Evening star., 1938-10-21
|PLANS TO CHANGE
SECURITY STUDIED
Advisory Council and State
Officials Scan Moves
to Revise Law.
By the Associated Press,

6y inc ASBOClAte0 fre6S.
Important changes in the Govern
ment's vast social security program
received consideration today by two
groups of officials and laymen.
An advisory council, composed Of
representatives Of employers, employees
and public, studied a mass of pro-
posals for extending the old-age pen
sion program, which now covers A.
100000 wage earners.
At the same time, more than $50
State officials who administer the
unemployment compensation provisions
of the act, affecting 27500,000 workers,
debated means Of simplifying their
complex task.
The advisory council, created at
request OF Senate committee, heard
reports from experts who have surveyed
the possible extension Of old-age bene-
fits to agricultural workers, domestic
servants and employees Of religious and
charitable institutions.
16,ooo,ooo Now Excluded.
Some of these experts believe the
program could be extended to about
l6,0000 900 workers now excluded.
Advocates Of changes in the limits
Of monthly benefit payments also ex-
pected hearing. The act now con-
templates payments from $40 to $85
starting in 1912. Some persons have
asked that the minimum be increased
to $40 and the maximum reduced to
$50 or $50.
Some critics of the act have rec
commended a "pay-as-you-go" system
rather than the large reserve system
on which the old-age program now
is based.
The Advisory Board previously had
frowned on these suggestions. con-
tending it was best to test original
provisions Of the act by experience
Decisions by the council are expected
to be reflected in congressional amend
ments, after consideration by the
Social Security Board.
The probable trend OF delbers tions
at this weeks conference was indi-
Gated by speakers at yesterdays ses-
sion, held at the Mayfower Hotel.
|. Chairman Arthur ]. Altmeyer of the
Social Security Board called for q
merger of the unemployment insur-
ance activities OF his board and the
job-flnding efforts of the Labor De-
partment.
w. Rowland Allen, spokesman for
business, said the entire program would
fail If workers regarded the unem-
ployment insurance as charity, or man.
agement viewed its as Just another
tax"
Lee Pressman, general counsel for
the Committee for Industrial Organ
ization. urged that unemployment
benefits be extended to agriculture,
and domestic labor and employees o1
charitable organization groups now
excluded
Called Too Complicated.
The Right Rev. Msgr. John O'Grady
OF the National Conference of Catholic
Charities said the present law was toe
complicated for most workers to un-
derstand. He urged that groups receiv-
ing small benefits be eliminated from
the unemployment system and cared
for in other ways. He also asked elm
lnation Of the waiting period" before
payments. This varies from two tc
four weeks in various States.
c. A. Kulp. insurance expert at the
University of Pennsylvania. urged State
administrators to benefit by experience
OF England and Germany in unem-
ployment insurance. He said the CHIEF
difhculties in this country were the
| wide variation in State laws and
benefits, lack of coordination among
State and Federal agencies, and lack
of personnel.