USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Arlington > Town of Arlington annual report 1940 > Part 13
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(1) Cases are selected according to the number in the family where there is no source of in- come ;
(2) Those families receiving no direct relief but who receive some income from other sources which is insufficient for the family needs. To clarify this rule of eligibility where other in- come is involved, two cases are cited :
(x) Mr. A's family numbers 5 Mr. A in private employment earns $17.00 Mr. A's eldest son applies for W. P. A. Family budget (W. P. A. estimate) 18.00 (Number in family is multiplied by 2 and $8.00 added for light, heat, and rent) Mr. A's son is eligible Net income is less than budget for family of 5.
(y) Mr. B's family numbers 8 3 children privately employed earn $36.00 2/3 of earnings other than head's 24.00 Mr. B applies for W. P. A. Family budget (W. P. A. estimate) 24.00 (Number in family is multiplied by 2 and $8.00 added for light, heat and rent) Mr. B is not eligible Net income is equal to budget for family of 8.
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ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
(d) Applicants who are not citizens, but who have ap- plied for citizenship and first papers.
Federal Rules Governing Certification
Following are Federal regulations regarding certifica- tion :
One Member of a Family Unit
The rule that only one member of a family may be employed on works projects remains unchanged, except as provided in Administrative Order #19, applicable to the National Youth Administration. This provision shall not be considered to interfere with the enrollment of a member of the family in the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Where it is proved that two or more families who would ordinarily maintain separate households are living as one household for economic or other reasons, each family should be considered entirely separate from the other in the household, and the income from each unit should be charged against that particular group.
Unmarried children within a home should be consid- ered in relation to the income of their family group.
Bank Accounts and Securities
Bank accounts and saleable securities represent assets which must be considered in determining relief need. The amount of $250.00 in such assets would not seem to offer sufficient security to deter eligibility. An account larger than this might be deemed legitimate by the social work supervisor when illness, old age, attitude of the holder, etc., are factors.
Property
In reckoning property, the figure considered as income should be net income, after weekly carrying charges, that is,
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TOWN RECORDS
interest on mortgage, taxes, insurance, and water rates, are deducted. Every care should be taken to help families retain ownership of their homes.
Automobile Ownership
The ownership of a car constitutes a factor in deter- mining eligibility. Presumably a worker in need of relief would not be in a position to run a car for pleasure pur- poses. Exception is made, however, when sufficient proof is offered that the car is necessary for transportation of the worker or when the car is needed to carry materials for work. The turn-in value of the car should also be taken into consideration.
Old Age Assistance
Persons entitled to Old Age Assistance are in less need of recertification than others not entitled to such special benefits. Exceptions to the policy of eliminating such per- sons from the W. P. A. program may be made if the per- son exhibits unusual employability and his removal from work constitutes a physical or mental hazard. In consider- ing the eligibility of other members of a family group con- taining a recipient of Old Age Assistance, a reasonable amount of such benefit should be considered as board and chargeable to family income.
Mothers' Aid
Mothers' Aid cases should be recertified only when the children in the family over sixteen exceed the number eligible for such benefits.
Earnings
In estimating the family income, two-thirds of the earnings other than those of the logical breadwinner (man or wife) should be considered as family earnings, not the gross earnings.
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ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
Budgets
Budgetary needs are interpreted as being the subsist- ence requirements of individuals forming a family unit.
It is rather difficult to think in exact terms of dollars and cents for an entire State. Differences in local prices and in standards of living should be taken into consideration. However, the following items are given as a maximum fig- ure for the various budgetary expenditures, but the actual amount of rent should be figured when possible.
Food
$2.00 per week for each person in a family. Allowance may be made for special diets whenever they are recom- mended by a physician.
Rent
$5.00 maximum per week. In the event that a family owns its own home, necessary carrying charges for retain- ing the property should be allowed in lieu of rent.
Fuel and Light
$3.00 maximum per week for each family.
Clothing
$.75 per week for each person in a family.
Incidentals
It is recommended that an item of $1.00 to $2.00 for larger families should be added to the budget to cover car- fares and household supplies. Special medicines, etc., may increase this item.
