Evening star., 1949-01-02

This would occur under the old
the aged needy worker may moi
have contributed anything at all ir
the way of taxes through payroll
deductions, as compared with the
worker who has been contributing
for years to the old-age and sur
vivors' insurance.
The figures for payments citeo
here are the national averages.
The condition is not extreme, fol-
only about three out of five workers
are covered by the Social Security
insurance system.
Payments Run High
The inadequacies of the benefits
paid under the insurance plan and
the deficiencies in its coverage are
delaying the day when old-age as.
sistance payments will be replaced to
a large extent by the payment o1
benefits under old-age insurance.
In the meantime, old-age assist.
ance payments are running more
than 100000 900 month. And par
of that is going to exc out the small
amount the retired worker receives
from his old-age insurance.
These are among the reasons why
the Eighty-first Congress tomorrow
will be asked to make a general over
haul of the Social Security program
and to extend it.
In Washington. retirement pen
sions are most frequently discussed
in terms of the civil service retire
ment system. 1t is old, we'll estab.
lished and covers about 211 900 Fed
eral employees in the area.
There are more than this number
in the area who, if they must retire
at IS, may depend entirely or in part
on their Social Security benefits
President Truman and an Ad-
visory Council on Social Security
appointed by the Senate Finance
Committee have recommended that
Social Security benefits be increased
and the coverage extended. The
council, headed by Edward R. Stet-
tinius, jr., former Secretary of State,
began its work in the fall of 1941
and completed it yesterday.
The Presidents recommendations
are expected to be renewed. Last
spring he called the benefits paid
under Social Security insurance
seriously inadequate" Those bene-
fits were adjusted last in 1889. Since
then the cost of living has in
creased by about rs per cent, making
the benefits worth less. Wages have
gone up and that makes 1t easier
to finance larger benefit payments.
Mr.. Truman recommended that
benefit payments be increased at
least so per cent. He recommended
also:
That coverage be extended to
more than 100000 persons not
now employed in jobs where they
can earn any rights toward these
benefits.
That the coverage of unemploy-
ment insurance be extended also.
That insurance be provided
against temporary and permanent
disability.
That the program of public as
sistance to the aged, to dependent
children and to the blind and gen.
eral assistance to the needy be i'm
proved. With the exception of gen.
eral assistance to the needy, this
program is carried out through the
cooperation Of the Federal Gov
eminent and the States.
Limited Contributions
The Presidents Social Security
program parallels to great extent
the recommendation Of Federal
Security Administrator Oscar Ewing
and Social Security Commissioner
Arthur j. Altmeyer. Their proposals
for increasing benefits of old-age
and survivors insurance would, gen.
orally, meet the so per, cent in
crease recommended by the Presi-
dent.
Here is how Mr.. Altmeyer's recon-
mendations on primary benefits
(payment to the retired worker
without additions for a wife over
65, dependent children or dependent
parents) would work out in contrast
to the benefits under the present
law, for a worker earning 5000 a
month: