Montana labor news., 1938-07-28

people was again demonstrated here
as the Presidents Interdepartmental
Committee to Coordinate Health and
Welfare Activities submitted its re-
port to the National Health Confer
ence.
Ever since 1888, tories have walled
about the interference of govern
ment in their private affairs, about
the Capitalization of authority, about
the domination of peoples lives by
the federal government. Tories in
the medical profession, as represent
ed by the American Medical Asso-
citation, have now raised the same
cry.
Presented to the conference was a
comprehensive program for dealing
with the problems of sickness, the
unemployment caused by sickness,
the disability as a result of inability
to secure proper medical care, the
additional misery laid upon the
backs of the poor, unable to pay a
doctors bill in addition to paying
the landlord and the grocer.
The case was presented graph
cally. There are" the report says,
lin the United States today prob
ably 100000 persons-almost one
third of our population-living in
families with annual incomes of less
than $500. Current studies on the
cost of living indicate that this sum
supports the average family of four
persons only at an emergency level,
and leaves a margin for the purchase
of medical care at the risk of de-
privation of food, clothing, shelter
and other essentials equally neces-
sary for the maintenance of mini
mum standards of health and de-
cency.
'Included in this group, as Of
April, 1888, is an estimated total Of
IL million persons in families or
work relief rolls, six million il
families receiving general relief anc
three million wards of the govern.
ment under the Social Security Act
"This group, comprising a total o.
20 million persons, is dependent upor
the government for food and shelter
and similarly dependent on public
funds or private philanthropy fo-
medical care. In the emergency o
sickness, some 20 million persons Oh
the marginal income class above thu
relief level, otherwise s~elf-sustain
ing, become dependent on public ali
for the provision of medical care"
Such is the situation in the coun
try today. Unless something is don
= about it, it will get worse, the com
mittee's report indicates, and a large
and larger proportion Of the peopl
= will become dependent upon tn
good offices of the government 70
Y their existence.
. It is proposed to increase the fund
for medical service, to spend a tota
of $3.50, 100000 a year for ten year
4 in expanding the means whereof
sick persons can get well and we
persons kept off the sick list.
Z Worthy as such a proposal is,
n has been suggested by some of tn
speakers at the conference, it is ia
q from meeting the problem. Rather
n it is, as Oscar Ameringer has note
with regard to other things, lik
z trying to cure smallpox a pimpl
N at a time"
N The key to the situation woul
4 seem to lie in the blunt statemer
that one-third of the population live
in families with annual incomes
4 less than $500, a sum that Support
the average family of four person
only at an emergency level" II
crease the income of these person
provide them with sufficient foo
and a decent place to live and dC
cent clothing to protect them again
the weather and the problems
sickness would diminish.
Surgeon-G General Parran recol
nizes the truth of this in his speec
to the conference. 1T is true that
the economists could show us no
to produce and distribute an incon
equal for the health and other neet
of every family, the need for mar
health measures would be min
mized," he said.
His proposal was that inasmuch
disease begets poverty and povert
in turn, begets disease, that Il
Health services tackle the problem
disease as part of the problem
poverty and afford a lead to tho
trying to solve the problem of feeC
ing and clothing people.
If the solution to the problem
feeding and clothing people is
stem from the National Health Coz
ference, as Parran suggested,
would mean that the federal govern
ment would go into the productiC
of goods and services not adequate
being supplied the population by pr
vate industry.
Thus, in the field of medicine
any rate, there is recognition of Il
inability or unwillingness of priva
agencies to deal with the soci
needs of the people. AS such reco
milton develops it becomes hard
and harder to see the validity of Il
claims to special privilege put 70
-- L. n n..a.aaaa - IL