The Wilmington morning star., 1940-12-18
RY M. r. DUNNAGAN

hY W. w.
Approximately $702, 1880 has
been distributed in New Hanover
county through operation of nine
of the ten divisions of the Social
Security act, from its beginning
and through June 80, 1910, it is
estin tied, on a basis of official
figures, by Charles G.. Powell,
chairman of the N. c. Unemploy-
|ment Compensation commission.
Normally, unemployment com
~pensation, or benefits to workers
temporarily out of jobs, is tn e
largest item in the program, ex-
cept in agricultural counties. The
more and larger the industries a
county has, the more jobless bene'
fits it gets. In the 2 IL years OF
benefit payments, through June 80,
these benefits reached $278, 4O0.36
included in 1862 checks issued
to residents of New Hanover
county.
Chairman Powell reports that
state agencies handling phases OF
the Social Security, act cooperate
with him in supplying figures of
their activities, which gives him
an accurate picture of distributions
in counties of the state. These in
clude the state Welfare depart
ment, Mrs. W. T. Bost, superin-
tendent, and Nathan H. Yelton,
director of public assistance; DR..
Roma S. Cheek, secretary Of the
state Commission for the Blind;
DR.. Carl V. Reynolds, state health
officer; and the Department of
Public Instruction, particularly T.
E. Browne, director of vocational
education.
Old age assistance, help for
needy residents past IS years Of
age, in the three years of distribu-
ton, through last June 30, amount
ed to $186, 591.00 in this county.
Aid to dependent children, help
for those deprived of their normal
breadwinners, amounted to ST.
O94. so in the same period in this
county.
Aid to the blind, in the same
So months, amounted to $14, 757. 08
in the county.
In these three divisions of the
Social Security act, the federal
government provides one-haf of
the funds and the state and coun-
ties one-fourth each, with a state
%equalizing fund to help the smaller
counties. Prior to January l, 1910,
these three governmental units
furnished one-third each for aid
to dependent children.
No county figures IRE available
for old age and survivors insur-
ance. Monthly payments In this
division started after January l,
1910, due to a 1889 amendment,
after lump sum payments for three
years. This will, in due time, be-
come one of the most important
of the five major divisions of the
Social Security act.
With practically accurate fig
ures, it is evident, Mr.. Powell
points out, that about 1856, 843. 90
was distributed in this county to
July l in four of the five major
divisions of the act, exclusive of
old age and survivors insurance
In the other five divisions,
classed as Service, approx
mately 146, 1850 has been dlstri-
buted in this county, including
about $2,935.00 in child welfare
services and about &, $4,000 in
vocational rehabilitation.
Disbursement OF funds in h e
other three Services" is made
through county or district health
departments, and only rs of the
100 counties having such depart
ments June 30, 1910, participated
in this distribution. (Three other
counties Gates, Lincoln and
Northumberland organized
health work as of July 1, 1910, but
did not share in the funds in the
period being c~onsidered). Twenty
four counties, therefore, received
practically no funds in these d.
visions, and what they would have
received, and didn't, increased the
funds to counties with health de-.
partments.
New Hanover county, with a
health department, received $685.
$4,000 for maternal and child
health services; $22, 5000 for serv-
ices to crippled children and $780,
0l0.OO in public health work.
These five service" division re-
ports r approximate. The 1910