Recommendation for Recertification
In September 1939, the law was changed to make dis- missal automatic after 18 continuous months' work on the
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TOWN RECORDS
W. P. A. Application for recertification cannot be made for 30 days.
Recertification should be made of cases where the in- come in the family does not cover the first three items listed above, namely, Food, Rent, Fuel and Light. Clothing is not considered in this basic category because of the fact that W. P. A. clothing is intended to help fill this need.
The regulations also state that in instances where bud- get deficits range between these basic needs and the full budget as quoted above, consultation with local welfare de- partments as to whether more needy persons in the occupa- tional classification are available should help determine whether such persons should be recertified or replaced.
Rates of Pay
All W. P. A. employees work five 6-hour days a week.
Supervisors are referred to as Non-relief and are paid by the Federal government. In Arlington, there are:
2 No. 1 Supervisors who receive $140.00 a month
5 No. 2 Supervisors who receive $120.00 a month
4 No. 3 Supervisors who receive $101.00 a month
Relief workers are classified when they receive their assignment tickets from Boston, or by the W. P. A. Field Engineer. Classifications and rates of pay are :
Professional and Technical $87.60 a month Skilled 82.80 a month
Intermediate 63.60 a month Unskilled A 52.80 a month
Unskilled B 48.00 a month
Neither Mr. Peters, as W. P. A. coordinator, nor any other Town official, has the right to discharge, remove, or
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ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
transfer a W. P. A. employee. This can be done only by the W. P. A. supervisor on the job or the W. P. A. Field En- gineer.
Analysis of Applications
An occupational analysis of applicants for W. P. A. work shows the following results :
Laborers and inexperienced workers 13.13%
"White collar" workers 20.95%
Intermediate or semi-skilled workers 11.31%
Skilled and professional workers 34.61%
The ratio of men to women applicants is approximate- ly three to one. The greater proportion of applicants, exclu- sive of laborers, are from the building trades, or automotive industry, or are salespeople or office workers.
Supervision of Workers
Apparently there is no conflict of authority between the Town supervisors of the W. P. A. and the Federal sup- ervisors. The Town supervisors direct the manner in which the work is done, protect the interests of the Town, and see that the projects are completed according to law and the specifications set up in each case. Also, they are respon- sible for providing the projects with material and equip- ment when and as they are ready for it. The Federal super- visors have charge of W. P. A. employees on the job, and pass on to the workers the instructions of the Town super- visors.
Types of Projects
Almost every Town department has benefited from W. P. A. projects during the past few years. The Town prop- erty has been kept in repair, several miles of new streets have been constructed with W. P. A. labor, and additional clerks have been loaned to Town departments for work
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TOWN RECORDS
which could not have been done otherwise without extra appropriations. It is not necessary to set out all the W. P. A. projects which have been undertaken in Arlington. The 1938 and 1939 Town Reports contain a fairly complete description of the projects for those two years. They in- cluded: Sanitation - the laying of new water and sewer mains; Highways - the construction of 14 new streets in 1939 alone; Charities - the making of clothes for the needy, the repair of household furniture, household aid; and Recreation. These were the largest projects, where the greater part of the Town and Federal money was spent.
Case Loads and Expenditures
Year Average No. of Workers
Federal Wages
Town Contribution
1933
325
$ 24,483.65
$ 2,071.77
1934
450
272,978.96
53,658.40
1935
700
434,370.19
115,053.67
1936
535
481,128.47
143,860.82
1937
410
359,880.61
164,399.54
1938
606
487,763.65
183,417.80
1939
550
436,116.90
164,867.78
and 9,262.36
for materials
An act of Congress which became effective January 1 requires that the Sponsors contribute 25% of the total cost of every project.
National Youth Administration
The purpose of the National Youth Administration is to help young men and women between the ages of 18 and 25 who have been unable to secure private employment. While this phase of the Federal relief program has been in existence since 1936, it has been effective in Arlington only since 1938 and 1939. At the present time, there are about 25 young women and 40 young men between these ages in
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ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
Arlington who work 55 hours a month, and are paid from the National Youth Administration funds. The young men, who receive $21.00 a month, are used in various capacities such as painting traffic signs and assisting in the Recrea- tional Project and the Moth Department. The young women, who receive $18.15 a month, are used on the Sewing Project and as junior clerks.
