Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1957-01-17
1856 Report

that Unemployment insurance
Payments dropped to approx
maueIy nalI the level of the pre-
vlouS nScal year, 1T was disclosed
TO-DAY IN the annual report or the
Employment security Board to
Governor 1neouore X. AlcheIdln.
Robert b. kmDIe is chairman OF
the Board. CnarleS II. Borcnera-
ing, Sr., and Joseph r. healy are
the Associate Members.
HIgn industrial production ana
general economic expansion cue
the number OF payments made 10
ehg4DIe workers Dy the Maryland
Department OF Employment Sc
curaty to 5y2, 434 IN the lZ-montnI
period, ana the amount OF pay
ments to $l3,525, 1Y9. In the pre-
viouS year, there were 1,l46,3SI
payments, amounting to ST, $780,
O83.
Total employment in Maryland,
including uninsured employment,
went over the million mark dur
ing the period as the estimated
total climbed from 996, 700 in July
1855, to 1,018,000 in June 1856.
OF these, 669,000 workers were
covered by State Unemployment
Insurance, a gain of 1880 over
fiscal 1855.
Over-the-year gains in total en-
ployment, the report to Governor
McKeldin continued, were found
in all categories of nonagricul-
tural activities, including the self
employed group. Agricultural en-
ployment dropped slightly, hold
ing to the downward trend of the
past several years.
The average weekly unemploy-
ment check dropped from $25.17
in 1855 to $23S6 in 1856, a result
of the fact that layoffs in 1855 af-
fected larger numbers of skilled
workers, whose pay, and, conse-
quently, whose benefit checks,
were higher.
The average duration of bene-
fits decreased from 1877 to 8.3
weeks, indicating that the aver
age period of unemployment was
shorter. At the same time, the
rate of exhaustions, the rate at
which claimants exhaust the total
amount of benefits to which they
are entitled, dropped from 26.8 to
20.6.
AS benefits costs declined, the
balance in the Benefit Account
Fund reached SIP, 10000, a gain
of more than $5,000,000 in the
year, but still some $18000,000
short of the balance reported in
1858. The gain reversed the trend
of the two previous years,
Full employment, the report
states, brought about an in
creased demand for workers and
a corresponding decline in avail
able applicants.
The number of applicants regis
ssTing for work at the Depart
E11ent's seventeen local offices
around the State decreased from
I 128881 in 1855 to 109, 235 in 1856,
a drop of Is per cent.
Despite this decline, the num-
Der placed in nonagricultural jobs
climbed to 1859, a gain of H..
264, or II per cent. In addition,
there were S6.182 agricultural
placements.
The earnings of insured work
ers total $2,511, III, 656, a gain of
1924, 126,237 over the previous
year. Their average weekly wage
rose from $67.82 to $72.20.
The durable goods industries
provided the motivating factor
throughout the period as work
forces in primary metals, nonelec-
trical machinery, shipbuilding and
aircraft climbed to peak levels. In
the nondurable categories, there
were moderate increases in the
apparel and chemical industries,
but employment in food and kin
dred products was lower.
Nonmanufacturing activities
continued the uninterrupted ex-
pansion that has prevailed
throughout the postwar period.
During the past fiscal year, con-
struction employment in Mary
land reached an all-time high as
industrial plant expansions, high
way projects and school construc.
ton continued at record levels.
Other communicating activi-
ties also followed an upward
trend.
There were approximately 1890
new overpayment cases. At the
beginning of the fiscal year, the
amount outstanding in overpay-
ments from previous years was
$533,122. Allowing for cancella-
ton of uncollectible accounts, the
amount stood at the end of the
fiscal year at $626,70O the major
portion chargeable to fraud. Both
totals are cumulative balances
and include all uncovered and
unliquidated overpayments since
June, 1912.
Viewing with grave concern