Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-05
U. 5. Lag.Seen
On WeIfareof
IFS Children
Prosperity Hasn't
Covered All Needs,
Youth PurIey Told

Americas astonishing ana
tremendous" increase in income
and productivity in the last 80
years does not guarantee that the
needs Of its children will be met,
DR.. Eveline Burns, Of the New
York School of Social Work at
Columbia University, told dele
gates to the Joint Conference on
Children and Youth at the Ham,
ilton Hotel today.
"The American people don't
know enough about themselves, ="
she said. Declaring that the real
national income has doubled. she
said it has not touched everyone.
and pointed to the findings Of the
Congressional Joint Committee
on Low Income Receivers, which
reported 5 million families with
incomes under $1,000 in 1854.
even If families have a high
average income" she said. "oul
children do not live in average
families An increasing number
Iof children are members Of
larger families, she said.
Family Allowances Lacking
1.-THE American people so far
Icuriously enough. are not inter-
ested in this" DR.. Burns de-
Iclared. I'VE are the only coun-
try in the world Of any degree of
development" she went on. who
have not developed devices such
as the supplying of family allow
|ances to help large families.
Furthermore, DR.. Burns said,
1--WE can't assume that all par
tents are so well adjusted and so
efficient that they are going to
do the right thing for their chill
Idren. even If the experts agreed
on what the right thing to do
was"
Pointing to other factors that
influence children, DR.. Burns
said that for the first time the
country is coming to realize how
large a section Of the popula-
ton is affected by broken homes.
She said that So per cent of the
1.67 million children cared for
under the Aid to Dependent
Children program are from such
homes.
Rise In Women Workers
DR.. Burns declared that the
tremendous increase In our out
put has been purchased at q
cost. Many Of the new workers
are women. she said. and we've
all been the gamers from that
Many Of these women are mar
|ried. however, she pointed out
and we have not begun to count
the social and personal cost OF
the burden upon these women
who are workers. homemakers
and mothers at the same time.
Although our national output
has increased, our proportionate
expenditure for social services
has declined, DR.. Burns declared.
She said that in the sos we
spent lis per cent of the gross
national income for the services
and TO per cent in latter years.
In spite Of the enormous chunk
taken from salaries in taxation,
primarily for ornaments" she
said. "the income families have
left has continued to increase
over the years"
Folsom Greets Group
Earlier. Secretary Of Health,
Education and Welfare Folsom
greeted the group, and pointed
to recent developments that are
particularly important to chill
dren. He cited specifically the
development of the Salk vaccine
and recent improved techniques
in the development and testing
of it.
Another Development" he
said. "is the research which has
led to ways to reduce, drastically,
the number of children who are
partially or totally blinded by
lretrolental fibroplasia."
The Rev. Robert Snavel, a
minister Of Eatontown, N. j.. who
was United States delegate to the
World Youth Assembly in Saigon
last year. told the youth leaders
at the two-day conference which
Opened today. that young adults
are apathetic in civic matters
because older adults do not take
them seriously.