Findings
The Works Projects Administration and the other Federal work programs, having been brought into existence by an act of Congress, cannot be displaced except by repeal of the act or by such a general rise in business as to make work relief unattractive and unnecessary. Certainly, few would argue that work relief is intrinsically preferable to private employment, or that the Federal program can be continued indefinitely at its present rate without serious consequences. However, it can scarcely be denied that as long as there is unemployment, some means of helping the needy will have to be found. It is not within the province of this Committee to discuss the causes and remedies for the country's long-continued unemployment problem ; we have started from the fact that unemployment exists and that Federal money has been appropriated to relieve it. The Town of Arlington is not compelled to make use of Federal funds, but without them the welfare rolls of the past six years would have been doubled, and no ultimate saving would have resulted from the assumption of this tremendous burden (W. P. A. wages in Arlington for 1939 would repre- sent about $7.00 on the tax rate)-that is, the national debt and the local taxpayers' share in it would not have been lessened. Therefore, we have concerned ourselves solely with determining whether the Town is cooperating with the W. P. A. to receive maximum benefits, whether projects have been wisely planned, and whether local relief burden has been reduced as much as possible.
Administrative Staff :- We have considered the possi-
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TOWN RECORDS
bility of a change in the administrative staff. A certain small group believes that the Board of Public Works should have supervision of all W. P. A. and Unemployed projects, receiving the money now appropriated to them. If this were done, there would still have to be a department to investi- gate and assign the men, since the Board of Public Works could not do this. That is, the present supervisor of the W. P. A. would be discharged, but a new supervisor would have to be employed by the Department of Public Works to carry on his work. We see no economy, therefore, in the suggestion. Furthermore, we believe that the present Town employee who supervises W. P. A. work on street con- struction, etc., is a very capable and conscientious worker for the town. We are of the opinion that there is harmony between the Department of Public Works and the W. P. A., and that there is no conflict of authority on the jobs. While we believe that the present staff is not too large, we feel that no additions should be made to it.
Sponsors' Agent :- The Committee believes that the Town is fortunate in having the Town Engineer as Spon- sors' Agent. Through the cooperation of the Sponsors, the Town Engineer, and Mr. Peters, approved projects are al- ways kept on file, in order that there may be no unnecessary layoffs. Mr. Peters and Mr. Keane constantly work together in the creation and preparation of projects. We believe that the projects proposed are not only worthwhile, but usually necessary ; and that it has been the aim of the Sponsors and their agent to obtain as much Federal money for wages as possible, with the minimum Town contribution.
Purchasing :- A purchasing agent, who receives $30.00 a week, purchases or hires all materials and equipment used by the Unemployed Department and the W. P. A. It has been suggested that his position could be eliminated, and his duties handled by the Department of Public Works. If this were done, it would be necessary to have an employee in either the Unemployed Department or the W. P. A. to
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ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
check material as it is delivered to the various projects, and to handle all those other duties in connection with this work now handled by the purchasing agent for the W. P. A. Therefore, we do not believe that any saving would be made.
Inter-relation Between the W. P. A. and the Unem- ployment Committee :- As we stated in our chapter on the Unemployed Department, the administrations for that de- partment and for the W. P. A. consist of the same employ- ees. Laborers for the Unemployment Committee in many cases supplement W. P. A. workers ; for example, an uncom- pleted project for which Federal funds are exhausted is sometimes taken over by the Unemployment Committee, using its own workers and funds. This is shown in the amounts expended for Unemployed labor supplementing W. P. A. expenditures.
Chapter XI
PRIVATE WELFARE AGENCIES IN ARLINGTON
Your Committee appointed to study and investigate the whole question of relief in Arlington did not consider that it had the right to study or investigate private agen- cies, but mention should be made of them in this report in order to give a whole picture of relief.
Perhaps the oldest private agency in Arlington is the Arlington Social Service League, Inc., formerly the Arling- ton Welfare Council, which has been in existence for 25 years. The other private agencies are the St. James Branch of the Massachusetts Catholic Women's Guild and the St. Agnes Chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
Arlington Social Service League, Inc.
