The Wilmington morning star., 1940-08-25
BY BOB MATTHEWS
Staff Writer

Mothers and housewives OF
America have a vital interest IN
the federal social security program
particularly in the old-age and
survivors insurance part Of this
program.
This new form of insurance is
an important factor in the lives o1
the women who form the center o1
American family life, says George
W. Jeffrey, manager OF the Will
mington headquarters field office
of the Social Security board.
Consequently they should famll'
iarize themselves with the family
protection which results from thel1
husbands participation in this In
surance system.
The wife of a worker covered
by old-age and survivors insurance
can take definite steps to see that
her family has all the protection
to which it is entitled, and she
should learn what these are.
There are three groups of wom'
en- who have special interests in
social security. First is the wife
whose husband is approaching the
age of IS. Let us take the case OF
wife of go who has husband
62 years old.
Ar Example
Through the years they h v e
been relatively successful. He has
worked for company that paid
him good wage, and his salary
from 1887 until the. present time
has averaged $225 month. That
salary of 1925 a month may be ex-
pected to continue until 1943, when
the husband reaches the age of IS.
At that age he expects to retire.
When this man retires in 1913,
a government check for about $40
will be paid to him each month.
When the wife reaches IS tw o
years later, an additional check
equal to half the amount of the
husbands benefit will be paid to
the wife. And that will bring the
family benefit of this aged couple
up to $59.63 a month.
How much this aged couple will
eventually receive depends, OF
course, on how long they live, for
those payments will 60 right on
until they die. But if each OF
them lives until 1855. their social
security income will have totaled
more than $4,000. If they both
live to be IS, the total will be
more than $4,000. And if either
of them dies, checks will continue
for the one who is living.
Let us now take a second group
of women who have two interests
in social security - middle-aged
wives. These wives and their hus.
bands are building toward indie
pendence in their later years on
a better level than was possible
for previous generations.
With the basis security afforded
by old-age and survivors insur'
ance, they need not worry as thel1
parents did about a destitute ole
age. That is the personal interest
which middle-aged wives have II
this insurance system.
Children Protected
But in addition to this personal
interest, they have an interest in
the kind of future which social
security is making possible for
their children who are grown and
who are the young workers today
Newspapers recently carried the
story of a young man OF 1S who
came from Philadelphia to see his
social security account established
in the central files of the Social
Security board.
His was the so millionth account.
He was getting a job with an cleo
trio company in Philadelphia as q
stock boy. He was given mum
ber "a social security account
number-which he will show to ev
cry employer for whom he works
Every pay day a few pennies will
be deducted from his pay check
His employers throughout his
working life will match these pen