Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1939-04-06
D. {. Job|ess
Fund Far Above
Payments
Contributions 1otoI
$6,282, 906 With
$1,673,208 Expended

With House hearings scheduled
today on a bill to separate the Dis
trict Unemployment Compensation
Board from the Social Security
Board, the local organization through
its director. J. A. Marshall, reported
that last year employers contributed
Sc 282 ,9O6 to the revolving fund while
payments amounted only to $1,673,-
208. If the local organization was a
separate unit, special rates to fit
local conditions could be established,
Mr.. Marshall said in releasing the
1888 figures for the District.
Employers in the District pay 3
per cent annually, and under bill
introduced by Representative Nc
Gehee, Democrat, of Mississippi,
which was before the House District
Committee today, the local board
could set its own rates Mr.. Marshall
said that because payments were
about one-quarter of the receipts the
percentage could be cut in half d
least. He estimated that a u per
cent contribution would cover the
outlay. Administrative expenses, ne
said, come from the Treasury.
With Washington having COM
paratively stable employment. the
greatest variation is noted for De-
cember, which Mr.. Marshall attrib-
uted to the Christmas season.
Trade Group Is Largest.
The general industrial breakdown
for the city is given in IA classical
tons with the trade group con-
tributing and receiving the largest
amount of money The trade group
had SOS. 1886 ,285 subject to contribu-
ton last year, which is little over
81 per cent of the total of $780,
3526ll employment wage in the city.
The employer contributions for this
group amounted to $1.972,O96 In
return, 80 per cent of the outlay. or
$508, 1857, was made in benefit pay
ments.
The contract construction group
made only per cent of the contri-
button but took q per cent out of
the total payments made. Employ
ers in this section paid SAL 1888 on
pay roll of $147l4,279, and in return
their unemployed workers received
$459 1922 in benefits.
Service trades made the second
highest contributions. with an out
lay of 81, $3.50, and in return took
$500, 1872 from the fund. or 10 per
cent. An indication that admins
trative offices have the least unem-
ployment was given in that payment
of only $3.50 were made. The tax
able pay roll amounted to $780, 24. on
which sl.78l was paid into the gen.
eral fund.
High Turnovers Collect Most.
With only the contract construc-
ton and service groups taking more
from the fund than paying into it,
all others ran far below their pay
ments in benefits received. 1t was
explained that industries with high
employment turnovers would collect
the most money. though not neces-
sarily paying in the largest amounts.
The high payments and low bene-
fits noted in the city is one of the
main reasons for the McGehee bill
which seeks to take as much of the
burden as possible off local con-
tributors
The average payment was SO and
the average duration of payments
was two weeks. Persons receiving
unemployment compensation num-
bered 196O59. of which 178 233 listed
themselves as totally unemployed
and 1926 claimed partial unem-
ployment.
The breakdown shows the totally
unemployed were paid s1,570,428
while Sl02780 went to those with
partial employment. The break
down also shows that approximately
5000 white men received compen-
sation. more than 1000 colored men
ranked next with white and colored
women closely grouped for third
place Only 100 foreign-born men
and AZ foreign born women received
payment in the District. The exact
designation of a foreign born" per-
son was not given in the report.