembly

Raeigh, May 18.-One of the most
humane articles of Legislation ever
to be adopted by any Common
wealth will go into effect in North
Carolina on July l of this year.
1t will be the Aid of Dependent
Children Act, which became a law
through action of the 1887 General
Assembly.
No more will the spectre of hard
ship and suffering face a bereaved
widow and fatherless children, left
to the nlercies of the world without
income sufficiently adequate to care
for them in even the most modest
manner.
The various orphanages scattered
throughout the state have done
splendid work during the past, but
there have been thousands of in
stances where children were not eli
gible for entrance into these Ravens
of refuge for the underprivileged.
The Aid to Dependent Children
Act not only will take care of chill
dren left without a father-it also
Will embrace those who, for any
good reason, are not receiving the
proper care ard training because of
"a lack of money.
Children under Is years of age,
living with either their father,
mother, grandfather, grandmother,
brother, sister, or other relatives,
will be cared for if it is shown that
those charged with their keeping
are not situated so as to give them
the adval ages to which they are
entitled.
The Act provides that children ell
igible &c enefits shall either have
been b. .. Or resided within North
Carol!.Ia for at least one year prior
to the filing of an application for
assistance. Or that the mother of the |
applic2r+ also has been resident OF |
the state for sirnilar period. and !
that she has not the means for a de-
cent livelihood for herself and her
children. Applications for aid are TO
be made to agencies which will be
established III each of the 100 coun-
ties OF the state.
The maximum amount any one
child may receive under provisions
of the Act is $18 per month, with
each additional child of the same
family being allowed $12, provided
the total does not exceed sos per
month. Cne-third of the cost of adj
ministering the Aid to Dependent
Children Act will be borne by the
counties, with the state and federal
governments also absorbing one
third each
The Act provides, however, that
in order that no injustice may be
caused, more than $65 may be paid
sin extraordinary circumstances in
which it appears to the satisfaction
of the State Board that total of
S65 per month would be insufficient
to secure the purpose above set
forth"
The Social Security Act, in pro-
viding aid to dependent children,
gives evidence of long range plan
ming for the future" recently said
Mrs. w. T. Bost, Commissioner of |
~Charities and Public Welfare cit |
stands out as the greatest opportun-
ity for constructive work with chill |
dren that has ever been available to |
the nation. This aid is based on the
fundamental conception that family
life if the best environment for the
growth and development of children
into future citizens.
1--WE have long since come to real
ize that, for any cause, the breaking
UP of home in which there are
children is delicate social-surgical
operation at best, but to break up a
home for poverty alone is nothing
short of crime.
''The Act recognizes the simple
fact that where the wage Garner has
been removed from family because
of death, desertion or sickness, the
remaining parent is frequently un-
able to give proper care to minor
children and at the same time earn
"a living for them"
I'm North Carolina, after July l."
Mrs. Bost continued, passage of
the Act means that instead of aiding
only 800 mothers aid families year
AS we have been doing the past
few years-we will be able to aid
more than 1850 families involving
approximately 21,700 children.
"'Where the family is self-respect-
ing and child-loving, keeping chill
dren in their own homes has decid-
ed advantages. Enactment Of this
Legislation means a home for every