Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-06-15

! domestic workers, whose jobs are
! in the permanent class. even
though their time is divided be-
tween two or more employers. viii
also be taken into the system. it is
expected.
/ Two other large groups-one
self -employed-will not be Gov
cred. They are the farmers and
farm labor.
/ Reasons given for leaving these
groups outside the system include
difficulty of estimating the earn
ings Of farmers and the mobility
and turnover OF farm labor.
In some quarters. a strong
suspicion exists that politics IL
playing its part in the treatment
of the farmers; that both the ad-
ministration and the Republican
opposition is apprehensive about
imposing a tax on the farmers 70
pay for social security benefits
and about compelling farmers &c
keep books on the hands they
hire and the wages they pay.
The Democrats remember with
concern the bitterness which war
time restrictions and bookkeeping
engendered among the farmers
and what happened in the cleo
tions Of 1916. Today the Demo
Gratis are wooing the farmers as
never before and the Republicans
are not far behind them.
Would Add 23.ooO.ooo.
The aim of the administration
planners is eventually to cover
every one in the social security
system as a basic proposition. In
the pending bill, as presented by
them. it was proposed to take into
the system an estimated 23.400, :
600 persons not now covered
These were variously broken down
into the following groups:
/. The self-employed exclusive
of the farmers) 5000 900.
2. The farmers (self-employed)
5000, 900.
8. Farm workers, 2,50e.000.
4. Those engaged in charitable,
religious. scientific and educa-
tional work, not now covered,
200. 900.
S. Federal employees who have
not yet had the necessary five
years service to qualify under the
civil service retirement system.
500, 900.
6. Railroad workers (who have
now their system of retirement)
1.7Oo, 900.
7. Persons in the armed forces
not currently insured.
8. State employees outside other
systems, 100000.
Up to 100000 Covered.
The present coverage in the So
cial security system for old age
and survivors assistance includes
practically all persons working for
wages or salaries in industry, in
the distribution and service trades,
and also those employed by the
so-called "self-employed," except
farm labor.
It is estimated that about S.
000, 900 is the total number of per-
sons covered by this social insur-
ance at any one time-althoueh
as many as 100000 were COW
cred during 1948. The discrepancy
in these figures Is due to the fact
that millions are constantly NOV
ing from covered jobs to noncov-
cred or vice versa.
For example, millions Of farm
workers, who are not covered, go
into Jobs that are covered during
the months they are not working
on the land.
The social security law was
written in 1885 and came into
effect in 1887. Since the system
became operative, 10000 900 social
security cards have been written
and 1t is estimated that today
80. 900 900 persons have some
credits.
Including domestic servants in
the social security system will be
something entirely new to a large
group into whose pockets the Fed
eral Government has not directly
dipped its hands. The process of
collecting the payroll taxes is
likely to be a headache. both to
the employer and to the domestic
Stamp Plan Considered.
Either the employer will have
to keep books and make quar-
terly report, just as corporations
do regarding their employees. or a
stamp plan will be adopted. Under
the stamp plan the employer and
employe would purchase stamps