Evening star., 1940-05-02
D. {. Job|ess
Act Strikes
New Snag
Eberhorter Says He
Will Offer Changes in
Scheduled Program
BY DON 8. WARREN,

Plans by the Judiciary Subcom-
mittee Of the House District Com
mittee for adoption Of "non-con-
troversial" amendments to the Dis
trict Unemployment Compensation
Insurance Act, which would give
employers tax rate cuts of something
approaching 100000 a year and
provide some increase in benefits to
the jobless, struck a new snag today
when Representative Eberharter,
Democrat, of Pennsylvania, an
nounced he would offer changes in
the scheduled program.
Mr.. Eberharter, who is the author
OF a bill to. provide for considerable
liberalization of the jobless benefit
schedule, but which omits either of
the two proposed plans for reduction
OF the pay roll tax rate below the
national level of 2.7, declared in q
formal statement today he did not
see how friends of labor" could
support the plan adopted yesterday
in supposedly final action by the
Judiciary Subcommittee, headed by
Representative McGehee, Democrat.
Of Mississippi.
In adopting the so-called compro-
mise plan the McGehee group elm
mated proposals for adoption of q
new experience rating system" un-
der which employers who maintain
stability in work for their employees
would be granted preferentially low
rates, and the alternative proposal
OF a sliding scale plan under which
rates lower than 2.7 per cent would
be IN force depending upon the size
OF the benefit reserve fund.
Provided S6 Minimum.
The plan adopted by the Judiciary
Subcommittee provided for a ben
eft payment of $6, a maximum pay
ment OF SIG and a maximum dura-
ton OF benefit payment of 18 weeks.
The present law has no minimum
as to benefit payment, a maximum
OF SIS and basic duration period
OF Is weeks, although if the ap-
plicant for benefit jobless payments
mas been employed long enough he
might be eligible for payments for a
duration as long as 26 weeks.
Mr.. Eberharter's bill has been in
dorsed by spokesmen for the Dis
trict Industrial Union Council, of
the C. I. o., which is opposed to
various features of the McGehee
bill and also to the compromise
plan adopted yesterday.
In his public statement today Mr..
Eberharter said:
Il do not see how friends of labor
can support the unemployment COM
pensation bill to be reported by the
Judiciary Subcommittee. It saves
the employer one million dollars in
taxes, but does practically nothing
IN the way of liberalization of bene-
fits to the unfortunate unemployed.
Ends Allowances for Children.
1T takes away allowances for
children and wives which have been
in effect here for some time. The
Congress itself has approved the
principle of allowances for children
and wives, as has also the Social
Security Board.
THE benefits, as provided in all
the bills introduced, and considered
in this Congress, have been reduced
and curtailed, both as to amounts
payable and the number of weeks
during which they are payable.
Many other liberalized features have
been discarded
Il intend to offer suitable amend
ments at the proper time"
The compromise plan is scheduled
to be placed before the full House
District Committee at its meeting
next Monday, and it has been re-
ported that arrangements have
been made to permit consideration
Of the plan by the House prior to
the next regularly scheduled Dis
trict day, which would be Nav 13.