The Ypsilanti daily press., 1946-02-23
BY BAUKHAGE

(This Is the frt OF moo artieies on
Social Security for the Farmer'.D
When the navy announced It's plan
Tor the biggest postwar boom In
history - its intention to blow q
s7-ship feet skyhigh with the atom
bomb-I couldn't help recalling the
answer which little girl gave TO q
reporter before the war ended. He
asked her: What do you want to be
when you grow up1" The youngster
replied, Alive"
In this atomic era, rs pleasant
to note, then. that there are at
least two groups Of people In this
country who not only assume that
most of US will stay alive for q rea-
sonable period. but who are making
plans based on that assumption.
One group comprises the radar
experts who earnestly promise We II
be rocketing to the moon and back
by lss6-stopping to refuel along the
lunar skyway at fner-up stations
suspended in space and perhaps
plucking moonnowers In a hanging
garden.
The second group Is the National
Planning association - specifically
Its agriculture committee-which
expects the farmer not only to grow
up, but to live at least to the age
Of IS, at which time he will want to
retire. Making that retirement pos
sible is the subject Of q new NPA
bulletin by Murray r. Benedict.
professor Of agricultural economics
at the University Of California.
Why Is the farmer so favored7 Is
he the only worker who wants to re-
tire and live out his old age In rea-
sonable financial security What
about the tired-out typist, Isn't
the weary welder worthy?
Be that as 1t may. Mr.. Benedicts g
retirement plan Is based solely
on bringing the farmer into the fed
eral social security system. Most
Industrial and white collar workers
like typists. welders and butchers.
are already covered by social secu-
rity. When the time comes for
them to quit work for good. they
can count on a small. but regular
monthly income from social secu-
rity benefits.
Not so the farmer. When he can
work no longer. he has to live of
what he's saved or by selling the
south forty-and II he hasn't saved
anything. that's his hard luck-or
whoever has to take care Of him.
Administration
Proves Problem
The farmers were not included In
the social security setup when II
was inaugurated in 1885, because
the lawmakers and administrators
felt they couldn't cope with his Pc
culiar problems at the time. For
the same reason, they passed over
the seh-employed worker. the do
mestc employee. the government
and railroad worker, the employees
In non-proht organizations. Such
workers posed too much Of an ad.
ministrative problem. the legisla.
tors felt. so they left them out, as
far as social security was concerned.
Now. however, the system has
been operating for more than 10
years. and it's high time, Mr.. Bene-
dict thinks. to ring farmers In on
its benefits. He feels the other un-
insured groups mentioned above
should be included, too. but he con-
centrates on the case Of the farmer.
The farmer. like everyone else.
faces the grim prospect Of depend
ency and want In old age. Like
everyone else. he strives to guard
against such contingency by work.
ing hard and trying to save money.
But In 1899, more than half the farm
owners of the country marketed less
than SIS worth Of products from
their land. Deduct from that the
products the farmers wife used al
the table. the farm equipment he
has to buy. shoes for the children,
and an occasional Saturday night
trip to the big city-and It's plain
there Is going to be precious little
money left TO stow away under the
mattress or in the sock.
Hired farm workers fare no bet
ter In this matter Of saving money
than does the man who owns the
farm. The hired man may earn
SGT 80 q month II he eats in" II
he boards out, his monthly wage
may be s35.32-when he works. It's
quite possible he's a seasonal work.
er-shifting from Job TO Job as crops
mature and orchards blossom,
which means his annual income is
Tar from fixed or steady.
So the farmer and the hired farm