The Arlington Social Service League adopted its pres-
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TOWN RECORDS
ent name last year when it was incorporated. Lester Collins is now president, having succeeded Mrs. Roscoe Perry, who resigned recently after serving 23 years. Mrs. Perry is on the Bureau of Old Age Assistance. There are 27 delegates from Town churches and organizations who serve as di- rectors of the League. The only paid worker is Percy H. Waite, who acts as agent. He interviews an average of 31 persons a day, besides keeping books, making house calls, etc. The League headquarters at the Old Town Hall are given by the Town.
The purposes of the League are to maintain in the Town of Arlington an organization to assist individuals and families in need, who are either not aided or inadequately aided by the Town, and to work for the social and industrial betterment of these people with the object of preventing a recurrence of distress ; and to promote cooperation between individuals and organizations interested in social and phil- anthropic work in the community.
The League is in constant touch with Mr. Cook, the welfare agent, who frequently turns over cases which will need help for only a short time. The League is the only private organization in Town which can certify clients for Federal surplus commodities. It also has the use of the Town clinic. It has found many part-time jobs, some of which have developed into full-time ones. The method of distributing money is somewhat different from that of the Department of Public Welfare. No fixed amounts are given, weekly conferences are held to discuss need. The League feels that this develops the individual's ability to handle money, and that the uncertainty tends to maintain initiative in seeking employment.
Massachusetts Catholic Women's Guild
St. James Branch
This organization supplies clothing, food, medicine, and
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ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
other necessities to any needy family, regardless of its re- ligious affiliations. It is a private organization and is in no way connected with the Arlington Department of Public Welfare. It is connected with the Social Service League in order to avoid duplication of assistance. This organization is not bound by restrictions and can consider the whole problem of a man, woman, child, or family, following a plan of action designated to meet all the needs of the situation. It helps people to help themselves, and strives to correct the causes as well as relieve the results of misfortunes. The Guild has no salaried officers in any of its branches.
St. Vincent de Paul-St. Agnes Chapter
Simplicity characterizes this society, whose work is to care for all worthy poor without distinction of race or creed. Emphasis is laid on the fact that service to the poor consists not in the mere doling out of alms, but especially in the giving of wholesome advice and encouragement to good living.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society is a world-wide asso- ciation of laymen, named after a remarkable Frenchman of the seventeenth century who devoted his life to the poor of Paris. The society was founded 100 years ago by eight stu- dents at the Sorbonne under the leadership of Frederick Ozanam.
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The local chapter was formed several years ago by the Rev. Dr. Matthew J. Flaherty, pastor of St. Agnes Church. Within the past few years, the work of this chapter has in- creased tremendously because of the continued depression and lack of employment. The assistance usually supplements public relief and is given in the form of milk, fuel, cloth- ing, shoes, and medicines. The priests of the parish also make calls at these homes from time to time to encourage the recipients and help them to carry on.
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TOWN RECORDS
Arlington Community Chest, Inc.
For some years before 1936, several organizations in Arlington made an annual appeal for funds to the towns- people in a house-to-house solicitation. In that year, the Arlington Community Chest was established for the pur- pose of coordinating the efforts of these groups in their drive for funds. At present the Chest includes seven agen- cies : The Arlington Boys' Club, Inc., the Arlington Girl Scouts, the Arlington Boy Scouts, the Arlington Visiting Nursing Association, the Arlington Social Service League, Inc., the Massachusetts Catholic Women's Guild of St. James Parish, and the St. Agnes Chapter of St. Vincent de Paul Society. The Chest maintains an office throughout the year at 655 Massachusetts Avenue in the Menotomy Trust Building. The officers of the Community Chest consist of a president, vice-president, treasurer, clerk and executive secretary, the latter a full-time employee. In addition to these, there is an executive board, budget committee, a cam- paign committee, and an advisory committee. The Com- munity Chest office does not give any direct relief, but re- fers appeals for assistance to the agency best suited to care for them. The fact that so many Arlington residents work in Boston and are asked to give to the Boston drive has interfered materially with the success of the local cam- paign. At the present writing, there is a movement to have the Arlington Community Chest join the Greater Boston Federation of Community Chests. It is believed that more money will be realized by the participating agencies in this way than has been awarded to them in the past.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps the primary reason for the existence of this Committee was the hope that some means of cutting relief costs could be devised. This has been our chief study. From the foregoing pages, it will be seen that public relief costs have mounted in the past ten years to an appalling degree.
