Evening star., 1939-01-15

OF the fact that the youth in both
agencies are engaged in public work
or receiving training designed to
prepare them for private employ
ment"
Unemployment compensation, the
report held, lis designed to meet
temporary unemployment. 1t should
relieve such condition with GER
tainty and Dispatch
This, the present system fails to
do, according to the report. Workers,
in the first place, receive far too
small unemployment insurance pay
ments, and in the second place,
the benefits are not given promptly
and the workers have to run from
one office to another before they
can get any benefits, the report
said.
The waiting period for unem-
ployment insurance should be short
ened to one week, the report de-
clared. The period of benefits should
be heightened and the amount of
benefits should be fixed at standard
| figures based on the average earn
| ings of a few standard crafts or
skills. The committee suggested the
following schedule of weekly pay
ments for unemployment compen-
Sation:
Persons earning under SIS per
week, $5 week; persons earning
SIS to $40 per week. $3.50 a week;
persons earning $40 to s25 per week,
$40 week; persons earning $25 to
$50 per week, $3.50 week, and
persons earning above $50 per week,
SIS a week.
Would Strengthen Service.
In order to exclude casual work.
ers from the scheme, the law may
provide that to be eligible for un-
employment compensation, the
worker must have enjoyed at least
26 weeks of work within the pre-
vious IL months. 1t is also proposed
that the benefit period should be 13
weeks.
The committee recommended that
the employment service be greatly
strengthened and unified and that
the Offices for granting unemploy-
ment relief and for finding new en-
ployment for the workers be under
the same roof.
The committees proposals for in
creased benefits for the aged, the
blind and dependent children con-
template the following minimum
payments: To the aged, SIS a
month; to the blind, SIS, and to de-
pendent children, per family unit
$40.
Under the present law the maxi
mum sum paid by the Federal Gov
ernment to the aged, to be matched
by similar amount from the States
is SIS a month; to the blind, s$15
and to dependent children, $l8.
There is no guarantee of a minimum
payment to any of these dependents
and the amounts now paid vary
greatly depending on the contribu-
tions made by the States.
The average old-age assistance in
the States in October ran from
$32.39 month in California to $422
in Arkansas, and for the blind, from
$47.93 in California to $40 in Ar
kansas, and for dependent children
per family, from $5931 in Massa-
chusetts to $542 in Arkansas.
The committee held that reason
able support should be provided for
these cases and pointed out that
they are not because of the inability
of some of the States to provide the
needed funds.
The attainment of the minimum
payments to the aged, the blind and
dependent children would bring the
total annual payment up from
$555, 900 900 to 100000 900, and raise
the Federal contribution from $780,
OOO, 900 to about 1925 100000.
Harrington to Be Witness.
The first witness to appear before
the Senate Appropriations Subcom.
mittee at tomorrow's hearing on the
w. P. A. bill will be Col. F. c. Har.
rington, newly appointed head o1
the w. P. A.
Senator Adams said he believed
the new administrator was expected
to bring more efficiency" into thu
relief organization and to eliminate