Evening star., 1950-04-11
Employers Ask
Delay in Job|ess
Insurance Ian
Trade Board Wary
Of Nicely Proposal
For District Workers
By Don S. Worren

NIT Careful study OF lar reachlne
implications" of the Neely bill
to liberalize the Districts unem.
ployment insurance system wa,
urged today by a spokesman fol
employers.
Labor interests meanwhile
urged speedy enactment of the
measure introduced by Chairman
Neely of the Senate District Com.
mittee.
A Julian Brylawski, represent.
Ing the Washington Board o1
Trade as chairman of it's Unem.
: ployment Compensation subcom.
mittee, said he felt employer.
generally are willing to work with
Senator Neely on the objective o1
liberalizing the city's system, but
cautioned against undue haste.
Mr.. Brylawski contended the
Nicely bill would make jobless
payments here generally more
liberal than in the country al
large.
inequality Is Feared.
He voiced fears that if the
Nicely bill were passed in it's pres
ent form it would permit the pay
ment of greater sums as jobless
benefits than some persons would
earn at their job.
Senator Nicely Immediately de-
clared he would not favor plan
to pay persons more for not work
ing than working, though he
didn't say that would be a result
of his bill.
Senator Neely then pressed Mr.
Brylawski to state whether he
would be willing to work with him
to make jobless benefit payment.
here as liberal as the average ir
the United States or in the States
in this region.
Mr.. Brylawski said he person.
ally could go along with that aim
Trade Board Supported.
William H. Press. executive sec.
retary of the Board of Trade. sale
he thought the District law should
embrace all of the desirable fea.
lures of the State laws as they
affect both the taXpaying EN-.
ployer and the benefited employe
He stressed that both employer
and worker should be considered
Spokesman for a number O.
other business groups general,
supported the position of the
Board of Trade that two months
should be allowed for study of the
bill, before action was taken. be-
caue of its technical and compli-
Gated subject matter.
This would delay action on the
legislation into or near the closing
days of this Congress. as adjourn
ment prospects now stand.
Would Lengthen Payments.
The Neely bill would raise the
minimum jobless payments from
S6 to So a week and the maximum
payments from $40 to $50 and tt
s33 for the unemployed having
three or more dependents. Tht
measure also would lengthen thu
duration of jobless payments from
20 weeks to 26 weeks.
c. A. Wharton, director of the
District Unemployment Compen.
sation Board. said enactment OF
the Neely bill probably would in.
crease the outlay for jobless bene-
fit payments by about SIS millior
a year, on the basis of present
experience. Questions from com.
mittee members brought out thai
the board now has an unemploy.
ment reserve fund of more thar
$45 million. Mr.. Wharton esti.
mated that the proposed new
legislation over 10-year perioe
would reduce this reserve to abou
$50 million.
The measure, he added, pro-
vides a safety valve on this point
by providing for an automatic in.
crease in the employers ia,
should the reserve fund at any
time fall below 6 per cent of the
aggregate of the taxable payrolls
of the District.
Boards Position Outlined.
Mr.. Wharton explained thai
while the board in its last annua
report had recommended liberali.
zation of the law generally ir
keeping with major provisions o1
the Nicely bill. the board as YET
has not acted on the pending
measure.
Likewise, Corporation Counse
Vernon E. West said the Distric
Commissioners, who constitute {
majority of the board, had not ye
taken a. stand on the bill. In ad
dition to the Commissioners, thu
District board consists of one labo
representative and one employee
spokesman.
The lead in support of the Neel.
bill was taken by C. F. Preller
president of the Washington Cen
tral Labor Union (AFL), who i
the labor member of the board.
He emphasized that the Neel,
bill was generally in keeping will
the national jobless insuranc,
plan recommended by Presiden
Truman.
Present jobless benefit pay
ments here, Mr.. Preller said, n,
longer are in line with economi,
conditions. He said more thar
$4,000 benefit claims could not b.
paid in the past year because O
the 20-week duration limit.
Mr.. Preller said that there were
% States which provide jobles'
payments for longer periods thar
the Districts 20 weeks.
The hearing will resume tomor.
row.