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ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
The standard of welfare services in Arlington is high. Cer- tainly there is no destitution within the Town.
While we are fully aware of what these increased costs mean to the already over-burdened taxpayer, we do not see how any drastic reduction can be made until the unemploy- ment problem approaches solution. Public funds must be safeguarded by adequate administrative staffs, and any large savings made by curtailing relief allowances would be cancelled by additional medical costs.
From a study of the expenditures for the past three years, it appears that welfare costs will be $5.00 to $8.00 of the tax rate for the next few years unless business is able to absorb most of the men now working on Unemployed and W. P. A. projects.
The Committee has attempted to make a constructive report. On the whole, we believe that the people of Arling- ton may feel justly proud of the welfare services in the Town. We hope that the Selectmen, as general supervisors of all three departments of relief, will carry into effect as far as possible the few suggestions and recommendations which we have made.
We should like to express our sincere thanks to Clifford W. Cook, Agent to the Board of Public Welfare; Neil S. Peters, Executive Secretary of the Unemployment Com- mittee and local W. P. A. Coordinator; James M. Keane, Town Engineer ; and other Town officials and employees for cooperating wholeheartedly at all times and for helping to make our task a pleasant one.
Respectfully submitted,
CHARLES C. WARREN, Chairman, LOUISE BRADLEY, Secretary, J. HOWARD HAYES, JOHN B. DAVIDSON, WILLIAM P. SHINE.
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TOWN RECORDS
SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT
I agree with this report, with but two exceptions, and have signed it because I am sure it covers the work we were assigned.
I feel that the amount of money which is expended each year-nearly $600,000.00-is so large that the supervision should be vested in an independent board, particularly as I believe there will be no substantial decrease in the amount of money needed for a number of years. The problems in- volved in the proper handling of this amount of money are large and varied and complex. I believe none of the regular boards should be called upon to give the amount of time necessary in addition to their normal functions to satis- factorily solve these problems.
Therefore, I recommend that an unpaid Board be es- tablished, to be called the Board of Public Welfare, whose duties shall be to administer all forms of Public Welfare, including unemployment, in the Town of Arlington.
I recommend that this report be accepted as a report of progress, and that the Committee include in the first convenient special or regular Town Meeting Warrant such article or articles as may be necessary to make its report and this supplementary report effective.
Respectfully submitted,
J. HOWARD HAYES.
APPENDIX
TRUCKING SUMMARY, 1939-UNEMPLOYMENT AND W.P.A.
Owner
Hours
Rate
Total
Edward O'Connell
1393
$1.50
$ 2,089.50
Antonio Rizzo
1331
66
1,996.50
W. J. Henderson
1143
1,714.50
J. A. Coughlin
10071/2
66
1,511.25
P. F. Campbell
938
1,407.00
M. C. O'Connell
8962/3
66
1,345.00
Frank Kenney
8531/2
1,280.25
A. C. Driscoll
8461/2
66
1,269.75
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ARLINGTON TOWN REPORT
E. W. Larson & Sons
835 1/2
1,253.25
Peter Walsh
28
42.00
J. V. Kelly
16
24.00
92882/3
$13,933.00
PROJECTS
W. P. A.
Household Goods
$3,649.50
Mill Brook
3,423.25
Storm Drains
1,449.00
Tool Expense
1,134.00
Sewing
273.75
Sewer and Water
128.25
Cedar Avenue
121.50
Library
63.00
Town Yard
58.50
Parmenter School
42.00
Warren Peirce Playground
24.00
Police Station
32.25
Locke School
22.50
Moth Department
21.00
Hardy School
17.25
Water Survey
9.00
Central Fire Station
2.25
$10,471.00
Unemployment
Crosby School Playground
$ 752.00
Reservoir Playground
487.50
Brackett School Wall
153.00
Thorndike School Playground
128.50
Robbins Driveway
103.50
Dickson's Swamp
88.50
Florence Ave. Playground
31.50
Raft at Reservoir
15.00
Wood from Hurricane Fowles' Pond
16.50
Cutter School Rink
4.50
2,394.75
Welfare
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