Montana labor news., 1938-09-01
THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF SOCIAL Security ACT
SEES PROGRESS, SAYS SOCIAL SECURITY BOARD

States signed Americas most far
reaching labor law.
This law, the Federal Social Sc
curity Act, was written for the bene-
fit and protection of working men
and women in this state and nation.
And now, through cooperative state
legislation, all 10 provisions of the
act are in effect in Montana.
The Social Security Act-which
has been called Americas renewed
Declaration of independence against
the bondage of want, fear and in
security-is the first national pro-
gram set up in this country recog-
nizing the federal governments re-
sponsibility for the economic securi-
ty of the people.
For the occasion of this anniver-
sary, the Social Security Board is
making a brief report on its three
years administration of the act. Says
the board:
"At this third-year mile post, the
road back shows that broad advances
have been made on all fronts of eco
nomic security, welfare, and health.
In Montana, 147,926 working men
and women have secured account
card numbers and are building up
federal old-age insurance against
want in their old age. Nationally
this figure exceeds 80 million.
"Under the state-federal system
of Unemployment insurance $4,000
of Montana's workers have earned
credits toward insurance against
temporary unemployment, while
throughout the nation 25,5 900 are
protected in this way.
SIN Montana there are now 1900
of the needy aged, blind, and de-
pendent children receiving assistance
in their own homes. For all of
America this figure is 2,350,000. In
addition there are the health and
welfare provisions of the act, not
administered by the Social Security
Board, which reach out into all parts
of the country"
Summarizing the outlook for the
future of the Social Security pro-
gram, board officials said that "the
road ahead opens to new problems,
new prospects. Experience of the
past three years shows that the next
task is two-fold: first to simplify
and improve the administrative
methods through which these pro-
grams serve the people; and second,
to increase and extend the protec-
tons to more people"
Measuring results in dollars and
cents of federal, state, and local tax
money turned into buying power for
the b%eneficiaries of five Social Sc
curity programs with which the So
cial Security Board is concerned, the
total had reached a billion dollars
by June 80, 1888.
Some of this money was paid out
for insurance benefits, some for aid
to the needy.
Over $4,000 represents the federal
old-age insurance payments to wage
earners who qualified for the lump
sums now payable at age IS, O to
the families or estates of wage earn
ers who have died since 1886. Ma
tionally these payments amounted to
over five million dollars. (Old-age
insurance monthly annuities r not
payable until 1922
Nearly $780, OO, 1000 was the
amount of unemployment insurance
payments in the rs states where
benefits were payable before July l..
Benefits will start in this state on
July l, 1899.
Twelve thousand three hundred
needy old people are receiving cash
allowances in Montana. In July,
1888, they were receiving, on an
average, $20.37 per person per
month. Nearly 100000 needy per-
sons are receiving old-age assistance
in the United States.
For Montana 4,700 dependent chill
dren, mothers and other near rela-
tives are receiving allowances to
enable them to take care of the chill
dren at home. Nationally there
were 6O2, OOO In July in this state
they were receiving an average of
about $28 per family.
Needy blind people receiving
monthly allowances numbered 100
in this state, and $4,000 throughout
the nation. 1t averaged here, in
July, $19.71 per person.
ways and means of liberalizing
the federal old-age insurance system
also are being studied, and some pro-
posals have already been submitted
to Congress-" Social Security Board
officials pointed out. Other posi-
bilities now being considered include
extension of the program to agricul-
tural labor, domestic service, and
certain other occupations not ov-
cred by the present law; increasing
the size of benefits for those retiring
during the earlier years of the pro-
gram; providing benefits for the
aged wives and widows of annuitants
and the young children of those who
die before reaching age IS. Then
comes the complex but vastly i'm
portant question of more adequate
health protection.
mo one will gainsay the fact that
government expenditures for present