The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-03-30
MORE ADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR
THE UNEMPLOYED

SOME of the provisions of the bill to revise GER
~ tain provisions of the Social Security Act in
troduced by Senator James f. Byrnes, of South
Carolina, came within the controversial area. But
there will probably be little if any valid objection
to his proposal to pay more liberal unemployment
compensation to jobless workers.
In nationwide broadcast from the Nations
capital over the network of the National Broad
casting Company, Senator Byrnes, who is chair
man of the Special Senate Committee to 1nvesti-
gate Unemployment and Relief, declared that un-
employment is not only ''Our most serious dOmes-
tic problem, but is also a national problem" and
a permanent problem, and that the "OverWhelnl-
ing majority" of the people in the United States
believe that granting assistance to the unemployed
"s public duty and primarily the duty of the
Federal Government"
Standing this logical premise, Senator
Byrnes deplored the needless suffering inflicted on
the jobless by unwalranted delays in paying them
the unemployment compensation to which they
are legally entitled and criticized strongly the
small amounts paid which in many instances are
SO low that the recipients must resort to relief
agencies to supplement the lessthan-d decent-living
standards which frequently characterize state un-
employment compensation rates.
On these two related subjects-ShOrter waiting
periods and more liberal unemployment compen-
sation-Senator Byrnes said
unemployment insurance is shock absorber.
To date we have not had an opportunity to fully
test its effectiveness, but we have had an Oppor-
tunity to discover the weaknesses of the existing
system. The laws of the States vary. In all States
there has been too much delay in the worker re-
ceiving his compensation benefits. In some cases
he has given up in disgust. In other cases the
worker at the end of a long period of waiting re-
ceved check for $3 or 81, or some other sum so
inadequate that he Immediately made application
for a job on w. p A. projects.
"Ihe bill | have introduced has for it's OBJ
jective the payment of more liberal benefits and
the smpliication of the law. 1t provides for a
minimum payment of $5 per week; reduces to one
week the period man must wait for his benefits
provides that if he is eligible he will receive pay
ments for at least 13 weeks if he continues unen-
ployed, and by simplifying the method of determ-
ining eligibility avoids delay in making payments
to workers and lessons the burden Of reports by
employers.
"The necessity for a minimum payment per
week is that when a man does receive compcnsa-
ton benefits he should receive enough to remove
him from the ranks of those seeking relief
Pointing out that "it is better to pay to the
unemployed worker more liberal allowance from
the unemployment compensation fund already col
lected from the people in taxes than to pay so
small an amount that he refuses to accept it and
goes to work projects for which additional taxes
must be levied or money borrowed to be ultimately
paid by taxes Senator Byrnes declared that we
should either make the unemployment compensa-
tiOn fund "of service to the worker or abolish it
and provide W. p. A. jobs for all unemployed"