Evening star., 1953-11-23
Decisions on Social Security
Slated to Be More Difficult

Social security decisions that
the returning Congress must
make are expected to grow more
difficult because Of past mistakes
in predicting population growth
and in view of new estimates Of
aged persons likely to draw bene-
fits in 1860 and 1880.
House Ways and Means sub
committee studies have pointed
up this problem. Administration
policy questions also are deeply
involved. One of these is whether
to let old age insurance taxes
20 up on schedule after January
/. President Eisenhower has
suggested that the increases be
stopped and the rates frozen at
present levels.
There also are other questions
such as Gen. Eisenhower's pro-
posal that several million addl-
tional people be covered in the
social security program, and a
plan urged by some influential
members of Congress to put the
system on a pay-as-you-go basis
by paying each years oenentS
out of that years taxes.
Report to Be Ready.
subcommittee Chairman Cur
tbs. Republican. of Nebraska said
that current hearings will END
this week and a report will be
ready when Congress reconvenes:
He indicated that the report VIII
contain few Recommendations
particularly any proposals deal
ing with the controversial issue
of freezing the present tax rates
of is per cent each on employees
and employers.
The findings Of fact" other
congressional sources predlcteo'
will show Congress the extreme
difficulty of determining what
the situation might be even q rev
years ahead. =,
The subcommittee has received
information from Robert M. BAH,
acting director of the Bureau OF
Old Age and Survivors Insurance,
that slightly more than S million
persons were receiving Dement'S
at the end of last December and
about 5.8 million last September.
Approximately 3.8 million OF
the 5 million recorded at the
end of last year were IS or over.
In the 3.8 million group were z
million men and 100000 women,
all retired workers receiving old
age primary insurance benet1tS.
Another 100000 were receiving
wife's or husbands benefits and
100000 were getting widows,
widower's or parents benet1tS.
More to Be Eligible.
The remaining IL million in
the overall total Of 5 million re-
ceivlng benefit payments under
OASI were 200,O 900 mothers hav-
ing children in their care, and
almost a million children.
What particularly interested
the subcommittee. however, was
Mr.. Balls estimate that, whereas
about 3.8 million persons IS or
over are drawing benefit pay
ments now, about 10 million
over 65 will be getting BENEFITS
in 1860 or will be eligible to get
them on retirement that year.
Similarly, Mr.. Ball estimated
that in 1880 something like 18
million over IS would be eligible.
Those projections, the sub
committee noted, were on the
basis of present coverage.
President Eisenhower recon-
mended to Congress last August
that approximately 10 million
additional persons be included
In the social security program.
AS Of last December, according
to Mr.. Balls testimony. about
48.2 million were in Jobs COW
cred by old age and survivors
insurance. This meant that
about eight of every 10 paid civil
ian Jobs were covered under the
program because there was an
overall total of 60.2 million per-
sons in all kinds Of paid civilian
employment at the end Of 1852.
Mr.. Ball explained.
Forecasts Are Difficult.
Although the subcommittee
does not question Mr.. Balls pre-
dictions, some of its members
indicate they will warn Congress
to be wary about approving any
major revision mainly on the
basis of expected population
totals or the numbers of per-
sons likely to be eligible for
benefit payments at any specific
time in the future.
MiScaluclationS on that score,
they believe. could seriously
affect the operation either of a
ay-aS-you-go system or the