The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-12-29

Cross-exainination from the bench indicated that most of the nine justices were favorable to the government. Even Justice Butler, one of the conservatives juristS, intervened at one time to protect Secretary Ickes, PWA administra. tor, from being mis-quoted.
 The power companies switched their counsel at the last minute from able Dean AchesoE1, ex.un. dersecretary of the treasury, to William 1T. Thompson, Indian apolis telephone company lawyer. Thompson had written Q last-min. ute addition to Acheson's brief, seemed unfamiliar with the case, and floundered badly.
 Finally Justice McFeynolds, who has voted consistently against every New Deal measure, leaned forward and plaintively remarked:
 ''You know I'm with you, but you don't give me any help"
 That afternoon McReynolds de- serted the hearing entirely and went duck-shooting.
 Unemployment Insurance
 January l, 1898 will ring in more than @ new year. It will also mark 8 notable milestone in the evolution of social legislation in United States.
 On that day 11,565, ,000 workers in 21 states and the District of Columbia become eligible for un- employment insurance under the Social Security Act passed ir1 the summer of 1886.
 No computations are as yet available on the number of job. less entitled to draw benefits. A worker must be idle two weeks before he starts receving com. pensation. But in view of the business recession, authorities anticipate that Che number of applicants will be large.
 Payments will average $i6 c week for a maximum of IS weeks. Both figures vary according to the individual state systems. Un- der the federal law each state sets up its own insurance plan within certain general standards, with the Treasury acting as the repository for all the funds.
 This reserve will amount Co $350,00O,OOO on January 1. Ap- prcciable expenditures from this fund, experts believe, will prove an important stlmulative factor as the money Is certain to go dl. rectly into trade channels. Also, New Dealers are counting on Che benefit payments to pile up DO. litical capital for the Adminls. tration.
 Republicans voted for the So- cial Security Law. But 1t was @ Roosevelt sponsored measure = a fact that New Deal orators will stress.
 Big States Benefit
 Still another favorable feature for the Administration is the fact that most of the big Industrial states, which have been hit hard est by the slump, are among the 2i that begin paying benefits New Years day, These are the states that have the largest voting popu- lations and their pressure for re- lief is most persistent and aggres- sive.
 Actually, all states now have unemployment insurance sys- teEns. But because of Iegisla- tive and other delays, 27 failed to get under the wire in time to make their unemployed eligible for payments by January 1. Their acts will become opera tive later In the year.
 The big states and the numbers of workers in each to become eligible for job insurance Janu- ary are: New York, 2,646, 900; Pennsylvania, 2,404, ,000; California, l,2i6.000; Massachusetts, 85i,000; CONNECTICUT, 40S,0O0; Texas, 708,000: Maryland, 2o5, ,000; Minne- sota, 395,000; Tennessee, 206,000; Alabama, 277,000; North Carolina, 370,000; West Virginia, 3i6,000; Virginia, 3i6,000.
 Indirect Reply
 Several weeks ago the President mystified Washington newsnen by suddenly devoting good part of his press conference to enunci- ating the prudent investment theory as the only basis for utility rate-imaking.
 The story made front-page news. but the reporters couldn't under- stand the reason for Roosevelt's abrupt interest in the subject. It came completely out of the blue, and for weeks no one could solve the mystery.